Efforts continue to recognize women veterans

Efforts are underway to create an Indiana license plate for women veterans.

Air Force veteran and volunteer advocate Lisa Wilken has been pushing for lawmakers to act on the creation of specialty plates for women veterans. However, attempts to pass legislation have failed in the Indiana state legislature. 

She said women veterans are the fastest growing sub population of veterans.

“But a lot of people assume we are the spouse or the child of a veteran rather than the veteran ourselves. So, we're trying to create a women's veteran license plate so that not only will we be able to celebrate our service, but we'll be educating at the same time,” Wilken said.

There are currently 17 states or territories offering women veterans license plates or tags.

Wilken said work also continues to make June 12 Women Veteran Recognition Day in Indiana.

“We chose the date of June 12 because June 12, 1948, was when the War Integration Act was signed, where women could serve outside of the nursing Corps,” Wilken said.

This year is the 75th anniversary of the War Integration Act.

.Contact WFYI Morning Edition newscaster and reporter Taylor Bennett at tbennett@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @TaylorB2213.