Following Vietnam War combat nurse Diane Carlson Evans receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal at the White House, fellow women veterans visit the Vietnam Women’s Memorial to recognize her efforts for its installation.
Diane Carlson Evans, a Vietnam War combat nurse and dedicated Legionnaire who spent 10 years fighting for the installation of the Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C., to honor all women veterans, was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal on Jan. 2. Due to health reasons, Carlson Evans was unable to travel to Washington, D.C., from her home in Montana to attend the acceptance ceremony at the White House. American Legion Past National Commander Denise Rohan accepted the honor for Carlson Evans from President Biden.
Following the ceremony, Rohan and retired Army Cols. Karen M. Gausman and Lennie Susan Enzel, along with retired Navy Capt. Judy Brinckerhoff, and Donna and Ronald Greenwood of Helena, Mont., visited the Vietnam Women’s Memorial to share words of sentiment about Carlson Evans, her efforts to recognize women in the military, and what the memorial represents. Watch the video.
“I think the memorial brought to the public the fact that women served but they always quietly went back to their lives and often didn't speak of their service, and people didn’t know that they served,” Enzel said. “Then Diane came along and after the Wall and the dedication of three soldiers she realized that women needed a memorial on the National Mall. To see the soldiers being reunited with their nurses, there’s magic happens at this memorial.”
Carlson Evans shares about her time in the military and efforts to honor women veterans in her 2010 memoir, “Healing Wounds: A Vietnam War Combat Nurse’s 10-Year Fight to Win Women a Place of Honor in Washington, D.C,” and in this video.
- Honor & Remembrance