Hundreds gathered Thursday morning at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center to honor the service and sacrifice of women veterans, celebrating stories that span from the Revolutionary War to present-day conflicts.

• Okaloosa County held its third annual Women Veterans Day ceremony, unveiling two new bronze statues and recognizing the contributions of the 162,000 women veterans who call Florida home.

“We are here today to celebrate the many contributions women veterans have made to the armed forces,” said Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, Okaloosa County vice chairman and organizer of the event. “Florida has the second largest population of veterans in the United States. 162,000 of those veterans are women who have made a difference in uniform.”

The ceremony drew attendees from across the region, including elected officials, veterans organizations and members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution and other lineage societies.

Ceremony begins with tradition

The 8 a.m. ceremony opened with an invocation by Chaplain Colonel Robert Monagle, who called the gathering a celebration of “heroes” and “women who have been pioneers, women who have defended our nation and made it stronger.”

“Lord, we celebrate heroes. Many who had to overcome barriers, but through their trust in you, they drew strength and persevered in their efforts to show their ultimate love for our nation,” Monagle said.

• The Okaloosa County EMS Honor Guard presented the colors, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by the Children of the American Revolution and the national anthem sung by soloist Natalie McClure.

Ketchel recognized the Women Veterans Monument Advisory Committee members who worked to create the park, including Air Force Senior Airman veteran Charlotte Esman, Air Force Chief Master Sergeant retired Fatima Ivy, U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer retired Beatrice Lovemore, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel retired Janet Place and others.

Official proclamations celebrate recognition

The ceremony featured readings of proclamations from multiple levels of government, emphasizing the importance of recognizing women’s military service.

Graham Fountain, congressional aide to Rep. Jimmy Patronis, read remarks from the congressional record that highlighted the work of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution in honoring Revolutionary War patriots.

• The remarks specifically mentioned Margaret Corbin, one of the women honored with a statue in Veterans Park, who took over firing a cannon after her husband was killed during the Battle of Fort Washington in New York. On July 6, 1779, Congress awarded Corbin a lifelong pension for her Revolutionary War service, marking the first time America recognized a woman for her military service.

President Mel Ponder of Northwest Florida State College delivered greetings from Sen. Rick Scott, who wrote: “Our nation’s veterans and service members are essential to America’s prosperity and success. Our women veterans truly represent the best of what it means to be an American and a Floridian.”

Commissioner Sherri Cox read Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proclamation declaring June 12 as Women’s Veterans Day in Florida. The proclamation noted that 20 states and the Virgin Islands have followed Florida’s lead in recognizing the day.

“These women answer the call to serve, putting their lives on the line to ensure our nation remains the land of the free,” the governor’s proclamation stated.

Commissioner Trey Goodwin read the Okaloosa County proclamation, which passed the Board of County Commissioners unanimously, recognizing women veterans’ “invaluable contributions through their service in all branches of the United States Armed Forces.”

Keynote speaker emphasizes power of storytelling

Commissioner Drew Palmer introduced Col. Kristen Wood, calling her “an exceptional leader, trailblazer, and advocate for service” who leads almost 2,000 airmen under her command in six squadrons responsible for supporting more than 63,000 service members, family members and civilians.

Col. Wood, commander of the 1st Special Operations Mission Support Group at Hurlburt Field, delivered a heartfelt keynote address focusing on the importance of sharing stories and building community.

Wood began by sharing a personal story about her grandfather, a wheat farmer from northern Montana who spent 10 winters writing 1,600 pages of memoirs about his everyday life.

• “They’re fascinating because they’re his story and because they’re his story, they’re also part of my story,” Wood said, explaining how the realization helped her understand the importance of every veteran’s experience.

Wood’s speech centered on three key messages: tell your story, listen to other people’s stories, and use collective stories to solve the nation’s problems.

“Someone wants to hear your story, someone needs to hear your story,” Wood told the audience. “Your story is a big deal. Don’t dismiss your story. Don’t downplay it. Don’t embellish it, but please tell it.”

She emphasized that normalizing women’s military service comes from those who follow trailblazers and share their experiences.

• “It’s not the trailblazers that normalize things. It’s the trail followers,” Wood said. “It’s all of us following behind those trailblazers and then sharing our experience that creates normality.”

Wood concluded by calling on the audience to use their diverse experiences to solve complex problems together.

