Petaluma veteran leads local group for military women

Nearly six decades after Rose Nowak served in the U.S. Air Force, the Petaluma resident still fondly recalls enlisting at age 19 and working in the bustling medical ward on a Mississippi base.

Much has changed in the years since her Vietnam War-era stint as a medic at the Kessler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., but she cherishes the relationships forged during her service to her country.

“It’s one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” said Nowak, now 77.

That’s why when she was called on to step up as the president of a Petaluma-based all-female club for active duty personnel and veterans, she accepted the challenge.

It’s been nearly two years since she took the reins of the Redwood Empire Unit 77 of Military Women Across the Nation, a close-knit group that provides a space for servicewomen to meet, network and advocate for community causes. The group’s 14 members range in age from 50 to 98, and have served in all branches of the armed services in various capacities in WWII, Korea, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It’s a great group of gals,” she said. “Age isn’t a barrier.”

Through her leadership role, she hopes to educate women about their rights as well as proposed bills and policy changes that might affect them. She encouraged members to vote, contact their representatives and make their opinions known.

“My thing is more to educate them as to what benefits there are, but also to be aware of what’s happening in Washington,” she said. “We don’t need a bunch of old white men making decisions regarding our rights when we served … Every time I get (a notice about proposed legislation), I read it over. (Sen.) Dianne Feinstein, (Rep.) Jared Huffman and (Sen.) Kamala Harris all hear from me.”

Nowak, a fiery North Dakota native, has long been an independent spirit. She grew up in a family of six, and when her parents told her they couldn’t afford her college tuition, she opted to follow the path of three of her brothers and enlist in the military in the fall of 1959.

Moving to Mississippi came with a hefty dose of culture shock for Nowak, who found herself experiencing segregation and rampant racism outside of the base. She worked a combination of days, nights and swing shifts on base, mostly interfacing with the wives of enlisted men. She cared for new mothers, worked in the female surgical ward and the obstetrician-gynecologist wing.

“We saw a lot of patients,” she said. “It was a busy place and mostly, it was a happy place.”

After her service ended in 1962, she continued a career in the medical field. She moved to San Francisco in 1964 and met her husband, who was in the U.S. Navy, during a trip to Long Beach the following year. While deployed to fight in the Vietnam War, he proposed by way of a letter and red roses and the couple married in November 1966, Nowak said.

Though she moved to Petaluma in 1976, it took her 38 years to join the Redwood Empire Unit 77, which was at one point reserved for Navy veterans, she said.

The Petaluma Historical Library and Museum complied photographs from her time in the service for an exhibit on women veterans, where she connected with club members who welcomed her in 2014. She soon took over for the outgoing president, a 95-year-old WWII veteran.

Now, as membership numbers are dwindling, she’s focusing on attracting new female veterans to the club, which meets at the Petaluma Veterans Memorial building. Her group will also be participating in the Nov. 11 Veterans Day parade, riding in cars and marching, she said.

Though much has changed for women since her time in the Air Force, she’s hopeful that more positive developments will unfurl.

Women have long served in the military in various roles, dating back to the Revolutionary War, when wives would serve in military camps with permission from commanding officers. In 1782, Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man to serve in General Washington’s army for more than a year before her identity was discovered and she was honorably discharged.

In 1976, the first women were admitted to military service academies, and by 2008, 16,000 women were serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Germany, Japan and other areas. In January 2016, all military positions became open to women. By June 2016, 164,164 women comprised 15.48 percent of the total active duty enlisted service members.

“Women need to be recognized for the fact that we’re intelligent people and we can carry the load,” Nowak said.

(Contact Hannah Beausang at hannah.beausang@arguscourier.com.)