She Served, Too

Books honors female military veterans

By Mark Jahne

Editor

Photos by Mark Jahne

Gladys Silva-Perales of Newington is a veteran of the U.S. Army. She is passionate about shining a light on the service of the many women who she feels do not get the same credit as men for their service to this country.

Sitting around the table signing copies of “Unspoken Valor” are, from left, Gladys Silva-Perales, Jamie Depaola, Dorothy “Dottie” Dee, Gail Jackson and Milgred Guzman.

She created a business to bring more attention to these women under the name “She Served, Too.”

This past year, Silva-Perales organized an event at the State Capitol in Hartford called “Honoring Our Woman Warriors.” Following that, students from Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor reached out to her to connect with some of those veterans.

Newington resident Gladys Silva-Perales, left, and former resident Dorothy “Dottie” Dee are both veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. Silva-Perales served in the Army and Dee was a Marine during World War II.

They wanted to write a book to honor these women. That effort was successful and a “reveal” of the book “Unspoken Valor” took place on Nov. 15 at the state Department of Veterans Affairs in Rocky Hill.

This was held in partnership with the Loomis Chaffee ArtSOAR Club. The book was written by students Katie Pham and Ria An, who also did the illustrations.

“They had a book club” and wanted to write about these women, Silva-Perales said. “They connected with us and interviewed us.”

Each veteran’s story is written in a different style. The students used such items a

Dorothy “Dottie” Dee looks over her profile in “Unspoken Valor.”

s artifacts, letters from home and an audio journal to craft their book.

It is not a coincidence that these young women are of Vietnamese and South Korean ancestry, countries where Americans saw combat. The book is “dedicated to all women who served with strength and bravery. To all whose hearts brim with unyielding courage and to all still seeking the valor that waits within.”

“Unspoken Valor is more than a book. It is a living archive of courage and service,” Silva-Perales said.

She added that the book will be entered into the Library of Congress, Military Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, Connecticut Historical Society and the State Library of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

“Unspoken Valor” was written and illustrated by students at Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor.

The students interviewed Silva-Perales and fellow Connecticut veterans Claire Cashwell (Army), Dorothy Dee (Marines), Jamie Depaola (Marines), Lindsay Gabow (Army/West Point), Mary Gura (Army), Milgred Guzman (Army), Gail Jackson (Air Force) and Rose Vigdal (Air Force).

Dee, who was featured in the July 2023 issue of Newington LIFE, was among the first women every admitted to the U.S. Marine Corps. She is 103 years old and served during World War II.

Gladys Silva-Perales signs her name to the page in the book that tells her story.

Proceeds from sales of the book will be donated to Backpacks for Life, a nonprofit organization that gives military-style backpacks filled with toiletries to homeless veterans. NL

To learn more email sheservedtoo.us@gmail.com. Copies of the book are priced at $32.99 and available on sheservedtoo.org as well as Amazon.