Speaker discusses womenÂ’s military service at luncheon
Darlene Hemmingsen, ASMC luncheon guest speaker and WomenÂ’s Army CorpsÂ’ Chapter 3 president, shared how many women in military history have followed the paths of their male counterparts in service to our nation
(PRWEB) November 24, 2003
Speaker tells of womenÂ’s military service at monthly luncheon
By Jim Bolton
American Legion, Fairfield Post 11
Lancaster, Ohio
Recently, in Gettysburg, Pa., the shallow graves of four Civil War soldiers were uncovered. In the graves were the remains of three men Â… and one woman.
Many women in military history have followed the paths of their male counterparts in service to our nation.
“Women in the military” was the topic of choice for Darlene Hemmingsen, guest speaker for the American Society of Military Comptrollers’ Buckeye Chapter’s monthly meeting at the Concourse Hotel Nov. 20.
Hemmingsen, who served in the Army for three years as the Vietnam War drew to a close, is a Pataskala, Ohio, resident and serves as president of the WomenÂ’s Army Corps Veterans Association, Chapter 3.
She also recently became a member of the American Legion, Post 85, in Newark, Ohio.
When she joined the military, Hemmingsen became the ArmyÂ’s first full-time female electrician. Later, after leaving the Army, she went on to spend 25 years as an electrician and local businesswoman.
During her remarks, Hemmingsen shared the stories of a number of courageous women who served in the military as nurses, snipers, scouts, clerks and interrogators, among a host of other professions.
Women recognized for their bravery on the battlefield include Mary Catherine O'Rourke, telephone operator and interpreter for Gen. John J. Pershing; and Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, known by the nickname "Molly Pitcher,” who carried water to the men on the Revolutionary battlefield at Monmouth, N. J.
Hemmingsen comes from a family with a long line of military service Â… grandfathers and uncles, etc.Â… however, she is a proud supporter of women in the military and veterans of the armed forces.
Before concluding her remarks, she took a step back from her podium to recognize and salute about a half-dozen military veterans who attended the ASMC luncheon.
ASMC is the non-profit educational and professional organization for persons, military and civilian, involved in the overall field of military comptrollership.
ASMC promotes the education and training of its members, and supports the development and advancement of the profession of military comptrollership.
The society sponsors research, provides professional programs to keep members abreast of current issues and encourages the exchange of techniques and approaches.
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Photo available for download at http://www. angelfire. com/alt/msjim/fairfield11/images/DarleneHemmingsen. jpg (http://www. angelfire. com/alt/msjim/fairfield11/images/DarleneHemmingsen. jpg)
Photo Cutline:
Darlene Hemmingsen, ASMC luncheon guest speaker and WomenÂ’s Army CorpsÂ’ Chapter 3 president, shared how many women in military history have followed the paths of their male counterparts in service to our nation. (Photo[s] by Jim Bolton, Fairfield Post 11)
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Text and photo prepared by Jim Bolton, member of Fairfield Post 11 and the National American Legion Press Association - http://www. nalpa. legion. org (http://www. nalpa. legion. org)
American Legion
Fairfield Post 11
(740) 653-3165
Http://www. clik. to/fairfield11 (http://www. clik. to/fairfield11)
