this small pocket surgical kit, it be longed to a woman named mary walker who was a contract soldieruring the civil war. she volunteered and was discharged and volunteered again and was discharged, but she persisted and was recognized for her commitment and her service named the first woman to receive the congressional medal of honor. that was stripped of her some years later. there were differing accounts of her service in the union army. and i would suspect there were some concerns about her gender and some resentment about the role she played. until the carter administration, the honor was restored back to her. important to note, that mary never returned her medal. she resisted the plea to return the medal. and we remember her commitment and her service by displaying tools she carried when in service to the union army back in 1864, right here on display. another element of our civil medicine exhibit is the whole wall of the display case that has been featuring speaks means of each year of the conflict 150 years later. visitors should look to see that on display when visiting. so a

t belonged to a woman named mary walker, who was a contract soldier in the army during the war.l she volled teared, was discharged. again and was discharged. but remarkably, she persisted nd was recognized for her commitment and her service as -- and was named the first oman to receive the congressional medal of honor. unfortunately, that award was then stripped of her some years later. there are differing accounts of her service in the union army, and i would suspect there were concerns about her gender nt about the ntme role that she played. eventually, took as long as -- until the carter administration, the honor was restored back to mary. it's important to note, though, returned her r medal. she resisted the plea to return the medal and retained that to and we remember her commitment and her service by displaying tools that she service to the union army back in 1864. right here on display. our civil wart of medicine exhibit is the whole wall of the display case that andbeen featuring artifacts images and specimens from each year of the conflict 150 years later. so we featured art

mary edwards walker served in the union army, was held as a p.o.w.nfederacy, and received the medal of honor. and xena was a warrior who still managed to be a princess. [ light laughter ] you can have it all. and then there's congresswoman tammy duckworth. >> congresswoman tammy duckworth >> women have been serving in combat in afghanistan and in iraq? >> well, i didn't lose my legs in a bar fight. >> seth: you think women aren't tough enough to serve in combat? that woman lost both her legs and is laughing about it. [ laughter ] she makes rambo look like beetle bailey. [ light laughter ] women have been serving in essential roles in the military all along, but the ban on women serving in combat created the illusion that they were less valuable to the military than men. including women in draft is controversial, but it's an important step in dismantling that narrative. or as congresswoman niki tsongas puts it -- >> this is really about changing an institution that narrowed and limited the roles that women could have, and i think it's really about say

reporter: the director of the center, marie hoover, says the children become comfortable with elderly residents at an early age. >> whether they're in a wheelchair, or in a walker maybe they're hard to understand, or you have to speak louder, it is just about who that individual is, and they adjust. the kids just really don't blink an eye. >> reporter: 93-year-old harriet thompson joined this sing-a-long on her way to the dining hall. >> i usually like to go sit down for a while before dinner, but heard them singing, so i went on in. >> reporter: what do you experience, internally when you're around these children? >> happiness, just plain old happiness, you know it beats anything else. beats television. >> boredom and loneliness at sort of the plagues of older adults. you see the residents, hear the sound of the kids coming down the hall, and it's as though sunlight just came through the window. >> i'm a great-great grandmother, but they're in another town. i can't hold my own little girl because she's far away. so this is what makes me happy. you get to know them, watch them, and act silly with them. it's good to feel like you're three years old again. >> rep