Ann Wikowski News

Coast Guard Commemorates Women’s History Month

Members of the original Coast Guard Women's Reserve are scheduled to make a presentation Wednesday morning during a Women's History Month celebration at the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay facility here. The establishment of the Coast Guard Women's Reserve in 1942 represented the first time women were accepted into the enlisted ranks of the Coast Guard. Women were allowed to fill shore positions while their male counterparts were deployed overseas. The Women's Reserve, more commonly known as the SPARS - an acronym taken from the Coast Guard's motto, Semper Paratus - Always Ready - provided the opportunity for women to directly participate as members of the armed services. Ann Wikowski, Charlotte Bart and Dorothy Dempsey enlisted in the Women's Reserve in 1943.