Celebration and Info Fair for women veterans, Nov. 8 & 9

  • Published
  • By 1Lt John Callahan
  • 176th Wing Public Affairs
ANCHORAGE --  On Nov. 8 and 9, two events in Anchorage will honor women veterans of all military services.


Nov. 8: Celebration of Alaska's Women Veterans

Event will include documentary screening and discussion of women veterans' issues

Brig. General Deborah McManus, commander of the Alaska Air National Guard, will host a Celebration of Alaska Women Veterans on Sunday, Nov. 8 at Kincaid Elementary School from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event will highlight women veterans' benefits and quality of life issues, and feature a showing of the movie Lioness. According to the Internet Movie Database, this documentary

presents the untold story of the first group of women soldiers in US history to be sent into direct ground combat, in violation of official policy. Told through intimate accounts, journal excerpts, archive footage, as well as interviews with military commanders, the film follows five women who served together for a year in Iraq. With captivating detail, this probing documentary reveals the unexpected course of events that began with using US women soldiers to defuse tensions with local civilians, but resulted in the women's fighting in some of the bloodiest counter-insurgency battles of the war. Together the women's candid narratives and scenes from their lives back home form a portrait of the emotional and psychological effects of war from a female point of view. Lioness is the first film to bridge the gap between perception and reality of the role women in the military are playing in Iraq, capturing an historical turning point for American society.

Anyone interested in issues facing women in today's military is invited to attend.



Nov. 9: VA Offers Information Fair, Celebration for Women Veterans, 

On Monday, Nov. 9, the Alaska VA Healthcare System will host a Women Veterans Information Fair at the Loussac Library. The event will focus on issues relating to the current status of women in today's military; the changing demographics of women veterans; and what the VA is doing to meet the needs of all women veterans. 

The fair will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the lower level of the Z.J. Loussac Library, located at 3600 Denali Street in Anchorage. The cornerstone of the fair, a recognition ceremony celebrating our women veterans, will be held at 6 p.m. The ceremony's speaker will be Brig. Gen. Deborah McManus, commander of the Alaska Air National Guard. 

Transportation is available for the homebound; call 907-257-7496 to arrange for pickup. Point of Contact is Margaret Balster, Women Veterans Program Manager pro-temp (907-230-1733).