As already stated in previous blogs, Russians led the way in the first half of the 20th Century when it came to using women in combat in both world wars. The Israelis picked up where the Russians left off and carried on with women in combat during the second half of the 20th Century. The Arab-Israeli conflicts seemed to take place every two years or so, and Israel's clashes with the Hamas appears to be a daily happening, so Israeli women are exposed to combat constantly. But it is the United States, which had a very slow beginning in this particular area, that has now become a leader in employing women in combat.
Going back to the American Revolutionary War, a young woman disguised as a man enlisted in the Continental Army and fought with distinction. Deborah Sampson managed to hide her gender until she was wounded. That was when it was discovered that she was not a man, but a woman! However, George Washington himself awarded her the Purple Heart, an award that he created, and gave her an honorable discharge rather than dismissing her from the army on the grounds of false enlistment. But this was an isolated case. Another woman, Molly Pitcher, manned a cannon battery during a battle, but she was not in the Continental Army. She just took over the cannon battery when the artillery men were killed.
During the American Civil War there were more women engaged in combat than during the War of Independence. But, they all disguised themselves as men, since women were not permitted to enlist on either side. Francis Clalin enlisted under the name of Jack Williams and fought for the Union. Sarah Pritchard also fought as an irregular for the South but later switched to the Union side and Jennie Hodgens enlisted as Albert Cashier and fought for the Union. There were others, but there is no accurate record of their participation in combat.
In 1918 the Marine Corps Women Reserve was formed but deactivated shortly after. It wasn't until World War Two, 1941 when Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WACs) and the Women's Navel Reserve were formed and the Marine Corps Women's Reserve (BAMs) was reactivated. There was absolutely no move to use women in combat in any capacity by any branches of service. Only the OSS used women in combat, as already described in previous blogs. Virginia Hall was the most notable woman who saw combat with OSS. In uniform services, women were used in clerical capacity and as nurses in the field hospitals. There were qualified women pilots who volunteered to fly for the Army Air Corps, but they were only used to ferry planes from factories to wherever they were needed. The U.S. refused to allow women to fly in combat, as Russian did! During the Korean War and even the Vietnam War, women were still barred from many military occupations, in fact, none of the services were fully integrated.
The late 1960s and the early 1970s the Women's Movement in America became a watershed in a sense that many jobs in the military previously closed to women were opened up. First the three service academies began to accept women as cadets. Then in 1974, 6 women became the first female U.S. Navy aviators. From that point on, despite resistance from various sectors, women were admitted to more and more jobs that were previously closed to them in the military. By the close of the 20th Century, the U.S. military was beginning to change dramatically in regard to women in various jobs. The first Gulf War saw some changes, women in jobs previously held only by men. There were pilots, mostly transport, but some combat planes, that were flown by women. It wasn't until the new century and the Iraq and Afghan Wars that women in combat began to really show.
Today, there are numerous women who served in combat. We have a woman who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, numerous Silver Star recipients and Air Medals and Bronze Stars with a "V" for valor. Purple Heart recipients are numbered in the thousands! There are women of General Officer rank in every branch of the service now, something that was unthinkable a few decades ago.
Perhaps the one woman that represents this new generation of American Women Warriors better than anyone else is Tammy Duckworth, the current Congresswoman from Illinois who is a double amputee, having lost both legs in combat when her Blackhawk was shot down by an RPG in Iraq.
Tammy was born in Thailand of American and Thai/Chinese parents. She graduated from McKinley High School in Hawaii and received a BA from University of Hawaii. She was commissioned as a second lieutenant after the ROTC program at George Washington University where she received an MA. She became a Blackhawk helicopter pilot and was deployed to Iraq where she saw combat and was wounded. She stayed in the Army despite losing both legs and left the service as a Lieutenant Colonel when she ran for political office. She is the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress from Illinois. She was also appointed as Assistant Secretary for the Department of Veteran Affairs in 2006, before she became a Congresswoman.
Tammy Duckworth is not the only American Woman Warrior with incredible accomplishments, there are many others! She is a good example though, because she is in such a visible position as a Congresswoman.
Today, America leads all other nations in the number of women serving in the military. There are approximately 350,000 women in all branches of service. America has more fighter, bomber, and helicopter women pilots than any other country. The US Marines integrated and began accepting women for regular Marine Corps service, no longer the "BAMs," back in the 1970s just as the Army eliminated the WACs. The Air Force and Navy has numerous fighter and helicopter pilots that are women. The Army too has many female helicopter pilots and tank drivers and commanders! Most recently, the Army agreed to open Ranger School training to women. Women are still barred from service with Navy Seals, Marine Corps Force Recon, Army Rangers and Army Special Forces. But women are making very fast progress in gaining access to previously closed occupations. Right now, women are still barred from serving in the infantry as well as the Special Operations Units in combat roles, but it will no doubt change.
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