Pritzker Military Museum & Library Names Three Women Veterans as Recipients of the 2023 Citizen Soldier Award

Lt. Bette Horstman, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Candy Martin, and Brigadier General Wilma Vaught to be honored during the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s 20th anniversary Gala

Chicago, July 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (PMML) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2023 Citizen Soldier Award: 1^st Lieutenant Bette Horstman (Retired), Chief Warrant Officer 5 Candy Martin (Retired), and Brigadier General Wilma Vaught (Retired). The awards will be presented at the 2023 annual Liberty Gala on Saturday, November 4, as the PMML continues to celebrate its 20^th anniversary.   

The Citizen Soldier Award stands to honor a person who exemplifies the traditions of the citizen soldier set by George Washington, a person who served the nation as a leader in war and in peace, for the betterment of the common good. The recipient must have served in the U.S. Armed Forces,  guard or reserves, and is either active or honorably discharged. The honoree must also display a commitment to non-partisan issues and demonstrate the ability to bridge political divides.

“We take pride in honoring and recognizing three resilient women with our most prominent award during our 20th year as an organization,” stated Pritzker Military Museum & Library Founder Colonel (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Retired). “The notable accomplishments of each of our honorees embody what it means to be a Citizen Soldier and it is our pleasure to recognize these more than deserving women.”

In observance of the organization’s 20^th year, the PMML has diversified its programming, updated its logo and enhanced educational offerings. Additionally, the PMML welcomed a new exhibit, “Tet and The Battle of Hue,” which features 10 tactile, 3-D images created from original photographs captured by Stars and Stripes photographer John Olson during the brutal Battle of Hue in 1968. The exhibit is on display through the end of September.

*About the honorees*
*Lieutenant **Bette Horstman* studied physical therapy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. after graduating from the University of Michigan in 1943. She joined the Army in 1944 and was sent to Harmon General Hospital in Longview, Texas, for hands-on training. She completed Basic Training at Fort Lewis, Washington, before being stationed in Hawaii. Her first assignment as 1^st  Lieutenant was treating prisoners of war at Tripler General Hospital in Oahu. After her military service, she worked as a physical therapist for a suburban Chicago hospital and started her own physical therapy practice. She is a member of and has worked with both the Veterans of Foreign Wars Niles Memorial Post 3579 (Past Commander) and the American Legion Post 134 in Morton Grove. She’s also an active member of the Morton Grove Moose Lodge. Horstman was honored and returned from the Chicago Operation HerStory flight in October 2021, which was an all-women flight (Operation HerStory).

*Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5) Candy Martin* served in the U.S. Army, supporting military operations at home and abroad for 38 years. Upon retirement, Martin’s service multiplied tenfold as she pursued volunteer opportunities in a host of non-profit organizations that aligned with her personal mission to serve the active duty, and gold star community including the USO, Wreaths Across America, Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital, Friends of the Army Women’s Museum, the United States Army Warrant Officers Association, the Women's Overseas Service League, Daughters of the American Revolution, and American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. She is also the Gold Star Mother of 1LT Thomas M. Martin who was killed in action in Iraq in 2007.

*Brigadier General Wilma Vaught*, a 29-year United States Airforce (USAF) veteran, was the first woman to operationally deploy with a Strategic Air Command Bomb Wing. She was one of the few non-nurse servicewomen assigned in Vietnam, serving at Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MAC V) Headquarters, Saigon, 1968-69, and was the first female USAF graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Promoted in 1980 to Brigadier General, Vaught was the first and only military woman to achieve that rank in the comptroller career field for more than two decades. She was the NATO Women in Allied Forces Committee Chairperson and the senior military representative to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. After retiring in 1985, she became the first president of the Women In Military Service For America (WIMSA) Memorial Foundation serving from 1987-2016, and was the driving force behind the establishment of the Military Women’s Memorial, the nation’s only major memorial to honor the service of all military women. Based on her contributions to national security and society, she was bestowed the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.

For more information on the 2023 Liberty Gala or to learn more about the recipients of the Citizen Soldier Award, please visit the website at PritzkerMilitary.org.

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*About Pritzker Military Museum & Library  * 
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library aims to increase the public’s understanding of military history, military affairs, and national security by providing a forum for the study and exploration of our military - past, present, and future - with a specific focus on their stories of service, sacrifices, and shared values. With national and global reach, these spaces and events aim to share the stories of those who served and their contributions as citizens & soldiers, helping citizens everywhere appreciate the relationship between the armed forces and the civilians whose freedoms they protect. A non-governmental, non-partisan organization, the Museum & Library features diverse collections, scholarly initiatives, and public programs from its flagship center in downtown Chicago to its newly built Pritzker Military Archives Center (PMAC) Center and future Cold War Veterans Memorial Park (CWVM) in Somers, Wisconsin.  

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· Pritzker Military Museum & Library Names Three Women Veterans as Recipients of the 2023 Citizen Soldier Award

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