“We solve problems by building teams of diverse backgrounds and experiences, and then rolling up our sleeves to get stuff done,” she said. “Our nation depends on it.”

Veterans recognized throughout ceremony

A special moment came when Ketchel asked all women veterans present to stand and be recognized, followed by all veterans, male and female, receiving applause for their service.

Naseema, one of the women honored with an existing statue in the park, attended the ceremony. On Sept. 11, 2001, she was the only Airman fluent in Pashto, the same language spoken by the insurgent group known as the Taliban. Naseema was immediately deployed as an Aircrew Linguist. 

• The Air Force waived all Aircrew requirements and she deployed as Aircrew Linguist in the RC135 Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft. Naseema was awarded several Air Medals specifically for flying combat missions.

“When we chose her, I remember the commander said we couldn’t have chosen a better woman because not only did she translate all the targets we made, but she was also in service in Afghanistan and fought during that war,” Ketchel said. “I’m just so proud to call her my friend.”

New statues honor diverse service

The ceremony’s highlight came with the unveiling of two bronze statues representing women from different eras and conflicts. 

Captain Linda Bray led her U.S. Army company during a firefight in Panama in 1989 and was recently awarded the Bronze Star with V Device for her actions. At the time, it was illegal for women to engage in combat, but Bray acted when the situation deteriorated.

Florence Ebersole Smith Finch, who was half Filipino, worked with the Philippine underground to smuggle supplies to prisoners of war during World War II. After being imprisoned and tortured by the Japanese, she joined the Coast Guard in 1945 and was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon and the Medal of Freedom.

The statues, created by Jon Hair Monumental Sculpture LLC, cost $372,255 and were funded through tourist development funds. Hair is the official sculptor of the U.S. Olympic Committee and has created the 24-foot Fighting Falcon at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium and military figures at the Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

• Artist John Hair attended the ceremony for the unveiling, along with advisory committee members Charlotte Esman, Fatima Ivy, Beatrice Lovemore and Janet Place.

The statues will be placed in Veterans Park at a later date, as the park is currently under construction with a living shoreline project featuring oyster beds and grasses designed to protect from hurricane erosion along Choctawhatchee Bay.

Growing memorial honors women’s service

The Women Veterans Monuments at Veterans’ Park on Okaloosa Island currently houses eight bronze statues of women who served the nation, positioned along a quarter-mile path on 20.5 acres. The park also protects a great blue heron rookery and has been identified by the Audubon Society as home to 248 species of birds.

“We could fill the entire park with statues,” said Ketchel, noting the thousands of resumes the selection committee reviewed. “There are so many deserving women.”

Two additional statues are planned for unveiling on Nov. 11, 2025, representing an Iroquois Woman Warrior from the War of 1812 and Nicole Gee, a Marine who served during the evacuation of Afghanistan.

• The park tells the story of women’s military service from the Revolutionary War through current conflicts, with QR codes allowing visitors to listen to each woman’s story.

Historical significance

The observance recognizes President Harry Truman’s signing of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act on June 12, 1948, establishing the Women’s Army Corps in the Regular Army and authorizing the enlistment and appointment of women in the Regular Air Force, Regular Navy and Marine Corps.

Prior to that legislation, only women nurses were permitted to serve in the regular or reserve forces.

• “Women Veterans Day is not a separate day for women veterans,” Ketchel explained. “It is a tribute to the groundbreaking day when women were acknowledged as essential to the war efforts and could serve in the regular armed forces.”

Ketchel noted that women have served throughout American history, with more than 400 women fighting in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War, and about 35,000 women officially serving as nurses and support staff during World War I.

During World War II, 140,000 women served in the Women’s Army Corps, and in August 1943, the Women Air Force Service pilots, known as the WASP, was formed. The WASP flew more than 60,000 miles in two years.

Ceremony concludes with remembrance

The ceremony concluded with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Women Veterans Monument, where six wreaths were placed on the plaza surrounded by service flags.

Okaloosa County became the first county in Florida to receive the America 250 marker, which can be viewed on the plaza. Ketchel expressed hope that Women Veterans Recognition Day will become a national holiday, noting that Florida and 20 other states, plus the Virgin Islands, currently observe the day.

The event highlighted the community’s commitment to preserving and sharing the stories of women veterans, ensuring future generations understand the vital role women have played in defending the nation throughout its history.