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YSUT celebrates Women’s History Month with a new poster honoring women in the military. The 1948 Women’s Armed Services Integration Act formally allowed women to serve in the military, but women have had an impact on the armed services for more than 200 years.

Initially formally relegated to civilian support roles, including laundresses, cooks and spies, women gained entry in 1901 with the formation of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and later served as Yeoman in World War I. By WWII, all four branches of the military — Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard — enlisted women in their ranks. In fact, nearly 350,000 American women served in uniform during the war.

In 1975, women were allowed to be admitted into military colleges, furthering their mobility within the ranks. One of the last remaining barriers was broken in 2015 when women were allowed to serve in combat roles.

Fewer than a dozen women have earned the rank of four-star general or admiral. They include:

• On Nov. 14, 2008, U.S. Army Gen. Ann Dunwoody became the first woman in U.S. military and uniformed service history to achieve a four-star officer rank.
• U.S. Air Force Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger is the first woman to achieve the rank of four-star general in the USAF. She was nominated in 2012.
• In 2014, U.S. Navy Admiral Michelle Howard became the first African American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship and the first woman to attain the rank of admiral. In the same year she also became the 38th Vice Chief of Naval Operations.
• In 2021, Linda Lee Fagan became the 32nd vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Coast Guard’s first female four-star admiral. She served as commandant from June 2022 to January 2025.

Women have not yet reached the four-star status in either the U.S. Marine Corps or the Space Force.

Downloadable PDF versions and printed copies , in limited quantities, are available to NYSUT members. Visit nysut.org/publications.

Beginning in September, NYSUT will only send printed RC newsletters to retirees who request a hard copy. All retirees should visit nysut.org/rcnewsoptin to select the delivery method you prefer. Email, call or mail NYSUT Retiree Services to request a print newsletter or to be notified when new newsletters are posted online. This does not apply to our UFT and UUP retirees. If you’ve already submitted your preferences, your request has been processed.

Send your full name, mailing address, email address, phone number and local from which you retired and indicate your preference:

• Email retiree.services@nysut.org
• Call 518-801-9199
• Mail NYSUT Retiree Services, 800 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham N.Y. 12110

Dated: March 2025

The following is a summary of important changes made to endorsed benefit programs since the publication of the New York State United Teachers Member Benefits Trust Summary Plan Description in March 2021 and the subsequent NYSUT Member Benefits Trust Summaries of Material Modifications and Notices to Participants dated March 2021, March 2022, March 2023, and March 2024. Please retain this information until a new Summary Plan Description is issued.

Termination of Trustmark Universal Life/LifeEvents Insurance

The Universal Life/LifeEvents Insurance program with Convalescent Care Benefit (plus YourCare360 Care Planning Services) from Trustmark Insurance Company of New York became available to eligible NYSUT in-service and retiree members in May 2023.

However, effective Dec. 7, 2024, the endorsement relationship between NYSUT Member Benefits and Trustmark ended; new applications were not accepted after Nov. 1, 2024.

The approximately 250 NYSUT members that had been participating in the program can maintain their coverage through Trustmark. Information about this change was mailed to current plan participants.

Sincerely,
Board of Trustees
NYSUT Member Benefits Trust