Professional Ball Player - WWII Women's baller comes to Branson Missouri

Don't you want to hear about my army experience said Helen "Gig" Smith of Richmond Virginia. The answer was ... yeah but I'm an hour till deadline and I'm getting not so friendly calls from the office. Smith played professional baseball for two years to pay for college. The plan to draft women into baseball came from Roosevelt to Wrigley during WWII as a way to keep the national pastime alive. According to Smith, Madonna's character in "A League of their own" was emulated after a real person - name changed to avoid having to add another line item to the expense sheet.

Branson Missouri Women in the Military honored

 

 

 

 

Today, the official stance of the United States Military is that women aren't allowed to serve in combat roles. The reality is that women are serving in combat roles. To date, 76 women have died fighting for our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the past few days I've taken time to speak with some of the women who've led the way. Their are some amazing stories coming from these female soldiers. On the front page of the Branson Independent I published the history of women's path of service. The photo's above are of Connie Stevens - one of only nine female generals to ever serve in the army and an interactive exhibit. The exhibit has clickable id's. When you click on a dogtag a biography of a woman who paid the ultimate price during the Iraq war is displayed.
Most of the women I talked to had but minor issues with the policy towards women during their service.