Captain’s Column
This month we highlight women’s history and recognize the great contributions that women have made in service to our nation.
The first women to serve in the Navy were nurses, beginning with the “Sacred Twenty” appointed after Congress established the Navy Nurse Corps on May 13, 1908. These women made broad contributions during wartime, including training of field nurses, disease treatment, and providing education programs for nurses abroad. Initially, the Navy did not provide room or board for them, so the nurses rented their own accommodations and provided their own meals. Those Sacred Twenty were the beginning of the Navy’s Nurse Corps.
The first large-scale enlistment of women into the Navy met needed shortages of clerical workers during World War I, and the second came months before the United States entered World War II.
At that time, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Public Law 689 creating the Navy’s women reserve program in July 1942. It paved the way for officer and enlisted women to enter the Navy.
Today, women serve in every rank from seaman to admiral and in every job from naval aviator to deep-sea diver. We recognize their achievements and legacy to our country’s history.
This month, we are also highlighting the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society and their annual fund drive. NMCRS provides assistance every day to hundreds of Sailors, Marines and their families, widows and survivors.
The Society’s goal is to help each person who comes to them to get support for their immediate needs. Their long-term mission is to help Sailors and Marines become financially self-sufficient by learning how to better manage their personal finances and prepare for unplanned expenses
The need for an organization such as NMCRS was recognized long before it was organized.
Our newly formed nation couldn’t afford to provide benefits for its armed forces. There weren’t retirement annuities or survivors’ benefits. Sailors and Marines would “pass the hat” to collect funds to help their shipmates’ widows and orphans. It was in 1904 that several naval officers, their spouses and others saw the need for a formal and organized assistance. That was when NMCRS was “born.”
For 114 years, NMCRS’ efforts have improved the quality of life for active-duty and retired Sailors, Marines and their families. Their assistance has supported survivors living on limited fixed income, young parents dealing with the increase in expenses a child brings to the family, families displaced by natural disasters and more.
The Society also provides visiting nurse services, thrift shops, budget counseling, infant layettes, and educational scholarships and loans.
NMCRS is managed by a small paid staff and relies on thousands of volunteers to help with a variety of programs and services. And, they rely on donations to support their services.
Donations made locally during the fund drive stay local. Payroll deduction is an easy way that you can support your shipmates in their times of need. So, when your keyworker stops by to visit you and ask for your donation, remember the Society will not only help your shipmate standing next to you, but will also help you and your family when in need. You will be keeping alive the tradition of taking care of our own.