Lynn honors its women veterans

LYNN – Flash flooding on Tuesday morning couldn’t dampen the pride in City Hall as Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy proclaimed Oct. 4, 2011 a day to honor and remember the contributions of women veterans.”Women veterans – no matter what branch – have always been there and (done) whatever service was needed,” said Arthur Salkins, a member and past president of the city’s Veterans’ Council. “Honoring them is well deserved, long overdue and they deserve it. They are veterans and served their country in a time of need.”The Veterans’ Council holds the ceremony honoring female veterans every year in commemoration of the Oct. 4, 1997 dedication of the Women Veterans Memorial, located in City Hall Square.Although this year’s ceremony was brief – soggy roads prevented the guest speaker from attending, Veterans Council President and master of ceremony George Fitzhenry said – the event attracted state and city elected officials, veterans from many different branches of the armed services and their family members to what supporters described as a very unique event.Kennedy noted in reading a proclamation for the day that Lynn is one of few cities or towns in the country that specifically honors its women, and that approximately 29,000 women who have served reside in Massachusetts.”When I did this for the first time last year, I thought that is a unique situation,” Kennedy said after the ceremony. “Very few communities have a permanent monument to honor women veterans and very few cities have a woman as a mayor. It’s a distinct combination.”Such recognition of women might become even more rare, said Korean War Army Special Services veteran Lorrie Landry.Landry is a member of the Lillian Jennings American Legion Post 243, an all-women’s post whose membership is dwindling as many of its faithful World-War-II veterans have grown older and died.She said that she was the only member who did not serve during World War II.”Although we’re few in number, we have our post and very enlightening members,” she said. “We take great pride in our members and serving.”Salkins said the monument, and the annual day of honor for women veterans, was also unique because it honored women who served in all branches of the armed services and in all time periods rather than focusing on a specific branch of service in a specific war.”The Women Veterans Memorial is for all (women who served),” Salkin, who also has leadership roles in the AMVETS Post 161 and Lynn Chapter 908 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, said. “All branches, whether in peace or war, and it covers all periods ? past, present and future.”World War II Navy veteran Virginia McEnaney said she especially appreciated this commitment to honoring current and future female service members.”The way we hear how the women are treated. I’ve heard stories of them being abused physically while serving,” said McEnaney, who traveled from Peabody for the ceremony. “It’s up to us veterans to support them.”