Female veterans honored at U.S. Southern Command

Photo By Chief Master Sgt. Raymond Sarracino | U.S. Navy Pharmacist Mate Etaline Marcus, a WWII veteran, shares a photograph of herself during her WWII service. She was attending a luncheon held to commemorate her service on Women’s Equality Day at U.S. Southern Command in Miami, Florida, Thursday, August 25, 2016.  

MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES

08.25.2016

Story by Raymond Sarracino 

U.S. Southern Command

The event was hosted by USSOUTHCOM and sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4127 Women’s Auxiliary and included a luncheon, music and a presentation of awards to the veterans.
The group had members who served in all branches of the military, most of them during WWII.

One of them, Etaline Marcus, a native of Queens, N.Y. expressed appreciation for the attention so long after her service. “This is unbelievable. It’s like a dream,” she said.

In relating some of her experiences, Marcus, who served as a Pharmacist’s Mate in the U.S. Navy, said she was thrilled to have once visited the USS Missouri, the battleship where the Government of Japan formally surrendered to Allied Forces in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945.

Also affected by the unexpected thrill of the event was WWII Army veteran Debra Stern of Lauderdale Lakes. “I don’t deserve this, but I certainly appreciate it. This was wonderful,” she said.

Reflecting upon the differences in American cultural views of war, she expressed a viewpoint that much has changed over time: “You see, back then, we were a generation that didn’t know war, since there was 20 years between World War One and World War Two, so we were ‘gung ho’ about it. When I signed up, Grand Central Station (NYC) was full of people volunteering,” she said.

There were uniform items and insignia from a bygone era sprinkled throughout the outfits the veterans were wearing, as well as a keen interest in what today’s military uniforms look like.

Many of the group expressed a particular appreciation for the one-, two- and three-star general officers in attendance - USSOUTHCOM J-2 Director, Army Brig. Gen. Kate Leahy, USSOUTHCOM Chief of Staff, Air Force Maj. Gen. Mike Plehn and USSOUTHCOM Military Deputy Commander, Army Lt. Gen. Joseph DiSalvo were in attendance.

The ceremony culminated in a brief performance by USSOUTHCOM’s own barbershop quartet, who were joined in song by many of the attendees.

The event was a part of festivities observing Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women full voting rights.

• Date Taken: 08.25.2016
• Date Posted: 08.25.2016 18:05
• Story ID: 208242
• Location: MIAMI, FL, US