DAV group opens ranks to women vets
Friday, October 30, 2009 2:18 AM EDT
Brooklyn D. Brown-Northrup, first female Trench Rat
NORTON - The National Order of Trench Rats, a Disabled American Veterans (DAV) auxiliary, recently opened their ranks to female veterans. There are only about eight thousand members of this invitation only organization. The Massachusetts Sector is proud to welcome the first female member of this organization.
The Massachusetts Sector and Brockton based Dugout 294 iniated and welcomed a new crop of scavvies, including the National Order of Trench Rats (NOTR) very first female member. The ceremonies, held in Worcester, saw Brooklyn D. Brown-Northrup, of Waltham, become the nation's initial female Trench Rat.
Brown-Northrup is an Air Force veteran with three years of service and two years in the California Air National Guard. She has served both statewide and in South Korea. While in the Air Force she was involved in logistics for a civil engineering unit maintaining tow lines for the larger, heavier laden freight aircraft and was injured on flight line duty.
The NOTR can best be described as a secret, fraternal and honor organization that limits its membership to those selected from DAV membership who have shown their devotion and meritorious service to the DAV and the welfare of our wounded warriors and their dependents. Central to the Rats is service to their less fortunate brother and sister warriors and their families. This is focused on providing special treats to patients at local Veterans Administration facilities and State Veterans Hospitals and outreach centers. Unique to the Trench Rats is that prospective members are all recruited by its membership and then put through an initiation program. These two features are designed to obtain new recruits who are willing to work rather than just add on another organization's name to their resume.
In addition to Brown-Northrup, Martin "Pete" Fox and Norman Willoughby, both of Taunton, were brought fronm the ranks of scavvies, or worthless recruits, into full membership. These two are members of the greater Taunton Corp. William F. Reardon Chapter 57 DAV. Fox is a Marine Corps veteran and Willoughby is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. The ceremonies were conducted by the Massachusetts Sector Golden Rodent Morton E. Morin, of NOTR Dugout 294 and DAV Chapter 57, and Quincy resident SectorTask Master L. Kenneth LaBombard, of Dugout 303.
Three additional individuals were initiated into full membership on 26 October 2009 at a Meeting of Dugout 294. They are Francis Ardita of Middleboro, a U.S. Army veteran, Clayton Jaynes, a Navy Veteran and Paul Waldron a Marine Corps veteran
The National Order of Trench Rats, by their move to open membership to wounded, women warriors has moved into the limelight granting our current and former servicewomen full acknowledgement of their courage and service to our Nation.
