Widow’s Checklist

Society of Military Widows (SMW) was founded in 1968 by Theresa (Tess) Alexander to serve the interests of women whose husbands died while on active military duty, of a service-connected illness, or during disability or regular retirement from the armed forces. SMW is a nonprofit organization chartered in the State of California under section 504 (c) (4) of the Internal Revenue Service Code.

All military widows who are eligible for membership are encouraged to support the Society of Military Widows by becoming a member, whether or not they can attend meetings. Our political leverage is in our total membership on a national basis. The more members we have, the more important we are to elected members of Congress. In 1984 SMW affiliated with the National Association for Uniformed Services (NAUS) to make a stronger organization, working to protect the hard-earned benefits and entitlements of military widows. The affiliation allows for membership development, administrative efficiency, and Washington representation.

The SMW produced a “Widow’s Checklist” intended to help remind family members and surviving spouces about the many subjects needing attention when a retired service member passes away. This checklist is posted on their website http://ow.ly/pg0vx