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Memorial President Phyllis Wilson asks Legionnaires to share the stories of women veterans, from the Revolutionary War through today.

The “is incredibly simple,” retired Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Phyllis Wilson, the memorial’s president, told delegates at �鶹��ƵAV National Convention Sept. 3 in Louisville, Ky.

“It’s to honor and tell the story of every woman, no matter how short her term of service was or how long, no matter what era, no matter what branch of service,” said Wilson, who received �鶹��ƵAV Patriot Award last year. “While it’s a physical place, the most important thing is that we get to share the stories of military women, past and present.”

The 29-year-old memorial shares the stories of almost 350,000 women veterans. But Wilson noted, that’s just a start since 3 million women have served since the Revolutionary War.

“What we don’t have is perhaps yours or someone that you know,” she said. “Our goal is to have every story ever included in here, past or present, living or deceased. It could be an 18-year-old that’s just finished basic training. It can be somebody who served in the Civil War; I just learned about one from New Hampshire. When she died in 1900, she was buried with full military honors one year before we ever truly had a woman in the military with the Army Nurse Corps in 1901.”

Wilson’s goal: Add 500 stories from every state and territory every year.

And she asked �鶹��ƵAV to help drive that goal.

“I challenge every post across this nation: Bring one new story this year,” Wilson said, noting she is a Legionnaire, as well as her four sons. “There are so many posts. We would see thousands of new stories added. Make sure when you do add those stories, please put something in there under the memorable experience section that states something about being part of the Legion, if she is.”

Wilson talked about the importance of preserving the legacies of women veterans.

“We are that national repository, but we cannot do it without the nation’s help,” she said. “The Legion is strong and you know veterans. Don’t forget to share this incredible, impactful story. This is a national memorial chartered and approved by Congress, signed into law by the president of the United States. It stands to tell these stories, but we cannot tell what we do not know.”