What does Lest We Forget mean?

Lest We Forget means that we must not allow the sacrifices of those who served, especially those who died in service, to fade from memory.

Is Lest We Forget only for people in Georgetown, Texas?

No. Lest We Forget is rooted in Georgetown's red poppy story, but its mission is broader: to help veterans, families, and communities everywhere remember, honor, and preserve stories of service and sacrifice.

What is the true meaning of Memorial Day?

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for U.S. military service members who died in service to the country. It is a solemn day to honor the fallen, support their families, and reflect on the cost of freedom.

Is Memorial Day the same as Veterans Day?

No. Memorial Day honors those who died in military service. Veterans Day honors all U.S. military veterans, living and deceased, who served.

What does the red poppy symbolize?

The red poppy is a symbol of remembrance for those who died in war. It became closely associated with World War I and the poem In Flanders Fields.

Why is Georgetown, Texas known for red poppies?

Georgetown's red poppy tradition is tied to a local World War I soldier who sent poppy seeds home from Europe. Those seeds were planted in Georgetown and became part of the city's living remembrance story.

When do red poppies bloom in Georgetown, Texas?

Red poppies in Georgetown typically bloom from mid-to-late March through mid-to-late April, depending on weather and growing conditions.

When should red poppy seeds be planted in Texas?

Red poppy seeds are usually planted from September through November so they can establish during cooler months and bloom in the spring.

Why are red poppies connected to Memorial Day?

Red poppies grew on battlefields after World War I and became a symbol of sacrifice, remembrance, and hope. In the United States, they are often worn or displayed around Memorial Day to honor fallen service members.

Is it appropriate to say Happy Memorial Day?

Many veterans and military families prefer more respectful language, such as Have a meaningful Memorial Day or We remember and honor the fallen. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance rather than celebration.

The Story the History Books Almost Left Out - The Woman Veteran

Jose Campa
May 28
4 min read

Let me ask you something before we go any further.

When you close your eyes and picture a soldier, what do you see?

If you are being honest — most of us conjure the same image: a man in uniform. Tall, stoic, rifle in hand. That image has been drilled into us by movies, monuments, and school textbooks for generations. But here is the problem with that image: it is incomplete. It is missing more than 3 million stories.

That is how many women have served in the United States Armed Forces since the American Revolution — and most of their names you will never find in a standard history class.

A Fact That Will Stop You Cold

Here is something that might genuinely surprise you:

The VA's official mission statement, adopted in 1959, read: "To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan."

Him. His. His.

Not a single mention of women — even though women had already been serving officially in uniform since at least 1901 when the Army Nurse Corps was established. It was not until recent years that Congress has repeatedly introduced legislation to change that language to be more inclusive of women veterans. Think about that for a moment. The very agency designed to care for veterans spent decades with a mission statement that didn't even acknowledge that women existed in uniform.

So ask yourself this: If the language that defines support doesn't include you, what does that say about the programs built around that language?

They Were There From the Very Beginning

Women have not just been participating in the military recently — they were there at the founding of this nation.

During the American Revolution, women served as nurses, cooks, and support staff, and some disguised themselves as men to fight on the battlefield. In 1779, Margaret Corbin became the first woman to receive a military pension after she manned her husband's cannon during battle — taking his place when he was killed — and was subsequently wounded herself, never fully recovering.

Stop and sit with that image. A woman steps over her fallen husband, picks up a cannon, and fires it at the enemy — and history could barely be bothered to remember her name.

By World War I, over 33,000 women officially joined the military, and more than 400 nurses died serving America during that conflict alone. During World War II, women piloted military aircraft through the WASP program — testing and ferrying planes across the country — and were not officially recognized as Air Force veterans until 1977, more than three decades after the war ended. It took until 2010 for them to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

Here is the question that should haunt us: How much longer are we willing to wait before recognition becomes action?

The Numbers Are Growing — But Support Is Lagging Behind

Today, more than 2.1 million women veterans live in the United States. In 2000, they made up just 4% of the veteran population. By 2040, they are projected to represent 18% of all veterans — the fastest-growing group in the entire veteran population.

Yet here is the disconnect: in 2023, only about 930,000 women veterans were enrolled in VA health care, representing just 45% of all women veterans. Compare that to the 50.5% enrollment rate among men. Women are falling through the cracks — not because they do not need care, but because the systems were not originally built with them in mind.

They face unique challenges that most programs still do not fully address: gender-specific healthcare, the difficulty of balancing service with caregiving responsibilities, mental health needs shaped by military sexual trauma, and career transition programs that often speak past their experiences rather than to them.

Enter the Military Women's Memorial — and Why It Matters

This is where organizations like the Military Women's Memorial (womensmemorial.org) become critically important — not just symbolically, but practically.

Their interactive Register holds the names, service data, photographs, and experiences of over 300,000 registered servicewomen — and that represents less than 10 percent of all the women who have served since the American Revolution. The stories we have not yet captured far outnumber the ones we have.

The Memorial's signature program, HERstory, explores the lived experiences of women veterans through American history, giving voice to stories that traditional military history has largely overlooked. They also partner with community organizations to host storytelling performances, educational workshops, and in-person programming designed to create dialogue and connection around women's service.

I recently joined the Memorial's community through womensmemorial.org, and what struck me most was this: the work they do is not just about looking backward. It is about using the past to demand better for the future.

What Would "Better" Actually Look Like?

Let me pose a few questions worth carrying with you after you leave this page.

If mentorship is proven to improve retention and career outcomes — why don't more military branches have structured women-to-women mentorship pipelines?

If women make up nearly 22% of the Air Force and Space Force — why are gender-specific healthcare programs still underfunded and understaffed in many facilities?

If women are the fastest-growing segment of the veteran population — why are transition assistance programs still largely modeled on the experiences of men?

These are not rhetorical questions. They are action items disguised as questions — and the answers require not just awareness, but advocacy, funding, and institutional will.

What You Can Do Right Now

The simplest and most powerful first step is visibility. Learn their names. Share their stories. Support organizations that are doing the hard, daily work of preservation and advocacy.

Visit womensmemorial.org and explore the Register — find a story that moves you and share it.
Support the Memorial's mission. It operates entirely as a nonprofit — not a federal facility — funded by people who believe these stories deserve to survive.
Ask your elected representatives where they stand on expanding women veteran programs and healthcare funding.

At Lest We Forget, our name is a promise. It is a promise we intend to keep — for every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, and Guardian who has worn this nation's uniform. That includes her.

Especially her.