Women have been faithfully serving the United States armed services ever since the dawn of the American Revolution.
From leading soldiers on the battlefield to spying on enemy troop movements to saving the lives of wounded soldiers to helping ensure victory from behind the frontlines, women have long played a key role in America’s military successes.
Here are seventeen trailblazing women who helped change the course of American military history:
1 – Ann Dunwoody

In 2008, General Ann E. Dunwoody became the first ever woman to attain a four-star general rank in the U.S. military. A veteran of the First Gulf War in which she commanded a battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division, Dunwoody went on to lead the Army Material Command before she officially retired in 2012.
2 – Cathay Williams

Cathay Williams was the first African-American woman to serve in the United States military. She joined in 1866 under a male pseudonym of William Cathay since women were not allowed to serve in the military at the time. Williams took part in combat during the Indian Wars, but her identity as a woman was discovered when she came down with smallpox. She was honorably discharged in 1868, but continued to work for the military as a cook.
3 – Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman worked for the Union Army during the American Civil War as a cook, nurse, scout, and spy. She helped lead more than 150 soldiers during the Raid at Combahee Ferry in June of 1863, which made her the first woman known to have led a United States military operation. The successful raid resulted in the liberation of more than 700 slaves. She also became famous for helping conduct the Underground Railroad network, and personally led at least 300 slaves to freedom.
4 – Heather Wagner

In 1996, Sergeant Heather Wagner became the first ever woman to serve as a Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tomb is a monument to deceased American service members whose remains haven’t been identified and is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Wagner sometimes speaks on her experience to this day.
5 – Jody Daniels

Lieutenant General Jody Daniels currently serves as the 34th Chief of the U.S. Army Reserve and the 9th Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Command. She is the first woman to hold either position. Daniels is a veteran of the conflicts in Kosovo and Iraq and accumulated over 40 years of experience in civil affairs and military intelligence before being promoted to the role.
6 – Laura Richardson

General Laura Richardson is currently serving as the commander of the United Stats Southern Command, after having served as the commanding general of the United States Army North. Richardson was promoted to Brigadier General in 2011 and previously served as an army aviator flying Blackhawk helicopters.
7 – Laura Yeager

Major General Laura Yeager became the first woman to command a U.S. infantry division when she assumed command of the National Guard 40th Infantry Division in June of 2019. Yeager was originally commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1986 before rising to the ranks of Major in 1998, Lieutenant Colonel in 2004, and Colonel in 2011.
8 – Leigh Ann Hester

In March of 2005, First Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester received the Silver Star for her heroic actions during an ambush in Iraq. A military police squad that Hester was a part of was shadowing a convoy of supply trucks when they came under attack by more than fifty insurgent fighters. Hester managed to lead her fellow soldiers to outflank the enemy position to cut off their escape route before engaging them directly. Despite being outnumbered 5 to 1, they managed to kill nearly 30 of the enemy before forcing the rest to retreat.
9 – Linda Bray

Captain Linda Bray became the first woman to command U.S. soldiers in battle during the U.S. invasion of Panama in late 1989 and early 1990. Bray led a platoon of soldiers to take control of an attack dog kennel near Panama City, which was defended by heavily armed soldiers of the Panamanian Defense Forces. Bray successfully led her men in a three hour firefight, after which the Panamanians were forced to retreat and the platoon took control over the kennel.
10 – Marcella Hayes Ng

Marcella Hayes Ng was the first African-American female pilot to serve in the United States military. She graduated from the Army Flight School in Alabama where she received her helicopter pilot training, and became the 55th woman to earn her pilot wings overall. Ng served in the military for 22 years, and when she officially retired in 2000, she had reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
11 – Mary Hallaren

Colonel Mary Hallaren enlisted in the military after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She became a member of the training class at the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in 1942 and went on to command the largest all-female military unit that served overseas. She later became the WAC’s training director, where she advocated for women to continue to be integrated into the military.
12 – Mary Walker

When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Mary Walker was one of the few female physicians in the United States. She volunteered to treat the wounded in the Union Army after she was rejected to formally join. Two years later, however, she was accepted into the army as an assistant surgeon. She was captured by the Confederacy later in the war, but was released when the Union was victorious. She was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1865. President Jimmy Carter restored the award in 1977 after it was revoked in 1917 due to their civilian status.
13 – Michelle Jones

Michele Jones became the first woman in the U.S. Army Reserve to attain the position of command sergeant major, and was the first female non-commissioned officer to serve in the highest enlisted portion of U.S. Army. Today, Jones serves as a Special Assistance to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and for a time, she was also the highest-ranking African-American female in the U.S. armed forces.
14 – Patricia Krause

While Patricia Krause never formally joined the U.S. military, she left a big impact on it nonetheless. Krause served as the assistant director of USO (United Service Organizations) Saigon during the Vietnam War. She worked tirelessly to deliver food and supplies to American soldiers serving on the frontlines, risking her own life in the process. She also hosted the popular “What’s New at the USO” radio programs where she read leaders from families to service members. Her work is widely believed to have significantly boosted the morale of American soldiers during the war.
15 – Ruby Bradley

Colonel Ruby Bradley became one of the most decorated women in American military history. Bradley was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps in the 1930s, and was deployed to the Philippines (which was under American control at the time). When Japan conquered the Philippines in 1942 she was taken as a prisoner of war. For most of the war, Bradley worked tirelessly at a Japanese POW camp in horrible conditions where she conducted major medical operations and delivered babies. She was finally rescued in 1945 when the camp was liberated by American forces, and she became the third woman to be promoted to Colonel.
16 – Sally Murphy

Colonel Sally Murphy became the first female helicopter pilot to serve in the U.S. Army. After graduating from flight school in 1974, she served in the military for 27 years before retiring with the rank of Colonel in 1999. She received the U.S. Army Freedom Team Salute veteran Commendation, and in 2009, she was honored at a ceremony in Fort Myer for her groundbreaking role in inspiring other female military pilots to follow in her footsteps.
17 – Shaina Coss

Shaina Coss became the first woman to lead elite U.S. Army Rangers in combat. Coss graduated from West Point in 2016 and then became one of just ten women to complete the Army Ranger School. After commanding an infantry platoon in the 82nd Airborne Division, Coss successfully applied to join the elite 75th Ranger Regiment. She led a platoon of this regiment in combat operations while deployed to Afghanistan in 2019 and continues to serve to this day.

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