A Letter from the Chairwoman — Trailblazing Women in the U.S. Military

Dear Veteran,

As VLB Chairwoman and the first female Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office (GLO), it is my honor to highlight the service and achievements of all our Veterans, including our brave female Veterans who strive to uphold the impeccable standards of the U.S. military. June 12th was Women Veterans Day, and the VLB was proud to highlight the contributions of women in our military and honor these Veterans in our communities.

Through the VLB’s Voices of Veterans oral history program, we spotlighted the service of U.S. Army nurse Josephine Reaves during World War II. We shared Ms. Reaves’ story through a special D-Day installment of Voices of Veterans. During her interview, Ms. Reaves said about D-Day, “The Germans are waiting up in the mountains to hit them, and that’s what happened. That’s why there were 14,000 boys over there, 14,000 young men. I’ll never forget that scene as long as I live.”

She also recounted how she and the other nurses did all they could to care for these men and make them comfortable. “We just did the best we could with those boys, and I tried to be with all of them when they were not going to be around too long. I would just go up and talk to them. They were comatose… didn’t know if they could hear me or not. [I] would talk to them just like we were talking face to face.”

The tale of Reaves’ service during World War II represents the fortitude of women in the U.S. Armed Forces, even before they could serve as full U.S. Service members. To listen to Reaves tell her story, visit VoicesofVeterans.org.

VLB also utilized its new “Continued Service Series” to tell the story of Josey Garcia, a U.S. Air Force Veteran and State Representative. The Series highlights members of the Texas Legislature who are Veterans of the Armed Forces. She is the first female, active-duty Veteran to join the Texas House and represents West San Antonio’s House District 124.

Representative Garcia served in several deployments overseas, including in Cameroon, Africa, and Iraq, where she participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom. She retired from service after 20 years in the military in 2014. However, she remained dedicated to serving her community. In 2020, she co-founded Uniting America Outreach, a nonprofit that delivers food and supplies to the people who need them most. To learn more about Representative Garcia’s service, visit the GLO’s website.

Read Women Veterans Day 2024 on the Texas Veterans Blog to learn more about women Veterans and how the VLB honors their legacies.

The stories of these incredible Veterans exemplify the strength and resilience of women in the United States Armed Forces. Their courage and accomplishments inspire future generations of young women and men in uniform.

I encourage all Texans to learn more about the contributions of women in the U.S. military and show reverence for the sacrifices of all Veterans.

For Texas,

Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D.