The Honor Flight program that sent World War Two veterans on sight-seeing trips to Washington, DC is now focusing its attention on those who served during the Korean War. Two of those vets from Sioux Falls leave Friday to see the Korean War Memorial in the nation's capital. But these former Navy seamen are women!
A trip to Washington, DC is quite a birthday present for Dorothy Nash who turns 89 Thursday.
"Once you're in the military, you can get ready in five minutes," Nash said.
Nash, who did clerical work at a Naval base in California during the Korean War, is putting her organizational skills to use in planning her trip.
"I thought, I gotta get my hair done, I got to pack my bag, I got to look and what kind of clothes I want to take," Nash said.
Nash will be visiting Washington, DC with her longtime friend Dorothy Ellis, who worked at a recruit training center in Illinois during the Korean War. Both were the only women in their offices. But they say they were always treated with respect.
"I would take an afternoon off and that's when the guys would let down their hair so to speak, never when I was there," Ellis said.
Both Dorothys say women make very good Navy seamen.
"They asked me why I picked the Navy and I said I love the color blue and the Navy women's uniform is the most feminine of all the branches," Ellis said.
Dorothy Nash went on to serve as the first woman commander of the Sioux Falls American Legion. Both Dorothys enlisted during an era when women's roles in the military were expanding beyond nursing duties. And these Navy veterans of the Korean conflict are true blue to their country, and to each other.
The two Dorothys will be accompanied by their sons. They're due back in Sioux Falls Sunday evening.