Governor Proclaims Combat Female Veterans Day

Combat Female Veterans Day

2025

By The Governor Of The State Of North Carolina

A Proclamation

Whereas, a combat female veteran is a term that encapsulates the diverse and significant contributions of women in military service; and

Whereas, according to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, there are approximately 2 million female veterans nationally and roughly 90,000 living in North Carolina, the sixth-largest population of female veterans in the nation; and

Whereas, of the 90,000 female veterans in North Carolina, approximately 45,000 served during a conflict era, including service in conflicts such as World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and more recent engagements in the Middle East; and

Whereas, on May 23, 1782, 21-year-old Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man named Robert Shurtliff and enlisted in the Continental Army under the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment, making her one of our nation’s earliest combat female veterans; and

Whereas, Colonel Lorna M. Mahlock became the first African American woman to be nominated for the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Marine Corps in 2018; Major General Mahlock, now serves as Commander of the Cyber National Mission Force; and

Whereas, General Ann E. Dunwoody holds the distinction of being the first woman in United States Military history to rank of four-star general; Dunwoody’s career spanned over 37 years which she held numerous command positions, including Commanding General of the U.S. Army Materiel Command; and

Whereas, the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, led by Secretary Jocelyn Mitnaul Mallette, recognizes and appreciates the brave women veterans who have served our country with honor and distinction; and

Whereas, the State of North Carolina and our nation are grateful for the vital role that women have played and continue to play within the armed forces;

Now, Therefore, I, Josh Stein, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim May 23, 2025, as “Combat Female Veterans Day” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this sixth day of May in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-fifth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.