Female Veteran Lou Ness Encourages Women to Consider the Military

The 1960s was a transformative decade, especially from a military perspective, and for female veterans of the era, was particularly challenging. Veteran Lou Ness has an interesting story.

“I signed up in 1967 to become a medic, but during basic training I won a talent show, so I was given a temporary assignment to sing and dance for other soldiers,” she explained. “We’d travel to Air Force and Naval bases to perform, then we took it on the road to perform for boys coming out of basic and heading to Vietnam.”

After almost two years, Lou got married and then pregnant, so her time in the military ended. Now a Training & Development professional, Lou continues to use strategies that she learned in the Army, including training people to succeed or fail as a unit and to have the mindset of having each other’s back.

One of the main challenges she faced after leaving the military was not having that type of support from others in the communities where she lived over the years. “Women weren’t treated very well back then; certain behaviors from the men were not addressed,” she explained. “My mother, who was a welder in the shipyards in WWII, taught me to stand up for myself.”

During her search for community in Chicagoland, Lou walked into a VFW, but women weren’t welcome there. The Women’s Auxiliary Corps wasn’t what she was looking for, as that was meant for wives of veterans.

With the persistence garnered throughout her life, she is now the Commander of the Woodstock American Legion, and she recruited another woman to be Vice Commander. “I’m always looking for other female veterans to help make a difference and to help encourage other women to join the military,” she said. “It’s changed considerably, and is now invaluable to women; it’s about discovering your potential. And the benefits are amazing, from health care to education and more.”

For more information, please contact your local recruiting office or:

Veterans Assistance Commission

667 Ware Rd.

Woodstock, IL 60098

Ph: 815-334-4229

www.mchenrycountyil.gov