---
title: Women’s Work
date: 2021-12-08T05:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/womens-work"
section: Articles
---
# Women’s Work

*December 8, 2021* — by [Maggie Haslam](/author/maggie-haslam)


> In New Book, Alum Historian Chronicles the Grassroots Work to Recognize Women’s Sacrifices, Service During World War I

*Figure 5 5 Lt Lucas in St Mihiel rest house NARA II 1920x1080 — A U.S. military officer talks to wives and mothers of troops who died in World War I, showing them a battlefield map at the St. Mihiel rest house, created for women on such "Gold Star" pilgrimages, at an American cemetery in eastern France. A UMD alum's new book tells the stories behind the work to commemorate wartime sacrifices of women through living memorials.*

Over 16,000 women served overseas during World War I. Yet as Armistice Day marked the war’s final chapter, the stories of women who sacrificed—in overseas hospitals or as wives and mothers back home—were destined to become footnotes.


*Allison Finkelstein headshot*


*"Forgotten Veterans, Invisible Memorials: How American Women Commemorated the Great War, 1917-1945” book cover*



**Sidebar note:**

Join Allison Finkelstein’s virtual book talk at noon Dec. 9 by registering [online](https://umd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMvd-uvqT8qGdUf1H6J9KlgNB-LJORMbrSw). Interested in buying your own copy of “Invisible Memorials”? Members of the UMD community receive a discount with the code FORGOTTEN30 at [checkout](http://uapress.ua.edu/product/Forgotten-Veterans-Invisible-Memorials,7665.aspx).





**Topics:** [People](https://today.umd.edu/tags/people)


**Tags:** [Alumni](https://today.umd.edu/topic/alumni), [Books](https://today.umd.edu/topic/books), [History](https://today.umd.edu/topic/history)


**Units:** [College of Arts and Humanities](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-arts-and-humanities), [School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation](https://today.umd.edu/topic/school-architecture-planning-and-preservation)