To the editor:

The date Aug. 13 was an auspicious day in the 126-year history of the VFW — Veterans of Foreign Wars. Carol Whitmore, a 36-year U.S. Army veteran, was elected Commander-in-Chief of the VFW, a national organization with 1.4 million members. She is the first woman to hold this one-year position. Carol lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband, Brad, who suffers from exposure to Agent Orange.

After a year at a community college and two years at Northern Iowa University, Whitmore ran out of money to continue her education. She walked into an Army recruiting office and made a quick decision to enlist. “Joining was initially about college,” she noted, “but became about country. It was literally the camaraderie and serving my country.”

Whitmore became an Army nurse and later served as first sergeant for her unit while deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She has received the Legion of Merit Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal (six), Army Achievement Medal, National Service Medal, and Iraq Campaign Medal among her numerous awards.

Whitmore stated that “I may be the first veteran to have been elected VFW commander-in-chief while wearing a dress … the first female veteran, but I will not be the last.” That position, she added, “should always be about merit, whether the person holding it is a man or a woman.” Whitmore noted that “Women need to feel they belong here [the VFW] if they are eligible. There are so many out there who feel undervalued and underappreciated …”

Saranac Lake VFW Post 3357 congratulates Carol Whitmore on her election to the office of VFW Commander-in-Chief and her long, distinguished military career. We invite all eligible veterans, men and women of every race, ethnicity, and religion, to join us. As Whitmore notes: “I am a veteran first.”

Joseph Fisher

Saranac Lake VFW Post 3357

Bloomingdale