Col. Allison Black received the prestigious Margaret Corbin Award from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) on Saturday night, June 29, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
- The award, presented during DAR’s Continental Congress, honors women in all branches of the military for distinguished service. It pays tribute to Revolutionary War heroine Margaret Corbin, who manned her husband’s cannon after he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Fort Washington in 1776.
Col. Black, known as “the Angel of Death,” was recognized for her remarkable role during the battle for Kunduz, Afghanistan in late 2001. As a 1st Lieutenant, Black played a significant part in the first battlefields following the 9/11 attacks, establishing a legacy in Air Force and special warfare history.
- Okaloosa Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, who serves as the Florida State Chair for National Defense for DAR and is a member of the Choctawhatchee Bay DAR, was present at the ceremony.
The DAR, founded on October 11, 1890, and incorporated by an Act of Congress in 1896, focuses on historic preservation, education, and patriotism. With 190,000 members across 3,000 chapters in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and several international locations, the organization has inducted more than one million women since its inception.
Okaloosa County is home to Veterans Park on Okaloosa Island. The park, unveiled in 2021, features life-sized bronze statues of eight women who served in combat during various U.S. military conflicts, including Margaret Corbin, the namesake of the award Col. Black received.
Recently, on June 12, 2024, Col. Black served as the keynote speaker at Okaloosa County’s 2nd Annual Women Veterans Day ceremony held at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center. The event aimed to celebrate and recognize the service of women who have served in the U.S. military.