Happy Veterans Day to all the men and women who have served in the U.S. military. Your hard work and dedication is something I admire most as someone who has not taken on this job. After seeing a very qualified woman get overlooked to service the U.S. in another role this past week, I wanted to write a post to honor some of the great women who have served our country in the military.
Did you know that during the Civil War there were over 400 women who served disguised as a man? These were not the women who were nurses or cooks, these were women who fought in combat. One of these women was Cathay Williams, an enslaved young Black woman. She enlisted at just 17 years old as a cook and washer. But a few years later, she enlisted under a false name as William Cathay to serve in the regular Army. But two years later, they found out her true identity.
Then you have Dr. Mary E. Walker who became the first female Army surgeon as she served in the Civil War. As the daughter of Abolitionists, she was born in Oswego, New York. When she initially tried to join as a medical officer in 1861, she was denied because she was a woman, so she opted to volunteer instead. Finally in 1863, they accepted her as surgeon. Until this day, she is the only female who served to receive a Medal of Freedom.
Fast forward to the year 1917, when Loretta P. Walsh became the first woman to officially enlist in a non-medical role. She joined the Navy Reserve after being asked due to the lack of men enrolling. Following this many men and women signed up just before the start of World War I.
In 1943, during World War II, the WASP or Women Airforce Service Pilots formed. Jacqueline Cochran, became the women at the forefront of seeing this unit formed. After the Pearl Harbor attack, Cochran who was a well-known pilot, tried to bring women pilots to the military. They rejected her request, so she went on to train a group in England and then came back to the U.S. to recruit another group. This effort proved successful, and they went on to train thousands of women. It was disbanded shortly after. It took until the 1970’s for this group to be given veteran status.
In 1975, women began to receive mandated defensive weapons training for the first time. In 1979, Marcella Hayes, a 2nd Lt became the first Black female pilot in the U.S. Armed Forces. In 1980, the first class of female cadets graduated from West Point. A few years later in1989, Linda Bray, became the first female to command U.S. troops in combat. In 1990, over 24,000 women served during Operation Desert Storm. In 2007, Col Stephanie Dawson became the first female Brigade Commander in the NY Army National Guard. And, in 2008, Gen Ann E. Dunwoody becomes the first female Four- Star General in military history.
2nd Lt. Marcella Hayes
Here, you have so many women from different walks of life who have done a great job in the U.S. military. On this Veterans Day and all the days to follow, I hope our country continues to see and recognize all the great women who have taken on big roles to protect our country. As women, WE CAN DO ANYTHING. WE CAN BE ANYTHING. I know, one day we will see a female receive the top honor in servicing our country as President as well.