The National Women Veterans United (NWVU) consists of a network of women veterans with a history of past and/or present service in the United States Armed Forces. The NWVU’s mission is to advocate, educate and bond with all military women veterans with special emphasis on women who are disabled, homeless, at risk or returning from deployment, to ensure they are connected to appropriate direct services and resources for readjustment and coping skills, as they return to employment, school, and family. Access to NWVU will ensure that service women and veterans both have access to those services needed to maintain mental, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual health well-being.
On Wednesday, October 6, 2021, local news affiliates covered the historic all-female honor flight that departed from Chicago’s Midway Airport on a plane provided by Southwest Airlines. Ninety-three veterans, from the Chicago Headquarters and Rockford Chapter, spent the day in Washington DC touring memorials and monuments honoring their service.
The flight was called Operation HerStory. The female veterans arrived at 4 a.m. Wednesday morning and returned to Chicago around 8:30 p.m. The honor flights began in 2005 and has flown thousands of vets to DC. This is the 98th flight from Chicago, but the first all-female honor flight.
—Joyce Butts, Author
Additional Resources
Visit the Honor Flight Network website to find upcoming flights. In their menu select "Hubs/Flights" for a regional list.
Visit the Military Women's Memorial online for a virtual tour. "The Military Women's Memorial is a one-of-a-kind tribute to America's Servicewomen, past and present. The Memorial features an education center, interactive exhibits, a world-class collection of military women's stories." If you were or are a Servicewoman, you can register your service.