Another early record of the desire to allow women to enlist in the military came in 1898 in a letter to President William McKinley from Annie Fake Oakley. Oakley sunglasses cheap was a famed exhibition shooter, sharpshooter and star in the Buffalo Bill Show. In her letter to President McKinley she offering the government the services of a company of 50 'lady sharpshooters' who would provide their own arms and ammunition should war break out with Spain.The Spanish-American War did occur, but Fake Oakleys offer was not accepted.Deborah Sampson was the first American woman soldier. She enlisted in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary. Because women were not eligible to enlist in the military at that time, Sampson disguised herself as a man. Sampson joined the Light Infantry Company of the 4th Massachusetts Regiment and fought in several battles sustaining two injuries including two musket balls in her thigh that she cut out herself so as not to reveal her true identity to any doctors.
Later after she recovered from her musket ball injuries Sampson was promoted and spent several months as a waiter to General John Patterson. Then in the summer of 1783 Sampson suffered a bout of malignant fever and was cared for by Dr. Barnabus Binney, who discovered her true identity, which he kept a secret through her recovery.After her recovery Dr. Binney sent Sampson to General George Washington to deliver a note, which Sampson knew carried her secret. General Washington read the note and gave Sampson an honorable discharge from the army at West Point, some advice and money to get home. Dr. George Washington issued her an honorable discharge. In all Sampson served a year and a half in the military.
Years later Sampson successfully campaigned publicly to receive a pension from the U.S. Army for her service. Her success bridged the gender gap in veterans?benefits for many years to come.
In 1941 U.S. government established The Woman抯 Army Auxiliary Corps to create more roles for women in the American Armed Forces; however, political pressures waylaid the Corps efforts until 1943 when the Woman抯 Naval Reserve and Marine Corps Women抯 Reserves were created during World War II. At this time the word 揳uxiliary?was also removed making the aforementioned Woman抯 Army Auxiliary Corps an official part of the U.S. Army.During World War II, women first saw combat as nurses in the Pearl Harbor attacks on December 7, 1941. In all, there were 350,000 American women served during World War Two; 16 were killed in action; and 1,500 medals, citations and commendations were handed out including the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest combat award, which was given to Virginia Hall, who landed in occupied territory aboard a British Motor Torpedo Boat.
After World War II most women serving in the military returned to civilian life. In 1948 President Harry Truman signed the Women抯 Armed Services Act allowing women to serve in the armed forces in fully integrated units during peace time.
During the Korean War between 1950 and 1953, 120,000 women served. Though records are unclear, women also served in the Vietnam War women in the Air Force and as medical personnel and support staff.Through the 1980s hundreds of women participated in the various operations, including Grenada and Panama. In 1989, Capt Linda L. Bray, 29, became the first woman to command American soldiers in battle, during the invasion of Panama. But it wasn抰 until the 1990s that the pivotal time for women in the U.S. Armed Forces arrived.Today, women can serve in combat including in command roles but are not allowed to serve on submarines or to participate in Special Forces programs such as the Navy Seals. Enlisted women soldiers are also restricted from serving in Infantry, Special Operations, Artillery, Armor, and Forward Air Defense, but can hold staff positions. Women can fly military aircraft and make up 2% of all pilots in the U.S. Military. As of now there are approximately 50,000 women serving in Afghanistan and Iraq; women make up approximately 15 percent of the U.S. Army.
In 1991 during the first Gulf War the role of women in the U.S. Armed Forces came to the attention of the world media when it was revealed more than 40,000 women served in almost every role the armed forces had to offer. Though there are many reports to the contrary, women were not permitted to participate in deliberate ground engagements.
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