Annual observance on February 19 to honor women veterans and support their post-service transition through camaraderie and resource-sharing.
Active Veterans With Answers (AVWA) and Vet Girls RISE
Institutional Initiative
Active Veterans With Answers, a nonprofit in North Carolina, established the Vet Girls ROCK initiative in November 2017 in partnership with National Day Calendar. The first observance was held on February 19, 2018, and the name was updated to Vet Girls RISE after two years.
Get ready to salute the women who served on National Vet Girls Rise Day, observed every February 19. Originally launched as National Vet Girls ROCK Day, this holiday spotlights the more than two million women who have worn a U.S. military uniform and the unique challenges they face when they return to civilian life.
The day grew out of Active Veterans With Answers, a nonprofit founded by retired service members in North Carolina who saw firsthand how difficult the transition from military to civilian life can be, especially for women.
National Vet Girls RISE Day was created to help fill a pressing gap. More than two million women have served in the United States military, yet for much of American history their contributions went unrecognized or were actively minimized. This holiday was created to change that by giving women veterans a dedicated day for connection, celebration, and public awareness.
Women have supported the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War, working as nurses, cooks, and washerwomen. During the Civil War, over 400 women reportedly disguised themselves as men to fight. Formal enlistment opened slowly. In 1917, Loretta Perfectus Walsh became the first woman to enlist in the Navy in a non-nursing capacity, joining as a Yeoman and later becoming the first female petty officer. During World War II, roughly 140,000 women served in the Army alone through the Women's Army Corps, working as linguists, cryptographers, and weather forecasters. President Truman signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act on June 12, 1948, granting women permanent military status, though restrictions on combat and promotion persisted for decades.
Full integration took much longer. In 2013, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey rescinded the direct ground combat exclusion rule. By 2015, all combat positions were officially open to women. That progress created a growing population of women veterans, many facing challenges such as post-traumatic stress, military sexual trauma, and difficulty finding community after leaving service.
In 2017, AVWA launched the Vet Girls ROCK initiative. The first National Vet Girls ROCK Day was observed in 2018 with meetups at restaurants across the country, including partnerships with Chili's Grill and Bar. After two years, the initiative rebranded as Vet Girls RISE, an acronym for Relevant, Innovative, Successful, and Evolving, to better reflect its mission of professional and personal growth for women veterans.
Check the Vet Girls RISE Facebook page for official meetup locations near you. In past years, gatherings have been hosted at Chili's Grill and Bar locations across the country, giving women veterans a casual space to connect and share stories.
Support groups that directly serve women veterans. Consider contributing to Active Veterans With Answers, the nonprofit behind the holiday, or to the VA Center for Women Veterans programs. Even small donations help fund education seminars, benefit navigation, and outreach events.
Post a photo or a short tribute to a woman veteran you know. Use the hashtag #VetGirlsRISEDay to join the conversation and help raise public awareness about the contributions and needs of women who served.
Spend part of the day learning about women's military history at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, or explore the United States Army Women's Museum at Fort Lee. Virtual exhibits are available if you cannot visit in person.
Gather friends, family, or coworkers and write personalized letters to women veterans in your community or at a local VA medical center. A handwritten note thanking them for their service and sacrifice can carry real weight, especially for veterans who feel their contributions go unseen.
Women now make up about 17 percent of the active-duty force, yet many feel invisible in traditional veteran spaces that were built around the experiences of men. This day gives women veterans a dedicated platform to connect, share resources, and rebuild the camaraderie they often miss after leaving the military.
From Loretta Perfectus Walsh enlisting in the Navy in 1917 to the 700,000-plus women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, women have shaped the U.S. military for over a century. This holiday is one of the few days each year that centers their contributions and sacrifices specifically.
The holiday is more than a social media hashtag. It is built around in-person meetups at restaurants across the country, creating real-world opportunities for women veterans to form alliances, access transition resources, and support one another through professional and personal challenges.
