In time of war, young men bear the brunt of the actual combat; that obvious fact should never make us overlook the sacrifices of the hundreds of thousands of women who have served our country in wars all around the world. The Salute to Women Veterans event, held annually in Kerrville, is intended to honor and celebrate the service of those patriotic and courageous women. Texas alone is home to more than 130,000 women veterans. (This is a subject dear to this writer’s heart, since my daughter is an Air Force linguist, currently studying the Farsi language in Monterey, CA).

This year’s event was held February 28, in the dramatic venue of the Kathleen C. Cailloux Theatre in downtown Kerrville. A vintage army jeep parked by the steps signaled an out-of-the-ordinary event, and the cheerful crowds of veterans and family members inside bore testimony to that event’s success.

The lobby of the theater was filled with exhibits: pictures, souvenirs, documents, posters, news clippings, uniforms and other memorabilia (one of the participants was Kathleen Cormack, who has the largest collection of women’s uniforms outside Washington D.C. at her WW II display inside the Kerrville VA Hospital). Even to an innocent bystander, the exhibits were fascinating; to veterans who had “been there,” it was a deeply moving experience.

The program in the auditorium included speeches by organizer Janeth Del Toro, a family nurse practitioner from the Women’s Veteran’s Program, and Sergeant Major Laura Brown, USMC. They were followed by the Highland Lakes Men’s Chorus, who presented a patriotic musical program, including rousing versions of the official song for each branch of the military.

Another reminder of the important contributions women have made during wartime was the theatrical production based on Kathi Jackson’s book, They Called Them Angels: American Military Nurses of World War II, detailing personal stories of World War II nu ...

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