ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Women who have served and are still serving in the U.S Military are being honored at a tea party hosted by Albany’s American Legion Post 30.

They’ve broken barriers, entered a male-dominated space, and risked their lives for the American people, often without a spotlight. But on Saturday, South Georgia took a moment to say thank you.

“Sometimes, we feel like the women get pushed aside. Last year was our first year doing this, and we thought, why not do something special for our lady veterans and our active-duty military, because they’re important too. They’re still out there working for us every day,” Marilyn Fowler, American Legion Auxiliary president.

Karen Rusk is a Navy veteran and former jet engine mechanic serving from 1985 until 1992. She spoke with me about the challenges she faced when working as one of the only women in her specialty. She says that many of the women who came before her preferred to do office work, so that precedent was set by the time she arrived.

“By the time I got there, they just automatically assumed I wanted to do paperwork, and we really had to fight to work on the engines and to earn our stripes,” Karen Rusk, Navy veteran.

According to the Department of Defense, just 50 years ago, women made up only 2% of the active-duty military. But now, that number has risen to almost 18%.

Rusk decided early on is her life that she wanted to pursue the military. Why? Because the boys in her class said she couldn’t.

“They just automatically discounted us. We weren’t as strong or we weren’t as this, we weren’t as that. Then they realized we were smaller, we could do things they couldn’t do. Our hands fit places theirs didn’t, we had more patience. We did better detailed work. I just love it,” said Rusk.

“We can’t thank them enough. We just cannot ever thank them enough,” said Fowler.

The women celebrated have already made history, and now, they’re paving the way for the next generation of women to do the same.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2025 WALB. All rights reserved.