Ripon Forum


Vol. 56, No. 5

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In this edition

With Veterans Day once again upon us, we are publishing our 4th Annual Special Edition of The Ripon Forum to commemorate the holiday.  This year’s edition features personal essays written by four members of Congress who also served in uniform and were asked to answer a simple question – “What does Veterans Day mean to […]

Protecting the Women Who Protect Us

Women currently represent 18% of the Armed Forces and make up the largest growing population of veterans. However, they are facing significant challenges while serving. 

The Potential of the G.I. Bill and the Need to Combat Fraud in the Program

We owe it to all veterans to deliver on America’s promise with an education befitting of veterans’ selfless service to our nation. The time to expect more for the G.I. Bill is now. 

How America Turned the Tide on Veteran Homelessness

Honoring our veterans means ensuring that every person who has served in the military can live a safe and secure life after they’ve completed their service.  And the single most important thing that every veteran needs is a safe and affordable place to live.  

“I Think First and Foremost of Those I Served Alongside.”

On Veterans Day each year, I think first and foremost of those I served alongside in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  It was an incredible honor and opportunity to serve our country as the U.S. worked to counter the threat of terrorism around the world. 

“The Selflessness of Veterans Serves as an Inspiration for All Americans.”

Veterans Day is a chance for our Nation to reset – to pause and honor those who served and recognize their sacrifices to ensure the freedom and safety of others. 

“Our Men and Women in Uniform have Devoted their Lives to Preserving the Freedoms Our Constitution Affords Us.”

Veterans Day is more than another federal holiday. It provides everyone in our nation — both servicemembers and civilians — an opportunity to honor those who have dedicated their lives to protecting our freedoms. 

“We have an Obligation to Serve Those Who Served and Sacrificed For Us.”

We have an obligation to serve those who served and sacrificed for us. And in such divided times, it is more important than ever to set aside political partisanship and put our veterans and servicemembers first.  

Every American Should Serve for a Year

It’s time to rethink the path to success for our nation’s youth and rebuild trust along the way by prioritizing opportunities that bring people from different backgrounds together through a shared goal and common purpose. 

The False Promise of Universal National Service

It is magical thinking that the state can round up 18-year-olds, march them, like Mao’s Red Guards, across America, and turn them into moral, caring, selfless adults committed to national unity and other liberal verities.  

Protecting the Women Who Protect Us

Women have never been required to serve in the U.S. military, yet have answered the call voluntarily serving since our country became a free nation.  

Women have worked for the right to serve in the same roles as their brothers in arms and have been significant contributors to our nation’s success.  

To put it simply, we wouldn’t be where we are today without our women veterans. 

Our great state of South Carolina is home to many of these incredible women who have given so much in service to our country.  

South Carolina native and veteran Caroline Etheredge Hembel was the only woman to complete the Civilian Pilot Training Program at the University of South Carolina in 1939.  

In 1940, Hembel became the first woman in the 11 Southeastern states to fly solo and receive a pilot’s license. In 1941, she began training Navy V-5 aviation cadets, and in 1943 she was selected to be one of WWII’s legendary Women’s Auxiliary Service Pilots (WASPs). 

Women have worked for the right to serve in the same roles as their brothers in arms and have been significant contributors to our nation’s success. 

South Carolinian trailblazer Charity Adams Earley paved the way for African American women in the U.S. military. In 1942, she left her job as a school teacher in Columbia, SC to join what was then the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) before it became the Women’s Army Corps (WAC).  

After completing the first Officer Candidate School, Charity served as a staff training officer, a station control officer, and a company commander at Fort Des Moines. In September 1943, she was promoted to Major, making her the highest-ranking female officer at the training center.  

In 1944, she was selected to be the Commanding Officer of the first unit of WAC African Americans to go overseas. After leaving the military she continued serving by working at the VA. 

Beaufort’s own Caroline Fermin joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1988, serving 25 years before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. Fermin currently serves as the Executive Director of the Parris Island Heritage Foundation, generating funds for the Parris Island Museum.  

Additionally, she serves as a Commissioner of the Beaufort County and Municipal Planning Commissions. Fermin is on the Boards of Voter Registration and Elections, the Chamber of Commerce and the Military Enhancement Committee, and serves as Secretary of her MOAA chapter. 

Women currently represent 18% of the Armed Forces and make up the largest growing population of veterans. However, they are facing significant challenges while serving.  

Women currently represent 18% of the Armed Forces and make up the largest growing population of veterans. However, they are facing significant challenges while serving. 

Did you know one in four servicewomen report being sexually assaulted by someone in their chain of command? 

Women are 28% more likely to leave the service than their male counterparts, citing issues such as lack of family planning support, retaliation after sexual assault, a lack of female mentorship in senior leadership, and sexism in general.  

Once they separate from the military, women experience more unique and difficult challenges, including accessing their earned benefits, finding meaningful employment, and recovering from their time in the military.  

Unfortunately, the daughters of our brave nation also face a higher prevalence of lifetime posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorders, arthritis, and osteoporosis than men. 

Our women veterans have volunteered to give up their lives for our nation and deserve the unfaltering support of the United States government and the American people through health care, education and other well-earned benefits. 

In Congress, we have worked to support women veterans in various ways. As a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I have co-sponsored legislation to help homeless veterans, speed up payments for veterans’ survivors, improve medical care for women specific issues, support veterans with sexual trauma, and generally improve the VA. Our office champions our veterans and works tirelessly to improve their quality of life during and after service. Congress must continue this important work.  

These women have signed up, and continue to sign up every day to protect us and our democracy. They are America’s daughters who voluntarily gave up their freedoms to protect ours. As we mark another Veterans Day, the very least we can do is commit ourselves to protecting them and honor their selfless service to our great Nation. 

Nancy Mace represents the 1st District of South Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives.  A member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and daughter of an Army General, she graduated magna cum laude from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, where she was the school’s first female to graduate from its Corps of Cadets in 1999.