In honor of Women’s History Month, here are some things you may not know about women in the U.S. military.
In honor of Women’s History Month, here are some things you may not know about women in the U.S. military.
1. According to the U.S. Department of Defense’s 2023 demographics report, the percentage of women serving in uniform increased slightly from 17.5 percent in 2022 to 17.7 percent in 2023.
2. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 2 million women veterans live in the U.S. today. In 2000, women veterans were just 4% of the veteran population. But by 2040, they are projected to make up 18% of all veterans, making them the fastest growing group of veterans.
3. TV star Bea Arthur was a truck driver in the Marine Corps during World War II. (via military.com)
4. Abolitionist Harriet Tubman led a Union spy ring during the Civil War. (via military.com)
5. A woman who is eligible for American Legion membership is eligible to join the American Legion Auxiliary regardless of whether or not she is a member of the Legion.
6. The only woman to be awarded a Medal of Honor is Mary Edwards Walker, a medical doctor during the Civil War who had to start as a nurse but ultimately became the Army’s first female surgeon. She was also a spy, and a POW. But as a non-combatant, her medal was revoked between 1917 and 1977. (via history.com)
7. During the Civil War, nurse and founder of the Red Cross Clara Barton received a special “military pass” that permitted her to travel directly onto the battlefield, where she drove her medical wagons straight into the fray to tend to wounded soldiers. (via the USO)
8. The first known women to join each service branch were Genevieve and Lucille Baker, and Myrtle Hazard, Coast Guard; Deborah Sampson, Army; Opha May Johnson, Marine Corps; Esther McGowin Blake, Air Force; and Loretta Walsh, Navy. (via military.com)
9. Navy Capt. Rosemary Mariner was one of the first eight women selected to fly military aircraft in 1973, and a year later became the Navy's first female jet pilot. At her graveside service in February 2019, nine female pilots from Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia performed the "missing woman" formation for their predecessor – the first all-female crew to do so. (via We Are The Mighty)
10. Dr. Kamin Samuel was the U.S. Navy’s first Black female helicopter pilot. Earlier this year she was featured on our Tango Alpha Lima podcast.
- Women Veterans