An elderly Iowa woman and World War Two veteran says an event honoring female veterans from that conflict is long overdue. Eighty-seven-year-old Marcia Courbat, of Waterloo, served with the Women’s Army Corps, or the WACs. Courbat says in the past, some women downplayed their role in the war and were harassed by their male counterparts.
“I felt like, for all this time, nobody has really said, ‘Hey, we’re proud of you women,'” Courbat says. “There hasn’t been any programs. Yes, the memorial in Washington D.C. is important, but my idea was to pay tribute to all these women in this area.” She says some women veterans, especially those from early conflicts, have not been honored for their service. She says she’s on a mission to change that.
She says Iowans need to let the women to now they served a very important part in all the wars, adding, everybody’s welcome. Courbat is inviting women from all branches of the military and from any conflict to join her at Memorial Hall in Waterloo on Veteran’s Day, this Wednesday.
A ceremony will be held at 10 A.M. and she says from there, they can visit the Five Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veteran’s Museum just a few blocks away. Part of the program will be set aside to allow the women who want to speak to tell their stories .