HISTORICAL MARKS

From the beginning of our American history women have continually contributed many significant services to the military. However, their services and worth were not recognized until the 1900's and even then their full value wasn't acknowledged. A great amount of progress has been made for women in the Armed Services.

Women contributed a great deal of tasks that went unnoticed for decades, these sacrifices include:
-Caring for sick and wounded
-Identifying and burying the dead
-Cooking, sewing, and washing for the troops
-Supplying food, clothing, and ammunition to the armies in the fields
-During times of war entering the workforce to take the place of male workers
-Gathering intelligence
-Delivering dispatches
-Warning impending attacks
-Fighting disguised as men
-Fighting openly as women

Listed below are some quick facts that show the progression and growth of women in the military through numerous wars and over hundreds of years.

The 19th Century and Before:
Since the beginning of civilization throughout the world there were numerous tribes of women, women warriors, women rulers, and even women divinities who successfully engaged in combat to protect their homes, towns, cities, and countries.

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Almost all women played a part in the war from providing materials and actively protesting the British rule to fighting themselves.

Nurses on the battlefield were given one ration per day and $2 a month
5-7 women per company served with the British Army

1779- Margaret Cobin was the first to receive a disability pension. She was awarded half a soldier's pay and one suit of clothes or cash equivalent because she served with her husband.

War of 1812 (1812-1814)
Logs on U.S. ships recorded women serving as contract nurses

George Baker was found out to be Lucy Brewer, after time the Marine Corps acknowledged her as the 1st Female Marine

Civil War (1861-1865)
Dr. Mary E. Walker first and only woman to receive the nation's highest honor,

The Medal of Honor over 3,400 men have been awarded this medal

Post Civil War (1866-1897)
Women's Relief Corps organized to help disabled veterans, war widows, and orphans

Spanish- American War (1898)
1898- Congress authorized the U.S. Army to hire women nurses as civilians under contract

1898-1901 More than 15,000 women served in the United States, overseas, and on Hospital ships

20th Century :

(1900-1914)
1901- "Official" history of women in the United States military begins with the founding
of the Army Nurse Corps. However, they didn't have rank, equal pay, or benefits like the men of military status.

1908- Navy Nurse Corps was established

1911- First women pilot in U.S.

1913- More than 4,000 reserve nurses were eligible for active duty assignment but didn't receive pay nor benefits

World War I (1914-1918)
33,000 women served

First time women were able to enlist in Navy and Marine Corps

Still only nurses in Army but 200 civilian women were hired as telephone operators to translate English and French

Army refused to enlist women other than nurses but hundred were "borrowed" from the British Women's Auxiliary Army Corps and assigned to France to perform secretarial work

Many awards were presented to nurses including 3 Distinguished Service Crosses and 23 Distinguished Service Medals

1916- U.S. Naval Reserve Force created with provisions for reserve nurses
18 African American woman nurses were sworn into the Army Nurse Corps

1917- Yeomen entering into the Navy are the first officially recognized women to be enlisted into U.S. military

1918- At least 2,000 women reconstruction aids were on active duty with 300 in England and France

Marine Corps began to recruit women

Over 12,000 nurses were participants in the war

Nurse Corps changed to the Army Nurse Corps and their base pay increased

(1919-1941)
1920- Army nurses received "relative rank" which means nurses were recognized as 2nd in command to male Army physicians in military hospitals and they had their own chain of command within the Nurse Corps

1938- Women to sign-up for enrollment into Navy

World War II (1941-1945)
50,000 women took part in the War

432 military women killed

Women Workers made 35% what male workers did

1942- Senate considered 6 different bills that instituted some form of national service for women

2 of 401 policy-making posts in the executive branch were held by women

Commercial Airline Hostesses is a new type of nursing developed

Women's Army Auxilliary Corps established

Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard all had Women's Corps but Army was the only one would didn't give them full military status

U.S. Coast Guard Women's Reserve was established

Navy created WAVES (part of the reserves) Members were given full military status but fewer benefits than Navy Men

1943- More than 200 job categories were opened to women in the Marines

WASP (Women's Airforce Service Pilots) created

1944- 8 of the 537 Senior Policy Makers of the Executive Branch were Women

1945- U.S. Coast Guard introduced male/female combined training

More than 350,000 women served in the military during the war

At the end of the war 12 million were in the military; 280,000 were women

(1946-1965)
1947- All nurses were given full military rank but a ceiling was created on the top rank that a woman could achieve

Physical and Occupational Therapists and Dieticians became units of Women's Medical Specialist Corps

1948- Women's Armed Services Integration Act

1952- Permanent Commissioning of women physicians in U.S. Army Medical Corps

Vietnam War (1961-1969)
7% of U.S. forces that were deployed were women

7 women died in line of duty

(1970-Now)
1973- 6 women became First Female Naval Aviators

1976- Air Force admitted women to pilot training program

1977- Women that served in World War I granted Veteran's Status

1983- Brigadier General Hazel W. Johnson-Brown, Chief of the Army Nurse Corps was the first African American woman to reach general officer rank

Navy assigns first female helicopter test-pilot

1984- Woman graduates at the top of her U.S. Naval Academy class

A Coast Guard woman was the first female to serve as a Presidential Military Aide

1985- Navy woman became the first female jet test-pilot in any service

A woman graduated first at Coast Guard Academy

1986- A woman graduated at the top of her Air Force Academy Class

1988- First time a woman was selected as Shore Sailor of the Year

First time a woman was mad an assignment officer at Marine Corps Headquarters

1989- Two women commanded Army companies in a combat operation of the Panama invasion

Two women received the Army's Air Medal with "V" device for participation in combat mission

Kristen Baker became the first woman to be selected as Brigade Commander and First Captain of the West Point Corps of Cadets

The first female Army astronaut was selected by NASA

Women were given command of selected Marine Corps units

First time the Air Force assigns its first female test-pilot

The Air Force abandoned gender-based enlistment quotas

1990- First U.S. military woman goes into space

First time a woman commands a Navy aircraft squadron

1993- Women allowed to fly combat Aircrafts

Now:
14% active duty officers are women

More than 300 pilots, 100 navigators, and over 600 enlisted aircrew members, and a few combat pilots

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