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Rebecca Sampson joined the Continental Army in Massachusetts in 1781 or 82, disguised as a man, Robert Shurliff. She fought and saw action in New York State. While on duty in Philadelphia she caught a fever and was taken to a physician, where her identity was caught. She was honorably discharged in 1783 from the Army and later would seek and get a pension for her military service.
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Mary Marshall and Mary Allen were nurses aboard Commodore Stephen Decatur ship the United States.
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Elizabeth Newcom served as Bill Newcom enlisting in Company D of the Missouri Volunteer Infantry. After marching 600 miles from Missouri to the winter camp at Pueblo, Colorado, her disguise was found out and she was discharged.
Image: https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/women-in-mexican-war.htm -
Numerous women served in the Civil War for both sides as nurses, cooks, conductors, doctors, spies, and soldiers. Dr. Mary Walker would become the first female (contract) U.S. Army surgeon in 1863. Based on recommendations after the war, she was awarded the Medal of Honor; she is the only woman to receive that medal.
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Others who served include: Loreta Janeta Velazquez aka Lt. Harry T. Buford - Confederate, while on the Union side: Frances Clalin Clayton, aka Jack Williams to name just a couple.
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1,563 civilian contract nurses worked for the Army both stateside, overseas in the newly gained territories and on hospital ships.
Image: https://www.womensmemorial.org/history/detail/?s=spanish-american-war -
The Army Nurse Corps is established.
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The Navy Nurse Corps is established. Twenty women made up the first group of Navy Nurses. This initial group is known as the "Sacred Twenty."
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Close to 33,000 women served during the war, with the majority of them being nurses. Fourteen were Native American women who served as nurses, with several of them serving in France.
Image: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/charlotte-edith-anderson-monture -
18 African American nurse treated both African American soldiers and German prisoners of war (POWs). Due to barriers with both the Army Nurse Corps and Red Cross, these women weren't able to join until the latter part of World War and that due to influenza epidemic in 1918.
Image: https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/4046-honoring-african-american-women-who-served-in-the-army-nurse-corps-in-wwi.html -
By the end of the war, an estimated 400,000 women had joined the military. Many worked in the Admin field while other were members of the Nurse Corps, Cadet Nurse Corps, but they were also mechanic, postal personnel, and aviators.
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800 were Native American women show served as admin personnel, nurses, mechanic's and as a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), such as Ola Mildred Rexroat, Beatrice Thayer and Elva Tapedo Wale.
Image: https://www.womensmemorial.org/native-american-women-veterans -
Of these World War II women it’s estimated that nearly 7,000 were African American. 855 were members of the 6888th Central Postal Battalion and were the only African American women to go overseas to Europe.
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Executive Order 9981 ends racial segregation in the armed services.
All personnel regardless if their race, color, religion, or national origin were to be equal in treatment and opportunities in the armed forces
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The Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 grants women permanent status in the Regular and Reserve forces of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps as well as in the newly created Air Force.
Image: https://www.britannica.com/event/Womens-Armed-Services-Integration-Act -
About 120,000 women would serve, many were recalled to active duty, after their service in World War II. Of these, about 7,000 served as health care professionals. Roughly 1,500 nurses served on the Korean peninsula during the war.
Image: https://ceufast.com/blog/nursing-and-medicine-in-the-korean-war -
1961 The Bertha Peters Billeb is ithe first female promoted to Sergeant Major in the Marine Corps.
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Public Law 90-130 equalized promotion and retirement rules for all military officers. Legal provisions placing a two percent cap on the number of women serving and a ceiling on the highest grade a women can achieve are repealed.
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7,000 American military women serve in Southeast Asia, the majority of them nurses. Army LT. Sharon Lane, a nurse is the only US military woman to die from enemy fire in Vietnam. An Air Force flight nurse dies when the C-5A Galaxy transport evacuating Vietnamese orphans she was aboard crashes on takeoff. Six other American military women die in the line of duty.
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The first women in the history of the armed forces, the Chief of the Army Nurse Corps (Anna Mae Hays) and the Women’s Army Corps Director (Elizabeth P. Hoisington), are promoted to brigadier general.
Image: https://history.army.mil/html/topics/women/general_officers.html -
The Supreme Court rules unconstitutional inequities in benefits for the dependents of military women. Until then, military women with dependents were not authorized housing nor were their dependents eligible for the benefits and privileges afforded the dependents of male military members, such as medical, commissary and post exchange, etc.
