Edith Nourse Rogers was a dynamic daughter of Lowell dedicated to veterans’ affairs. In May 1942, the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) legislation was drafted and sponsored by MA Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers (R-Lowell). That groundbreaking legislation is significant because it allowed American women to serve in the US Army during WWII, albeit without official status and benefits. Later during the war, in July of 1943, at the request of the Department of the Army, Congress approved the WAAC to officially become the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). The creation of the WAC ensured American women serving in the US Army received official military status and benefits equal to those of their male US Army counterparts. The Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Hospital in Bedford was named in her honor. In early 2012, Massachusetts Governor Duval Patrick signed the proclamation honoring her life and legacy as a Republican congresswoman.