Around 50 Brevard County female veterans and their supporters boarded a bus outside the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center on Merritt Island, as a Brevard County Sheriff’s Office motorcycle escort lead the way, for a special memory-making journey.<\/p>\n
The women were part of a dedicated “Flight of Honor” mission recognizing female veterans by taking them to Washington, D.C., to see the monuments and be honored for their service.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy big mission is to bring awareness that women did serve in the military, because so many of them are forgotten,\u201d Dorothy Walsh told FLORIDA TODAY. Walsh is president of Their Voice of Hope, a Brevard County nonprofit which assists and supports women veterans<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Tuesday, March 10 celebration marked the first time a dedicated flight recognizing<\/a> only female veterans departed with a Brevard-based group, Walsh said. They planned to leave Wednesday morning from Lakeland. The veterans hailed from various military branches.<\/p>\n Walsh, who is not a veteran herself, said that her mission is to be a voice for this \u201cinvisible population\u201d.<\/p>\n The Brevard veterans will join more than 150 Florida female veterans on a tour of the monuments in the nation\u2019s capital. While the trip is being coordinated by the General Federation of Women\u2019s Clubs (GFWC) specifically for women veterans, Their Voice of Hope raised the funds, coordinated the participation and secured the bus to Lakeland.<\/p>\n The mission is similar to Honor Flights which take veterans \u2014 men and women \u2014 to the U.S. capital multiple times a year, leaving from Melbourne Orlando International Airport.<\/p>\n The GFWC Florida Flight of Honor<\/a> itself is organized by GFWC Florida President Sara Dessureau. After a female friend who was a military veteran took her own life, Dessureau decided female veterans needed an opportunity like this.<\/p>\n The hope is that these initiatives break through the isolation some female veterans experience.<\/p>\n \u201cSo many of these women do not, cannot associate with men because of the trauma that they went through while they were serving in the military,\u201d Walsh told FLORIDA TODAY.<\/p>\n Lisa Marie Webb, a retired Master Sergeant, smiled as she mingled with fellow veterans and their supporters. After 24 years of service to the country, she said the recognition was appreciated.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is amazing, and such an honor,\u201d Webb told FLORIDA TODAY. \u201cThe more I heard of the things they\u2019re doing, I\u2019m just so honored and amazed that they\u2019re doing this for us.\u201d<\/p>\n During sendoff remarks, Colonel\u00a0Shannon DaSilva, Commander of\u00a0Space\u00a0Delta 10 at Patrick\u00a0Space Force Base, thanked the women veterans for leading the way for today\u2019s generation, and urged them to remember the monuments in D.C. exist for them as well.<\/p>\n \u201cEach of you answered a call to serve at a time when the path for women in uniform was often uncertain, sometimes unrecognized, and too often underestimated and unappreciated,\u201d said DaSilva. \u201cYet, you stepped forward anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of you, doors that once barely stood open are now wide enough for the next generation of women to walk through with confidence,\u201d DaSilva said. \u201cYoung women in uniform today stand on a stronger foundation of opportunity, respect, and leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at\u00a0bedwards@floridatoday.com<\/a>\u00a0or on X:\u00a0@brookeofstars<\/a>.<\/p>\n This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard female veterans honored on Florida ‘Flight of Honor’<\/a><\/p>\n