Since 1776, more than 2½ million American women have served in the nation’s military through conflicts from the Revolutionary War to the present, including the War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War, and the Global War on Terror. Among them were Deborah Sampson, who enlisted in the Continental Army as “Robert Shurtlief,” served three years, was wounded twice, removed a musket ball from her own thigh to conceal her sex, and received an honorable discharge from George Washington after her secret was discovered; Jemima Warner, the first woman known to have died in combat for the United States, killed at the Battle of Quebec on December 11, 1775; Sybil Ludington, who in 1777 rode more than 40 miles through the night to alert militia to defend Danbury, Connecticut; Mary Hays, who carried water to artillerymen at the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778, then took her wounded husband’s place at his cannon and became known as “Molly Pitcher”; Sacajawea, who served the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804 as interpreter and guide while caring for her baby son; Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, who served the Union Army first as a nurse and later as a physician, treated soldiers and civilians on both sides, was captured and imprisoned in Richmond, and became the first and only woman to receive the Medal of Honor; Clara Barton, who nursed on Civil War battlefields, later aided soldiers in the Spanish-American War, and founded the American Red Cross in 1881; and Harriet Tubman, who before the Civil War helped enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad and during the war served the Union Army as a nurse, scout, and spy. Hundreds of women on both sides disguised themselves as men during the Civil War. In World War I, more than 35,000 women served in all branches and more than 400 military nurses died in the line of duty. In World War II, more than 400,000 military women served, hundreds died, many were held as prisoners of war, and the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots flew every type of aircraft for the Army, logging over 60 million miles, though those pilots were denied military honors, benefits, and veteran status until 1977. When the Korean War began in June 1950, 22,000 women were in the armed services, including about 7,000 healthcare professionals; 1,000 served in Korea and 15 died. During the Vietnam War, more than 11,000 American military women served in Vietnam, 8 died, nurses formed the majority, many had less than two years of medical training, and many later suffered post-traumatic stress or health problems associated with Agent Orange exposure. More than 40,000 women served during Desert Storm, which began in 1990, and 16 died. After September 11, 2001, women continued serving in the Global War on Terror; Army Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa became the first woman soldier killed in Iraq when she died on March 23, 2003, and to date 115 women had been killed in action in Afghanistan and Iraq. More than 300,000 women serve throughout the world today, making up about 10% of deployed military personnel, and although restricted from certain combat units except in the U.S. Coast Guard, they serve in all combat areas and perform hazardous duties. The Vietnam Women’s Memorial was placed in Washington, DC, on November 11, 1993, and the Women in Military Service for America Memorial was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery on October 18, 1997.
