Like clockwork, the Progressive Women’s Association three times a year holds its Women of Distinction luncheon. This year, they saw the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States as a way to add to the patriotic spirit of the occasion while also honoring women whose stories have not always been told.
Six women received recognition and got to share their compelling stories of service to America and the cause of freedom. What was planned as an event to honor these exceptional women became emotional sharing of the inspiration to commit to the nation and also personal sacrifice while serving.
Prior to the presentation, attendees stood as a Veterans of Foreign Wars honor guard played taps. It was followed by SFC Stephanie Ibarra leading all in the Pledge of Allegiance, then VFW State Chaplain, and honoree, Maria Saunders leading the blessing.
She prayed “Lord we just thank You and ask You to bless this food.”
PWA volunteers served a summertime meal of meatloaf, paprika sprinkled potato salad, baked beans, and Italian-style tomato salad. As attendees enjoyed their lunch Franchesca Aloi, the 46th West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival Regina Maria sang patriotic classics, leading with Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America.”
Susan Riddle, President and Chief Executive Officer of Visit Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitors’ Bureau served as the keynote. She spoke of the value of service to both country and community.
Her talk opened with the values of the United States of America as are expressed on the quarter-dollar. Liberty is the value all Americans hold dear. “In God We Trust” recognizes that the rights enshrined in the Constitution come not from the governments of mankind but the sovereignty of God. We receive our rights a priori, or at birth.
Finally, E Pluribus Unum means that freedom-loving peoples of all perspectives can unify under the values that Americans have held since the Founding Fathers.
For those who dedicated parts of their lives to the military, “service begins at home” and “service doesn’t end when they take of the uniform.” These points underscored the stories shared later in the presentation.
Next came Secretary Ryan Kennedy, head of the West Virginia Department of Veterans’ Assistance. He shared information on a number of state-based programs, including assistance to receive federal Veterans Administration benefits for those who became disabled in military service.
The beating heart of the day came when PWA President Betty Waddy came to the podium. One at a time, she would introduce each honored veteran, asking each to share some of their life with the audience. Many there came to support family or friends and join in the celebration of their service.
Thelma Louise McGriff offered “a special thank you to my family who have come here to support me.” The Stonewood native and Roosevelt Wilson High School graduate joined the United States Air Force towards the end of the Vietnam War in 1972. She related that she “never expected” a four-year commitment to become “my life for over two decades.” McGriff also pointed out that women made up about 2.3 percent of service members in 1972, around 11,500. In 2026, between 68 and 72,000 women serve, making up about 21 percent of the armed forces.
In her biography, she shared “I trust we are inn good hands with the military because my daughter is one of them.”
For Sheree Rosevear, recognition by the Progressive Women’s Association helped her come full circle in a sense. She served in the PWA youth organization Y-Teens while still in school. The Roosevelt Wilson High School graduate joined the United States Air Force in 1976 and served 11 years.
Rosevear spoke of a recurring theme among the women, saying “the honor of being in the military, working with people as a family. I will treasure it all my life.” Most spoke of their colleagues in the service and/or the VFW afterwards as forming a family unit of mutual support and camaraderie.
“The VFW is the family you need,” she explained, adding that with them, “somebody has your back.”
Carol Saunders, a veteran of the United States Air Force, the USAF Reserves, and the National Guard from 1985 to 2015 recalled that “discipline, purpose, and service became my foundation.” From 2009 to 2010, she was deployed in Mosul, Iraq. For part of that time, her daughter in the United States Army was deployed there as well.
“One of the hardest things I ever had to do was to say good-bye” at the close of her deployment, “knowing she’s remaining in Iraq.” After she retired “I shifted who I served” and worked in a VA hospital call center to assist veterans, calling it “a chance to give back to those who gave so much.”
She closed by quoting John 15:13, saying “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Her daughter Maria Saunders rose next to speak. She shared painful remembrances related to an all-too-common tragedy of military suicides. In Saunders’ military career, three who served alongside her at different times took their own life. She spoke of how she carried this unbearable pain until she found two paths to help.
She said first “the one thing missing from my life was faith in God” and talked of returning to her childhood home of faith in Victory Baptist Church. The church that always supported her in her military service welcomed her back. She spoke of taking her pain to the altar and giving it to God and said “I found my purpose again.”
Again, finding a family in the VFW helped her find a new community of support,
Carol Thorp joined the United States Air Force in 1983. She explained that “my goal was a job in the medical field. Four years, learn a skill, get out.” Thorp then smiled and said “the Air Force decided differently.” Assignment to Minot AFB to work on B-52s and KC-135s led to meeting her husband and raising a family.
She added “I saw things I never imagined” while growing up in Pittsburgh.
Nancy Valentin of Los Angeles, California planned to graduate from fashion school in May of 2002, but never made it.
On September 11, 2001 the life of the nation and Nancy Valentin changed forever. Instead of a career in fashion, she went straight to a recruiter and joined the United States Army, getting deployed in 2003.
“It’s always an honor to be identified as a female veteran,” shared Valentin. She then explained how that saved the life of her and her fellow soldiers.
As a sergeant and an Army engineer, she accompanied a team to Egypt to complete a construction project on a military base. As her team commenced to work, one of them noticed a turret of an Egyptian Army tank turning to aim at them. As it turned out, the team’s lieutenant had forgotten to secure permission from the Egyptian Army to start the project.
The only thing that kept them from firing was seeing a female in uniform. The Egyptian soldiers recognized her from her morning runs and held their fire because a woman in a military uniform was unusual to them.
The emotional story served as a coda that reminded all of the different sacrifices made by all servicemen, but the also the special contributions made and challenges endured by women in service.
Aloi closed the ceremony by sharing a song she had written about the glory and beauty of the Mountain State. All left the PWA event center with a little more pride in country, a little more appreciation for those who served in the military, and a little more understanding of the women of distinction who served our nation and the cause of freedom around the world.
