Close Menu

Women’s History Month: Honoring Our Women in Uniform

By Concerned Veterans for America

Women have always been integral to military success. They’ve served in support roles while men took to the battlefields, joined in as nurses, took on male-dominated roles as wars became more demanding and now serve in combat. 

Our female veterans and military members feel a powerful sense of duty to their country, even after they’ve served.  

Concerned Veterans for America is lucky to partner with many female veterans who know their service didn’t end when they took off the uniform. Meet just a few of the female veterans who fight to protect the freedoms they sacrificed for in uniform. 

  • Shannon Hough – Hough serves as CVA’s special projects manager. She is a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy,in which she was enlisted for five and a half years. Hough’s family has a rich history of military service. She has family members who served in all five branches of the military. Her family legacy led her to join the Navy at 17 so she could continue the tradition of service to her nation. Shannon is now married to an Army colonel and has two children pursuing their own military careers in the Army and Marine Corps.

 

  • Leslee Beauchamp – Beauchamp is a field director with CVA’s Texas chapter. She served in the U.S. Air force for nearly 22 years, retiring in 2007 as a master sergeant. Her patriotic family inspired her to join the Air Force. Her brother joined the Marines, while her sister joined the Navy. Beauchamp got involved with CVA because she felt the drive to continue serving her country after retirement. She can feel a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment of duty through advocating on behalf of other veterans and their families. 

 

  • Giovanna Martinez – Martinez served her country in the U.S. Army. She was stationed atFort Drum and deployed with the 10th Mountain Division. Like countless others who return home from war, Martinez suffered from service-connected trauma and the invisible scars of war. Connecting with other veterans and their families for a common cause has helped her through her healing process by shedding light on every veteran’s story. 

 

  • Rita Duprat-Waldo – Duprat-Waldo enlisted in the Air Force in 1973 and made incredible strides for women in the military. She was one of the first five women to join the Small Arms Technical School at Lackland Air Force Base, in addition to being was the first women to graduate from the M-60 Machinegun specialist course at Nellis AFB. Duprat-Waldo retired at Lackland as the highest-ranking women in the combat arms career field. She also retired as the only woman to hold the position of chief enlisted manager at the largest weapons training center in the Air Force. Chief Duprat-Waldo is honored as an Air Force pioneer with a Basic Military Training Legacy Flight named for her at Lackland. In retirement, she volunteers with CVA, sharing her stories and advocating for better lives for veterans. 

These are just a few of the women within CVA’s ranks who aren’t content to sit on the sidelines while their fellow veterans need help. They’ve put their heart and soul into the battle for freedom and opportunity for those with whom they served alongside. We’re proud to highlight these impressive women as part of Women’s History Month.