The Veterans of Foreign Wars has its first female commander-in-chief, Army veteran Carol Whitmore, was elected to the post during the 126th VFW National Convention in Columbus, Ohio, last month.
Whitmore served in the U.S. Army from 1977 to 2013.
“I was in the last cohort that went through the Women’s Army Corps,” she said. “In 1978, we all transitioned to the Regular Army with all the guys, so we were all one Army at that time, finally.”
Before joining the Army, Whitmore attended college at the University of Northern Iowa for three years.
“I ran out of money, and I said, 'What do I do?'” she said. “I did not want to incur a large debt. I literally walked into a recruiter's office and said, 'Here I am. I want to sign up.'”
Whitmore said she did not intend to stay in the Army for 36 years.
“It literally went by in the blink of an eye,” she said. “It was my career. It gave me direction and focus. It’s not for everybody, but it was for me.”
Whitmore began her career as a medic, but the Army soon sent her to nursing school.
“They said you’ll make a good nurse,” she said with a laugh.
While in the Army, Whitmore spent time in Germany, Honduras, Belize and Iraq, where she earned her VFW eligibility.”
“I was very fortunate when I went to Iraq, it was kind of at the end of the wars, 2010 and 2011,” Whitmore said. “I had not deployed anywhere. I had spent over 30 years in the military and not deployed. I had many mobilizations.”
Whitmore deployed to Iraq with the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command out of Iowa.
“I was not kicking in doors or saving life or limb,” she explained. “I was doing a lot of reporting on illness and injury throughout our command, which encompassed a rather large area in Iraq.”
Whitmore called herself very fortunate because she did not see the combat her brothers and sisters who went to Iraq before her did.
“I’m very grateful to those who paved the way and made my life overseas easier,” she said. “I am truly grateful for that.”
Whitmore earned her VFW eligibility due to her service in Iraq, joining Post 9127 in Des Moines, Iowa, where she maintains her Gold Legacy Life membership.
“A fellow nurse right here in Iowa convinced me to come to a VFW meeting,” she said. “They welcomed me with open arms. They never questioned my service, they never questioned that I was a veteran.”
During her time in the VFW, Whitmore has served in elected and appointed positions at the post, district and department levels, culminating with her election as the VFW Department of Iowa Commander from 2018 to 2019, in which she achieved All-American status. On the national level, she served on the Legislative Committee, the General Resolutions Committee, and on the National Council of Administration from 2019 to 2023.
As national commander, Whitmore said she is keenly aware of her obligation to represent and advocate for VFW’s and its Auxiliary's 1.5 million members.
“I have that obligation now to make sure that I represent them well and take care of them in the best way possible,” she said.
Whitmore said passing the Maj. Richard Starr Act, which would allow wounded veterans to keep the full military benefits they have earned through their service and sacrifice, is at the top of her to-do list as commander.
“I want that to happen so badly I can taste it,” she said. “It’s been on the docket for 15 years.”
Currently, veterans forced to medically retire before 20 years of service due to combat or combat-related injuries do not receive their full military retirement pay from the Department of Defense and their full disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Their retirement pay is decreased – dollar for dollar – by the amount of their disability compensation, resulting in some veterans receiving no retirement benefits.
Whitmore said she will also be pushing the Department of Veterans Affairs for better PTSD treatment.
“We want the VA to try for veterans,” she said. “They don’t want another pill thrown at them. They want different treatments that are out there. Hyperbolic chambers are out there.”
Whitmore also served on the Iowa Veterans Commission from 2018-2023, is a life member of the Military Order of the Cootie, the VFW National Home, the American Legion and its Auxiliary. She and her husband, Brad, reside in Des Moines.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.