Image: http://legalhistoryblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/mayeri-on-story-of-frontiero-v.html -
Signed into law in 1957, Public Law 94-106 opened the door and opportunity for women to enter the military academies. In 1976 over 300 women entered the academies.
Image: https://www.womensmemorial.org/history/detail/?s=women-enter-the-military-academies -
Military veteran status is granted to the Hello Girls (Switchboard Operators) of World War I. After a 60 year struggle, 233 women finally recieved recognition with Public Law 95-202; 91 Stat. 1433. Too late for many of them, but not their family's.
Image: https://www.npr.org/2018/11/09/659349910/100-years-on-the-hello-girls-are-recognized-for-world-war-i-heroics -
The Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) who flew during WWII get their service recognized and gain veterans status. By the time Public Law 95-202, Sect 401, was singed by President Carter about 850 of the original 1,000 plus WASP were still alive.
Image: https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/689318/wasp-pursued-love-of-flying-fought-for-women-vets-recognition/ -
The first women graduate from the service academies: West Point, Annapolis, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
Image: https://www.navalhistory.org/2012/05/28/first-female-midshipmen-graduate-from-u-s-naval-academy -
170 Army and Air Force women are among those deployed to Grenada in support of Operation Urgent Fury. They will serve as air crew members, military police, and transportation specialist.
Image: https://www.womensmemorial.org/history/detail/?s=1980s-the-accomplishments -
770 women deploy to Panama in Operation Just Cause. Two women command Army companies in the operation and three women Army pilots are nominated for Air Medals. Two receive the Air Medal with “V” device for participation in a combat mission.
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Roughly 40,000 American military women are deployed during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Two of these women will be taken prisoner by Iraqi forces.
Image: https://www.womensmemorial.org/history/detail/?s=1990s -
About 1,000 women served in and/or supported U.S. forces in Somalia.
Image: https://ke.army.mil/bordeninstitute/other_pub/nurse/NurseCorpsch21.pdf -
The Space shuttle Endeavor launched with Lt. Cmdr. Wendy B. Lawrence on board. She is the first female Naval Academy graduate astronaut and she becomes the first female navigator in space.
Image: https://www.usna.com/events-and-programs---dga19-bio-lawrence -
Operation Uphold Democracy took place in Haiti, 1,200 U.S. military female participated in the operation. They will serve as nurses, engineers, flight personnel, military police, and more.
Image: https://nara.getarchive.net/media/during-operation-uphold-democracy-us-navy-lt-stout-signs-new-identification-3a69a1 -
Sergeant Heather Johnsen becomes the first female sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown and earns the Tomb Guard Identification Badge.
Image: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/heather-johnsen.htm -
In 2001, Coral W. Pietsch an Asian-Pacific female is promoted to brigadier general in the Judge Advocate General's Corps.
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Terrorists hijack four commercial aircraft, crash two into the World Trade Center, one into a field in Pennsylvania and one into the Pentagon. 125 people on the ground at the Pentagon died and 59 passengers on the plane died. Six service women, active and retired lost their lives.
Image: https://pentagonmemorial.org/explore/biographies/yn3-melissa-rose-barnes-usn -
The first Native American servicewoman Lori Piestewa, is killed in battle. She was one of three women who became prisoners of war during the first days of the war in Iraq. She become the first female military causality and the first female Native American killed in action.
Image: https://www.history.com/news/first-woman-to-die-iraq-war-lori-piestawa-hopi -
The first woman in US Air Force history joins the prestigious USAF Air Demonstration Squadron “Thunderbirds.” Nicole Malachowski was also the first woman on any US military high performance jet team.
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For the first time in US military history, a woman, Ann Dunwoody is promoted to the rank of four-star general. She is promoted by the US Army.
Image: https://www.army.mil/article/14218/army_promotes_first_woman_to_four_star_general -
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced the ban on women serving in combat portions/roles will be lifted. The branches have three years to implement the change.
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Admiral Michelle J. Howard is promoted to four-star admiral, becoming the first African American woman to achieve this distinction. She served as chief of naval operations.
Image: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/03/04/she-helped-save-capt-phillips-somali-pirates-then-became-first-female-4-star-admiral.html -
Roughly 200,000 women are serving as enlisted or officers in one of the branches. In August, Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, become the first two women to graduate from Army Ranger School. In December, the Pentagon announces all military jobs will be open to females.
Image: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/08/20/433241833/first-female-army-rangers-say-they-thought-of-future-generations-of-women -
Native American, Capt. Anneliese Satz becomes the Marine Corps’ first female F-35 pilot.
Image: https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/1930080/first-female-f-35b-pilot/
