Mighty Oaks Homestead

06/01/2026

Our roles should have stayed support.

Most of us could do hand to hand "maybe", but the boys would still be trying to protect us instead of themselves and another brother.

"We" all don't belong out on the field. Maybe we could take a lesson from Isreal. They have some very badass (sorry for language) women combat veteran.

I have so much respect for Isreal. There whole country has been under attack for so long! Too long by too, many countries.

05/28/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AgmMs7NTY/

She went to war carrying bandages.
She came home carrying memories.

Diane Carlson Evans served as an Army nurse in Vietnam at the 36th Evacuation Hospital in Vung Tau, working in the burn unit. She was young—and suddenly responsible for guiding people through some of the hardest moments of their lives.

What stayed with her afterward was not only what she had seen, but who history forgot. When Americans spoke of Vietnam, they spoke of soldiers, generals, and battles. But thousands of women had served too. Many returned home and quietly disappeared from the story.

Diane refused to let that happen.

She spent years speaking, organizing, fundraising, and pushing for something many said would never exist: a memorial dedicated to the women who served in Vietnam. Not for herself, but for the nurses and medical staff whose work happened away from cameras—for those who carried memories no one else could see.

The fight lasted more than a decade. She faced rejection. She was told it wasn’t necessary. She kept going.

In 1993, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. For many veterans, it was more than a statue. It was proof that their service mattered. Proof that someone finally said: We remember.

Diane Carlson Evans did not only serve during war. She spent decades protecting the memory of those history nearly left behind.

Some people save lives once. Others spend the rest of their lives making sure those lives are never forgotten.

05/26/2026

I will be shutting down Mighty Oaks Homestead and it is now for sale.

Make me an offer I can't refuse.

I have my own journey and sadly it can't include this piece of property. I have loved it while I could.

05/23/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ES61MrgD6/

Repost via

A mother and daughter have made history at the United States Naval Academy.

Retired Navy Captain Timika Lindsay and her daughter Ensign Elise Lindsay both graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. They are the first African American mother-daughter duo to graduate from the academy in its 177-year history.

Timika Lindsay graduated in 1992. She went on to serve 30 years in the Navy, reaching the rank of Captain before retiring in 2021. Elise Lindsay graduated on May 26, 2023, and was commissioned as an Ensign.

Both completed the academy’s demanding four-year program, which includes rigorous academic study, physical training, and leadership development. Timika’s service and example inspired her daughter to follow the same path. Their achievement represents a generational legacy of military service.

This milestone has been recognized by the Naval Academy and highlighted in news reports as a historic first for African American women at the institution.

(Photo: Retired Captain Timika Lindsay/Elise Lindsay)

05/23/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GWr3VsB4F/

It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Diane Carlson Evans, Army nurse, Vietnam veteran, tireless advocate, and a force who forever changed how our Nation recognizes our Veterans.

Like thousands of women during the Vietnam War, Diane answered her Nation’s call with courage and conviction. She served as an Army nurse from 1968–1969 at the 71st Evacuation Hospital in Pleiku and the burn unit of the 36th Evacuation Hospital in Vung Tau, caring for the wounded in the midst of war. Reflecting on her decision to serve, Diane once said, “I just felt it was my responsibility. I thought if my brothers should go, so did I.”

But Diane’s service did not end when she came home.

Diane was a steadfast advocate for Vietnam veterans and she was especially determined to ensure women who served would also be recognized and included in our Nation’s history. Unwilling to let the 265,000 women who served during the Vietnam War be forgotten, Diane founded the Vietnam Women’s Memorial and led the decades-long effort to ensure women’s service would finally be honored and remembered on our Nation’s landscape. Her determination, resilience, and unwavering belief in the importance of recognition inspired generations of veterans and changed history.

Because of Diane, countless women veterans finally received the recognition they so deeply deserved and saw themselves reflected in our Nation’s history for the very first time.

In recognition of her extraordinary leadership and lifelong dedication to military women, the Military Women’s Memorial was honored to present Diane with the Margaret Chase Smith Leadership Award during our 2024 National Women Veterans Recognition Day celebration.

Diane will be deeply missed by the military community and by all who had the privilege of knowing her.

We extend our deepest condolences to Diane’s loved ones, friends, fellow veterans, and the many people whose lives she touched.

It is our privilege to preserve and share Diane’s story of service, ensuring future generations will know and remember her story, her courage, and her unwavering dedication to those who served our Nation.

05/17/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1E1kso1M9E/

05/13/2026

05/07/2026

New addition to the Mighty Oaks Homestead.

04/24/2026

Say her name.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1atdkgY41M/

She was 23. She had three weeks left. And she was holding a baby she'd just saved.
Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee didn't know it yet — but the photo she posted that day would become her final testament.
August 2021. Abbey Gate, Kabul. The world was watching Afghanistan collapse in real time, but Nicole wasn't watching. She was there — standing at the gate between chaos and hope, checking families through, one by one.
She'd been promoted to sergeant just 21 days earlier. Newly married. Entire life ahead of her. And she was spending it in 120-degree heat, wearing full body armor, making eye contact with terrified mothers and telling them without words: Keep moving. You're almost through.
Then she saw the baby.
Someone handed the infant to her in the crush of the crowd. In that moment — surrounded by dust, fear, and uncertainty — she cradled that child like it was the only thing that mattered. Someone took a photo. She posted it.
"I love my job."
Not the uniform. Not the recognition. The job. The standing-in-the-hard-place, looking-chaos-in-the-eye, doing-what-needs-to-be-done kind of work that most people will never have to do.
Five days later, on August 26, 2021, an ISIS-K su***de bomber detonated an explosive vest at Abbey Gate. In seconds, 13 American service members and over 170 Afghan civilians were killed.
Nicole Gee was one of them.
But here's what the news didn't tell you:
Every single person who made it through that gate because she was there carried forward a piece of her choice. A family reunited. A child who survived. A future that almost wasn't.
Congress awarded her the Congressional Gold Medal — the highest civilian honor. But no medal can measure what she gave.
Nicole Gee didn't wait for her purpose to find her. She walked straight into it, held a baby in the middle of a war zone, and smiled because she knew exactly why she was there.
Some people spend their whole lives wondering if they matter.
She already knew.
Sgt. Nicole L. Gee
1997–2021
Say her name. Share her story. Remember why she stood there.

04/20/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DYap6mE5w/

“No woman who served should be left behind.” – Ms. Jacquie Hayes-Byrd, Executive Director, Center for Women Veterans

For the first time ever, the Center for Women Veterans and the Office of Women’s Health are teaming up for something BIG: The Women Veterans Enrollment Initiative, "Boots on the Ground for Boots on the Ground!"

We’re hosting FIVE Regional Summits across the U. S., starting in the Southwest, including New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona and Texas!

🗓️ July 24–25, 2026
💥 FREE Event!
🤝 Bring a Battle Buddy!

Learn about your VA benefits & services, (Re)connect with sister Veterans, and claim the support you deserve. Don’t miss out—register today and share!
🔗https://whova.com/portal/registration/bIpBmx5GL4oTJcmYk45h/

​