I start this week’s post by acknowledging that I have not considered the topic of women in the military deeply until the last few years. What better time than now, during Women’s History Month, to recognize women who have played an important role in our nation’s history by serving in the military. I know plenty of men who have served in various branches of the military. And, in public gatherings, I see both men and women stand when asked if there are veterans present. However, while I can’t say I know as many women personally who’ve served, I can say I know some.
One, in particular, Luana Ritch, an Army veteran deployed in Korea, helped me rethink what I thought (or, more correctly, wasn’t thinking) about women in service. I’d known Luana professionally for more than a half-dozen years before I knew she served our country, before she shared with me some of her own stories.
This post is specifically to honor and recognize ALL women who have served in the military over the years and those who continue to serve.
Statistics of Women in the Military
At present, women represent 1 in 5 new recruits and nearly 1 out of every 7 active-duty forces.
Out of respect for these women and those who came before, I set out to educate myself a bit better about when and where women have served.
When we think and talk of women in the US military, the topic seems to consider the more recent history; maybe the last 100 years or so. Rarely do I hear people talk about women serving in the Civil War. But they did.
Research prepared by the Middle Tennessee State University shows 250 documented women soldiers who served in the Civil War. Most joined with a male friend or family member. Every battle had women fighting on the front lines. Many were able to hide their gender by dressing as men, being “discovered” only when killed or injured. But there were other women on the front lines that provided what would be considered support services today – cooking, medical assistance, and maintaining troops.
It was a different story for Dr. Mary Walker, who served as a surgeon, became a prisoner of war, and went into areas others would not (for fear of danger), to care for troops. Stay tuned for more on Dr. Walker later.
Military Citations
What about women and military citations? At a recent fundraising event, my husband acknowledged a man passing by saying, “Thank you for your service.” We did not know this man, and he was wearing a tuxedo so I did not know how my husband knew to pay his respects. So I asked. “Well, I saw his Bronze Star.”
This got me wondering about the criteria for medals in general and more specifically the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Silver Star Medal. Both awards are given to those for bravery during combat. Do women receive them too?
Congressional Medal of Honor
The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest US military decoration, awarded by Congress to a member of the armed forces for gallantry and bravery in combat at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Only one of the nearly 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients, was a woman – and she served as a surgeon during the Civil War. Her Medal of Honor was rescinded along with 910 others, when the Army decided to review its criteria in 1917, just before she died. It was restored 60 years later in 1977 by President Carter; only six other Congressional Medal of Honor awards from the Civil War were restored.
Silver Star
The Silver Star Medal is awarded for gallantry, which “must have taken place while in action against an enemy of the United States, while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force, or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.[5] The Silver Star Medal is awarded for singular acts of valor or heroism over a brief period, such as one or two days of a battle.”[5]
Some of the first women recipients were three Army nurses that served in World War I. They were cited in 1919 and 1920 with Citation Stars for gallantry in attending to the wounded while under artillery fire in July 1918. Jane Rignel for her gallantry in “giving aid to the wounded under heavy fire on July 15, 1918. Then only two weeks later on July 29, 1918, Irene Robar and Linnie Leckrone, both of Shock Team No. 134, Field Hospital No. 127, 32nd Division, received the citation for gallantry while “attending to the wounded during an artillery bombardment” in France. It would be nearly 100 years later (2007), only after it was discovered they’d not been awarded their Citation Stars that the Silver Star Medal was awarded to them both posthumously. [14][15] [16]
During World War II, four more Army nurses received the award for their bravery in evacuating the 33rd Field Hospital at Anzio on February 10, 1944: First Lieutenant Mary Roberts, Second Lieutenant Elaine Roe, Second Lieutenant Rita Virginia Rourke, and Second Lieutenant Ellen Ainsworth. Then, for her clandestine activities on Luzon, Corporal Magdalen Leones received a Silver Star later that same year. [18]
More recently, there was Monica Lin Brown, who was awarded a Silver Star. Monica was a United States Army sergeant and a medic at the time she became the first woman during the War in Afghanistan and only the second woman since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the United States military’s third-highest medal for valor in combat.[5] The other was Leigh Ann Hester who enlisted in the U.S. Army in April 2001 and later became the first female U.S. Army soldier to receive the Silver Star since World War II and the first ever to be cited for valor in close quarters combat.[5]
As we reach the middle of Women’s History Month, we want to again recognize and thank all who serve, whether formally recognized by citations and awards or not. You set a standard of commitment and bravery, fortitude, and character that help all women advance. We are inspired by the contributions women have made to our nation, our society and our world. Let’s remember those women and their stories with gratitude in our hearts and honor in our minds.
Want to learn more about women in the military? Check out the Joint Special Operations Unit Library for documents, books, news and multi-media information.
Finally, I’m excited to share that you can hear more about Luana Ritch in my upcoming podcast interview with her. Click the link to get notified when new episodes are released: http://bit.ly/2tRf8be.
