President of the Military Women’s Memorial and Army veteran Phyllis Wilson recognized in Tampa at The American Legion’s national convention.
Phyllis J. Wilson, president of the Military Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, was emotional as she accepted the Patriot Award from American Legion National Commander James LaCoursiere Jr. during the 106th National Convention in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 27.
“I am humbled,” said Wilson, a member of Post 2 in Washington, D.C., through tears to convention delegates. “As a Legionnaire myself, as a family of patriots, to receive a Patriot Award amongst a room of patriots is very special.”
The Patriot Award was presented to Wilson for serving her country “with honor, bravery and distinction.” This includes a 37-year service in the U.S. Army with multiple deployments to Iraq as an intelligence analyst with special operations, her service as a Blue Star mother with four children who deployed to combat zones, and as president of the Military Women's Memorial where she has been “a tireless advocate for your sisters-in-arms, as well as previous and current generations of female veterans.”
When Wilson learned the Patriot Award would be bestowed upon her, “I really thought patriotism and what does it mean to be a patriot,” she said. A few years while searching her ancestry she learned that she was qualified to be a Daughters of the American Revolution. “So we had patriots in my family 250 years ago.” And further research showed she is a descendant from the Mayflower. “I would have liked to have known that while I was in uniform.”
It was her time in uniform that Wilson said, “I never thought of myself as a female soldier. I thought of myself as a soldier.” So when the Military Women’s Memorial was looking for a president in 2019, “I wasn’t interested because I truly didn’t get it. I didn’t understand the incredible difference and our timeline when we were legally allowed to serve” in 1901 with the Army Nurse Corps.
Wilson shared that the mission of the Military Women’s Memorial is to honor and tell the stories of the more than 3 million women, both past and present, that have helped to defend America. “It’s a powerful and fun opportunity to do so,” Wilson said as the president.
The Military Women’s Memorial, located at the entrance to the Arlington National Cemetery, has three core pillars – honor, educate and empower, and remember.
“We never want to forget those who have come before us,” Wilson said. With that, Wilson put forth two challenges to American Legion members – Strive for 500 Campaign and Square Foot Challenge.
A goal for the Military Women’s Memorial is to have the stories of the more than 3 million women who have served in the memorial’s digital database. Currently, there are 330,000 stories registered in the database. The challenge is to have at least 500 registrations from each state and territory in 2025 for a goal of 25,000 new women veteran stories. Most states are close, Wilson shared, and Texas is leading with more than 1,200 stories registered this year.
Since the memorial does not receive federal funding and relies on generous donors, Wilson asked American Legion posts to support the Square Foot Challenge. The challenge asks donors to sponsor one square foot of the memorial, which is 33,000 square feet, for one cent or $330.
“It would be a tremendous thing if you could help us. These stories are important,” Wilson said, adding that as Honor Flights bring women veterans to Arlington National Cemetery, it’s important for them to “see their history inside our memorial.
“So from one patriot to another, thank you all, and I will treasure this award.”
- Convention