#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Gail R. Allen

On the Army Finance Corps birthday, today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Gail R. Allen, processed payroll during the Vietnam War.

Gail Allen enlisted in 1962 while attending high school. After physical examinations in Chicago, Allen went to Fort McClellan, Alabama, for basic training.

Hoping to work with numbers, Allen chose to serve with the U.S. Army Finance Corps. Upon joining the Finance Corps, Allen went to Fort Dix, New Jersey, where she received secondary training in clerical skills.

While serving in the Army Finance Corps, Allen worked with civilian military employees in payroll, managing payments for over 100,000 Army servicemembers. She completed her service in 1965 and discharged at the rank of sergeant.

During her enlistment with the Army Finance Corps, Allen met her future husband. The two married after her discharge. After marrying, Allen and her husband moved to Bad Kreuznach, Germany, where her husband served for several months. After completing his service, Allen and her husband returned to the United States, where they raised their two sons.

Near the end of her life, Allen moved to the Indiana Veterans Home in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Allen passed away in Sept. 2018.

More of her story can be found at: https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.10516

We honor her service.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

Contributors

Fact checker: Kat Blanchard

Graphic artist: Deanna Cannon