Salute To Service, Veteran’s Day Dinner at Gene & Georgetti
We were honored to welcome the Chicago Bears and USAA last night as they celebrated Women in Service.
Fox News 32 covered the event:
As published on FoxNews 32 Chicago:
Chicago Bears and USAA honor women in service at inspiring Veterans Day dinner
CHICAGO – The Chicago Bears in partnership with USAA hosted a Women in Service dinner Monday night.
It was a chance for current and former service members to connect ahead of Veterans Day. They listened to past stories and appreciated the current recognition.
It didn’t matter if you were young, retired, or served in the Army, Air Force, Marines or another branch, you were welcomed and appreciated.
U.S. Navy Reserve Captain Elisabeth Pennix was one of the service members in the room. She says it’s meaningful to be honored.
“Women represented in military service is becoming more and more important because women bring exceptional skills to the table that are outside the framework that you would think are traditional warrior skills,” said Pennix.
Pennix says legends in attendance, like 101-year-old WWII veteran Bette Horstman, can tell a strong story.
“She was saving lives in Siapan, she was a physical therapist, and she will tell you, ‘I was just a physical therapist,’ but I’ll tell you she was saving lives in the bloodiest war in history,” said Pennix.
Along with Bette, Brigadier General Antoinette Gant shared her experience as the first African-American female to serve as a divisional commander in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
She says every woman in the room knows the importance of service, and they share similar qualities.
“One is about courage. Being able to do something that has never been done or doing a job that was mostly done by men,” said Gant.
“I would encourage people on Veterans Day to say thank you to a veteran and try to serve themselves,” said Pennix.
The Chicago Bears have several events planned ahead of Veterans Day.
This Thursday, the Bears will have a “Salute to Service” game against the Carolina Panthers.
