Female Marines serving in Afghanistan with a
Female Engagement Team (Photo: U.S. Marine Corps)
THE STRENGTH OF WOMEN IN SERVICE
The role of women in America’s Military over the years
W
BY KRISTEN ROUSE
hen our nation
calls,
women step
up to serve.
This
has
been
the
history
of
women in the U.S. Armed
Forces, from the first woman wounded in battle in
1776 to the women serving
on the front lines against
the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and
ISIS today—even as they’ve
had to fight each step of
the way for the same benefits, recognition, training,
and opportunities their
male counterparts have
received.
Margaret Corbin, who
fought bravely and nearly
died from her wounds at
Fort Washington in 1776,
despite losing her hus-
band in battle and being
badly disabled for life,
was nevertheless awarded only half the pension
amount received by male
soldiers. The hundreds
of women who disguised
themselves as men to fight
in the Mexican-American
War and on both sides
of the Civil War were
discharged or institutionalized if they were
discovered, despite citations and recognition for
valor. Dr. Mary Walker,
the first and only woman ever awarded a Medal
of Honor in 1865 for her
bravery as a frontline
surgeon and prisoner of
war, had it withdrawn by
Congress in 1917, just two
years before her death.
Throughout the 20th and
21st centuries, women
have consistently stepped
up to serve despite institutional limitations and
restrictive social norms—
breaking through barrier after barrier to prove
themselves as skilled and
capable assets that make
America’s military smarter, stronger, and better at
defending our nation and
its interests.
The military draft
ended in 1973 with the
broader recruitment and
expansion of job opportunities for women, and
women today make up
approximately 15% of
America’s
all-volunteer
active duty military. More
women than ever identify
as proud military veterans: currently, more than
two million American
women have served in the
U.S. Armed Forces.
Yet another barrier
that women have broken through is the Army’s premiere training
school, opened to women
this year. Thus far three
women have graduated
from the Army’s Ranger School—one of them
a 37-year-old mother—
proving yet again that
women can perform and
succeed when given the
opportunity. In January, the Department of
Defense is positioned to
open even more jobs and
training opportunities to
women, if