ELIZABETHTOWN — The January meeting of the Battle of Elizabethtown, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was a celebration of women.
Conducted at Wesley’s Chapel United Methodist Church on Jan. 13, members wore red in preparation of the national Go Red for Women Day on Feb. 1. The event raises awareness of heart disease, especially in women. Hostesses prepared a baked potato and salad bar luncheon with heart-healthy substitutions offered for toppings and condiments.
The program celebrated the contributions of local women in the military. Presenter Teresa Duncan, chapter member and local nursing supervisor, shared the story of Bladen County native Colonel Mildred I. Clark, a former Chief of the U. S. Army Nurses Corps. At least five chapter members in attendance were nurses to whom Col. Clark was an inspiration. As a young nurse in the Army, she served for three weeks straight in the operating rooms at Pearl Harbor following the attack in 1941. She advocated for promotions of nurses to the rank of General and wrote a prayer in 1956 which was adopted as the Army Nurses Corp Creed. She was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in 1994; Fort Bragg named a health clinic in her honor in 1999, the first such recognition for a woman on post.
She was posthumously inducted into the North Carolina Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 2017. Duncan also recognized Vice Regent Linda Smith’s service in the military. She served at the end of the Vietnam War era and during both Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf era. She is currently involved with several veterans’ initiatives such as the Honor Flights for Veterans fundraiser and the Shower for Veterans project.
Following the program and luncheon, Regent Terry Smith conducted the business meeting. Officer and committee reports were presented. Members were reminded to submit information about World War I veterans in their families to be displayed at the state conference in April. Discussion included a plan to replace or restore a historical marker purchased by the chapter several decades ago; members volunteered to research the process and report back at the March meeting.
