Sep 21, 2026
In June, then-VFW Commander-in-Chief Carol Whitmore traveled to Normandy, France, with one mission at hand: a first-ever women’s D-Day commemorative parachute chalk.
Unfortunately, the weather on June 3 — the jump day — was uncooperative, and the eight women were unable to complete their mission that day. The group that was jumping, known as a “chalk,” was to commemorate D-Day and recognize the often-overlooked role of women in the World War II resistance movement.
The event was organized by Toni Lavery, Fox Force co-founder and executive director. In June 2025, Lavery, a 26-year Army veteran, was invited to parachute into Normandy.
“People were taking photos of me, and I couldn’t figure out why,” Lavery said. “I wondered if they thought I was someone famous. All these women watching were empowered. They wanted to see women doing non-traditional female things. I felt they needed to see this on a greater scale.”
While Whitmore’s jump was called off due to unfriendly skies above, on June 5, two small women chalks took place. In flight suits accented by bold red lipstick, the women took flight.
“Hitler’s most hated color was victory red,” Lavery said. “We found the most victorious red lip color we could and wore it.”
In France, Whitmore and VFW Assistant Adjutant General Brian Walker participated in a hike with Irreverent Warriors based in Sainte Maire du Mont near Utah Beach.
“Walking on that hallowed ground and through the countryside that Easy Company fought on was more than humbling,” Whitmore said. “It was a truly remarkable walk.”
Previously scheduled travel on behalf of VFW prevented Whitmore from staying for the later jump.
During WWII, 39 female agents from the British Special Operations Executive parachuted into France to work as spies and couriers. They gathered intelligence, trained French Resistance fighters, and helped coordinate supply drops in preparation for D-Day. The first woman to jump into France, parachuting in 1942, was Andree Borrel.
“It was disappointing, but to be able to tell the story of the women who served in the resistance during WWII was enough,” Whitmore said. “I was honored to make this trip and to represent the Veterans of Foreign Wars.”
EMPOWERING WOMEN
Lavery, who has an eye condition that is slowly causing her to go blind, said that Fox Force started after a group of women met at a healing retreat. The core group of women stayed connected and provided resources to one another.
“We kept our bond and did monthly calls,” Lavery said. “We finally agreed that this community was helping and that we should get together at least once a year in person.”
Lavery said she knew it would be hard to find a time when everyone could meet given the time challenges of families and work. However, when her best friend, Danielle — who also was at that original retreat — invited Lavery to participate in New Mexico’s Bataan Memorial Death March with her in 2025, Lavery jumped at the opportunity.
“I invited the rest of the group, and everyone said, ‘Oh, hell yes,’” Lavery recalled.
Leading up to the march, the women — who were all from military, first responder, and law enforcement backgrounds — were looking for ways to serve one another as well other women.
“We were looking to do volunteer work in areas where we were passionate about,” Lavery said. “We found that people wanted women in service to mentor young women.”
From this notion, Fox Force was born last fall. Its general mission is for women of service to provide help and development to all other women. “We want to give women the things we wish we had coming up in the world,” Lavery said. “Things such as situational awareness, self-defense, financial guidance and how not to become a victim. Women are coming out of the woodwork. Ten out of 10 women I talk to have told me they have needed this for so long.”
Lavery added that Fox Force aims to arm women with the right tools for life’s transitions so that they will thrive.
“We want to help mentor transitioning women veterans and other women going through difficult life transitions such as leaving a domestically violent household, high school girls going off to college, etc.,” Lavery said. “Also, pre-transition assistance for women wanting to join the military and extending that to spouses as well. There are lots of challenges by both men and women in the military and it would be helpful if they were given the knowledge about what they will experience when joining and how to combat those experiences.”
The Fox Force Foundation’s mission statement aptly describes the purpose: “Fox Force equips women with the tools, knowledge, and community they need to grow stronger, lead with confidence and create lasting impact for others.”
Fans of the movie “Pulp Fiction” understand the origin of Lavery’s organization name. In the movie, Uma Thurman’s character talks about a television pilot she was in called “Fox Force Five,” where five female secret agents all had unique specialties. Lavery’s husband began to refer to his wife and her group as the Fox Force Five.
“It’s like our group — each one of us have these bad-ass characteristics and want to give back to the world,” Lavery said.
This article is featured in the 2026 September/October issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Janie Dyhouse, senior editor for VFW magazine.