Women in the Military Essay

In addition to all the roles patriotic women played in helping America emerge victorious, one of the biggest methods was nursing. Battle nurses were organized into army ranks, the highest rank having been ‘matron’. Their necessity was so that the ratio for wounded soldiers to nurses was 10:1. Even George Washington himself had found female nurses indispensable--he demanded they be present to help nurse soldiers back to health on and off the battlefield (National History Education Clearinghouse).

From Continental Army Soldier Deborah Samson to Army Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester, American ladies have been serving in the U.S. Military for several years. Women have been a piece of the war exertion since the Revolutionary War, yet in the beginning of our country they needed to mask themselves to serve alongside men. When they were acknowledged into the military, ladies were given helper or supportive parts. As the weapons and strategies for fighting changed in the late 20th century, in any case, the Pentagon started to soon understand that whether you were female or male; it mattered less on the combat zone.

Vast majority of women who participated in Revolution are camp followers, they took up the familiar domestic chores of cooking, cleaning, laundering, and providing nursing care. Women were meant to do basic stuff, because it was their prescribed gender role during the Revolution. However, women did risk their lives by sheltering soldiers, sometimes burn their crops or destroy any valuable property to prevent the enemy from taking/using them. Even though women could not be soldiers, during the war emergencies, whoever can fight will fight, the prescribed gender roles were totally ignored. In September, seven months before Lexington, women and male participated in arming for war; they rolled cartridges of powder and shot for the tens of thousands of militiamen. Individually, Deborah Sampson, a woman who dresses like a man, disguised her selves as men to enlist as soldiers. She fought for the US military for the entire revolution. In addition, women such as Mary Ludwig and Margaret Corbin, were known as “Molly Pitchers” would take over the firing line if men fell wounded. These women broke the gender boundaries dramatically. They were recognized as female veterans of combat, proved their ability, bravery on the battlefield during the American

Women have served the military in one fashion or another since the Revolutionary War, in recent years the status of women serving in the military has changed dramatically. Traditionally women have always served in administrative or medical roles. With the advancement of views and the sheer determination of many women, we are seeing women serving in combat and fighting alongside their male counterparts. Training schools such as the Army Ranger school, Marine Infantry training, and pilot training within the Navy and Air Force have opened and began training women to fight. The history of some accomplishments women have made while serving in the military has paved the way for the future of women soldiers to follow.

Women were not allowed to join the military, so they disguised themselves as men. These female soldiers would cut their hair, bind their breast with bandages, and adopt masculine names.10 Deborah Sampson was a famous female soldier and she served for a whole year before she was discovered.11 According to the National Women’s History Museum website, most female spies worked as cooks and maids for the British and American military camps where they eavesdropped on conversations about troop movements, military plans, supply shortages and deliveries.12 Lydia Darragh was a Quaker, and her religious beliefs prevented her from getting involved in war.13 For this reason, the British used her house for meetings. At one of these meetings, she overheard the British talking about a surprise attack on George Washington and his men at a nearby camp. She personally delivered the information to Washington's troop, turning a British victory into disappointment.14 Many of these women were compensated for their

Today it is not uncommon to see women enlist into the military service, in fact today they make up 15% of the active force . It was not always this way, however. During the Revolutionary War the key role of women was to care for the soldiers. Meaning they were nurses, cooks, laundresses, water bearers, and saboteurs . It wasn’t until the 1940s when the argument began whether women should be allowed to serve in combat units or not. Clearly, we can now see that the women won this argument, since they are many women serving today. But what led up to this victory? Understanding the jobs women had earlier on, along with the political units will help one grasp the reasons why so many women are enlisted today.

For decades, men have been the ones that were drafted into the army while the women had to fulfill their roles as housewives at home. Countless wars have passed before women were able to fight and serve for their country, such as but not limited to: the American Civil War, Spanish-American War, WWI, and WWII. It wasn’t until 1948 that congress passed the Women’s Armed Services Integration act which permitted women to officially serve in the military and receive veteran’s benefits. Still today, there are stereotypes about women and the fact that they should not have as much involvement in military roles, even after an act has been passed for that specific reason. In a New York Times online and print article, “Arms and the Women,” Gail Collins argues that “the system is complicated”

Women in the Armed Force have come a long way from their small involvement in 1775 during The American Revolutionary War. The American Revolutionary War was the first time American women played a role in the military. Women in this time were only allowed to serve in the battlefield as water bearers, nurses, cooks, saboteurs and laundresses. In 1861 The United States broke out into a civil war over the abolishing of slavery, this particular war plays a major importance in the women’s military history. This war plays a major importance because it shows that women still served in war despite not actually being a part of The Army.

Since then, American military women have been slowly creeping into more combat-like roles (“Two Opposing Views on Women Combat”). Women have been authorized to fly in combat missions and serve on combat ships. Furthermore, as of 2008, 16,000 women were serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Germany, Japan, and other related areas ("Timeline: Women in the U.S.

Many countries such as Israel and Russia have allowed women to serve in combat roles in the military; however, this has not always been true in the United States. Throughout history, women have had an active role in war time. The United States has documented cases of women disguising themselves as men in order to participate in combat as far back as the Civil War. It would seem that women have as much desire to serve as men, but in what capacity? This is a question that not only the United States has struggled with, but is a continuing debate around the world. Today, we see many more opportunities for women to fully serve with their male counterparts in countries like Israel and Russia. The United States has conducted research into the effectiveness of expanding the role of women into combat. Women have proven that they are able to withstand the demands of military life and the United States Army recently had two female Army Rangers graduate. But to understand where we are now, we must look back on how this increased confidence in females in the Service began. Possibly, the greatest and most visible contributions were during World War II.

WWII brought forth abundance of opportunity for Women, while the United States sought to expand the military on an exponential level. Furthering American resources, Congress implemented the Women Army Auxiliary Corps, which allowed women to volunteer for armed forces. Prior to that, a nurse was the only military position a woman could’ve been appointed. This was extremely significant in the eyes of many women, because being in the military was the first time for many they felt some sense of equality.

“General Eisenhower told Congress after the war, that when the formation of women's units was first proposed, “I was violently against it.” Then he added, “Every phase of the record they compiled during the war convinced me of the error of my first reaction.” (Women in the US Military - World War II) When the war ended, women were now working in jobs that were previously held only by men, and also created jobs that had previously not even existed. The war had a significant impact on the way women were perceived and proved that gender equality was a necessary requirement of the world

The book, Women in Combat: A Reference Handbook, display how women have been serving and involved in combat dating back to ancient times. The Author, Rosemarie Skaine, provides references that highlight women achievements and link their participation to the respective conflicts. She articulates the challenges women face from balancing family life to sexual issues. She also compares the role of women in the United States Military to foreign militaries. The book paints an overall sketch of women on the battlefield without a front line and their willingness to confront all odds.

Until 2016, women had limited opportunities in the U.S. Military. Women have been held back from fighting in many combat roles and all positions recently opened up for women. This great advancement pushed by the Obama administration has opened up thousands of military roles for women. Over the years, people have slowly accepted that men and women are equals but there are still many situations in which men are seen as above woman.

Since 1901, women have served in some form of the military, however, dating back to the American Revolution women have had an unofficial role. Women have had and will continue to have an important role in the military, the question is whether women should be allowed to occupy specific combat positions. Traditionally women have not been allowed in combat occupations, but recently these restrictions have been somewhat lifted, making certain occupations available to women. Despite the lift complications arise from women being in combat vocations and it’s not just because of the physical differences, there is also the increased risk of sexual assault. Due to the detrimental impact on the military, soldiers, and society, women should not