During the Vietnam era, 265,000 women served the war effort, often working behind the scenes, off camera and off the record. Eleven thousand women went to Vietnam. Eight of them died. Many more were wounded, physically and psychologically.
Nearly all saw themselves omitted from history books, medical and psychological studies, media coverage, speeches, parades, memorials and monuments that focused only on the men who went to war. Recently, those "invisible" women received their long overdue recognition thanks to the commitment, compassion, and true gift of Diane Carlson Evans, an army nurse who served in Vietnam during 1968 and 1969.
Diane Evans is a Fighter for Nurse's Rights and the Rights of Women
In 1983, Evans – who described herself as a "mother, nurse and vet"– began a grass-roots effort without funds, paid lobbyists, political savvy or even contacts in the nation's capital. She had a simple goal: to get the respect she and other women veterans an volunteers deserved. Yet installing a Vietnam Women's Memorial on the Mall near the famous Wall – the chevron-shaped black granite wall inscribed with the names of 58,132 war dead and missing – would take 10 years of unpaid, unstinting effort.
Advised repeatedly to give up their plans, Evans and hundreds of other ordinary men and women raised more than $2.5 million dollars, lobbied Congress, courted the press, heard the opinions of thousands of veterans and their families and bush-wacked their way through miles of red tape. As Evans put it, "we failed our way to success."
The Statue in Remembrance of Veterans of Vietnam
The unveiling of a 6 foot 8 inch tall bronze statue by Santa-Fe based sculptor Glenna Goodacre was scheduled during a three-day celebration honoring the patriotism, courage, strength, and compassion of the women who served. Sited in a garden near the Wall in Washington, D.C., the Vietnam Women's Memorial depicts three women in fatigues; one sits on sand-bags and cradles a wounded soldier; another kneels in disbelief and frustration as she stares at a soldiers helmet; a third looks skyward while laying a comforting hand on the shoulder of the one assisting a soldier.
The figures are not all nurses. Nor do they memorialize only the 11,000 or so women who served in military and civilian capacities in Vietnam. They honor all 265,000 women who served during the Vietnam era, whether in Southeast Asia, Turkey, San Diego or wherever. Dressed generically in fatigues without insignia, they stand for women in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, as well as volunteers for the Red Cross and other international relief agencies, and represent all professions from air traffic controllers to postal clerks, dietitians and physical therapists.
Memorial Not Just for Nurses But for All Veterans
Evans emphasizes that the statue is not just for women. Hundreds of thousands of male veterans and their families congregated in Washington to say "thank you" to the women who fought alongside them, eased their suffering and often saved their lives. Many had longed to pay tribute to the women who served in Vietnam, women whose names they often did not even know.
Asked what fueled her 10 year unpaid labor of love, Evans replied simply, "it was the right thing to do." The more people told her it could not be done, the harder she worked. "It never once occurred to me to give up over in Vietnam. I preserved. I didn't give up."
Closing Wounds of War and Prejudice in America
For thousands of women the project has closed the wounds of Vietnam. Through poems, songs, paintings, drawings and simply talking to one another, healing began. Many had joined support groups and participated in research on post-traumatic stress disorder and other physical after-effects resulting from their military service. Once their healing was underway, Evans anticipated that women veterans will cease staying silent and will begin to actively participate in discussions about women's role in combat, veterans benefits and military involvements around the world.
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