Women were historically excluded from serving in the military and were confined to working as nurses, cooks, and seamstresses, although some women disguised themselves as men and fought in the American Revolutionary War and Civil War. Despite these challenges several women were able to leave their mark in the armed services. A few of the influential women are highlighted below:
Private Cathay Williams (also known as William Cathay)
Williams became the first Black woman to enlist in the Army and the only known female Buffalo solider. She served in the 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment which would later be known as the Buffalo Soldiers. She was born a slave and was captured by the Union army where she was forced to serve union soldiers, she was able to enlist without completing a full medical examination, which allowed her to serve in combat. Her gender was discovered in 1868 when she was being treated for smallpox, she was later honorably discharged and continued to work in the military as a cook.
Dr. Mary E Walker
Dr. Walker applied to become a surgeon with the Union army, but was rejected and ended up providing medical support as a volunteer. She was eventually appointed to the position of an assistant surgeon and was later captured by the Confederate Army as a prisioner of war. When the Civil War ended she was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1865, but the award was rescinded in 1917 because she was a civilian. In 1977 President Jimmy Carter restored her award, which allowed her to become the first and only woman to receive the Medal of Honor in the United States.
Harriet Tubman
Ms. Tubman is known for being the conductor of the Underground Railroad, but she also supported the Union Army as a nurse, spy, and later a future recruiter. As a recruiter she was able to engage locals from Southern states and pass information to union commanders to assist in assault preparations. Some of notable contributions included the successful assault in Jacksonville Florida and the Combahee River raid. 24 years after the Civil War ended, she was granted a pension for her contributions to the Union’s cause.
Col Mary Hallaren
Hallaren was a member of the Women’s Army Corp prior to commanding the largest all female unit to serve overseas. She enlisted in the Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor and became the first woman commissioner officer (non-medical role) in the Army.
Captain Linda Bray
Bray became the first woman to command American soldiers in battle. She was one of 700 women to participate in Operation Just Cause in Panama. Her accomplishments contributed to the Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s decision to expand women’s role in combat.
Lt. General Ann E. Dunwoody
Dunwoody became the first woman to reach a four-star officer rank in United States history. She commanded a battalion in the Gulf War and released a book about her experiences in the military.
Grace Murray Hopper (also known as “Amazing Grace”)
Hopper joined the Navy Reserves during World War II where she was assigned to the Bureau of Ordinance Computation Project where she became the third programmer of the world’s largest computer called the Mark I. She founded the COBOL programming language, which was a precursor to many of the software code approaches of today. Her work has been considered legendary among mathematicians and computer scientists. Her legacy continues as a destroyer was named in her honor (USS Hopper) as well as the “Hopper” supercomputer.
Thank you to all the women who served in the armed forces. Thank you to all the veterans of both genders today. Happy Veterans Day.
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