30
Della H. Raney was born in Suffolk,Virginia, on January 10, 1912. A graduateof the Lincoln Hospital School of Nursingin Durham, North Carolina, Raney was thefirst African-American nursecommissioned a lieutenant in the ArmyNurse Corps during World War II. Herfirst tour of duty was at Fort Bragg, NorthCarolina. As a lieutenant serving atTuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama, shewas appointed Chief Nurse, Army NurseCorps in 1942, the first African Americanto be so appointed. She later served asChief Nurse at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.Raney was promoted to captain in 1945.After the war, she was assigned to head thenursing staff at the station hospital atCamp Beale, California. In 1946, she waspromoted to major and served a tour ofduty in Japan. Major Raney retired in1978
D e lla H . R a n e y
Photo: Courtesy National Archives,Still Picture Branch, 208 PU-161K-1, African
American List 147
January 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY1New Year’s Day. 1992:RADM Grace Hopper,inventor of computerlanguage COBOL, whocoined term “bug,” died.
21952: COL Irene O.Galloway appointedWomen’s Army Corps(WAC) Director.
31957: COL Mary LouiseMilligan appointed WACDirector.
41971: Robin L. Quigleyappointed WomenAccepted for VolunteerEmergency Service(WAVES) Director;promoted to CAPT.
51994: Master Sgt NellHubbard, first enlistedwoman to retire frommilitary service afterserving 20 consecutiveyears, died.
61996: USS Hopper, guidedmissile destroyer,commissioned; named afterRADM Grace Hopper.
71973: New 11-week WACOfficer/Officer CandidateCourse inaugurated,graduates then attend malebranch officer course.
81965: 4 Navy nursesinjured during Viet Congterrorist bombing thismonth; first women inVietnam War awardedPurple Heart.
91943: 8 African-AmericanWomen’s Auxiliary ArmyCorps (WAAC) officersreceived commissionsthrough OCS.
101912: MAJ Della H. Raney,first African-Americannurse commissioned LT,Army Nurse Corps duringWWII, born.
111959: Mary M. Roberts,RN, writer, historian,member, Army NurseCorps, WWI, and editoremeritus, American Journalof Nursing, died.
121918: Training begins forwomen recruited to ArmySignal Corps.
131994: Secretary of DefenseAspin announces new, lessrestrictive ground combatpolicy regarding women incombat, rescinding 1988“risk rule.”
141955: Stimson Library, FortSam Houston, TX,dedicated in memory ofCOL Julia C. Stimson, 5th
Superintendent, ArmyNurse Corps.
151965: First women advisorsassigned to Women’sArmed Forces Corps,Vietnam.
161943: Marcelite J. Harris,1st woman aircraft main-tenance officer, 1 of 1st 2women “Air OfficersCommanding,” US AirForce Academy, born.
171943: 2Lt Elsie Ott, firstnurse to receive Air Medalfor Meritorious Service.
18Martin Luther King’sBirthday (Observed).1862: Rose O’NealGreenhow, Confederatespy, removed from home toOld Capital Prison.
191905: Oveta Culp Hobby,creator of WAAC, USArmy, born.
201964: Col Barbara J.Bishop became 5th Director,Women Marines, thismonth.
211942: 149th WAAC PostHeadquarters Company,first WAAC unit postedoverseas, arrived at AlliedForces Headquarters,Algiers.
221832: Revolutionary Warheroine Mary Ludwig HaysMcCauley (“MollyPitcher”) died in Carlisle,PA.
231943: Alene B. Duerkappointed ENS in NavyNurse Corps, becameNavy’s first woman RADMin 1972.
241866: Dr. Mary EdwardsWalker receives Medal ofHonor for Civil War
Service. 31 1973: ColJeannette I. Sustad, 1st full-time & 6th Director,Women Marines, retired.
251945: Navy dropped colorbar against African-American nurses, thismonth.
261943: BG Sherian GraceCadoria; first African-American general officer,US Army, born.
271944: Army nurses wadedashore at Anzio, Italybeachhead, 5 days aftertroop landings.
281960: LTC Edythe Turnerpromoted to temporaryColonel, US Army Reserve,1st career Army Reservenurse to serve as Colonel.
291943: Ruth Cheney Streeterbecame first Director,Women Marines, with rankof colonel.
301991: Melissa Rathburn-Nealy, 1st US enlistedwoman POW & 1st USwoman military POW sinceWWII, returned to US.
Mary Edwards Walker was born on November26, 1832 in Oswego, New York, and graduatedfrom Syracuse Medical College in 1855. Rejectedby the Union Army for service as a doctor duringthe Civil War, she served as a nurse for threeyears. In 1864, Walker was appointed assistantsurgeon under contract to the Army and becamethe first woman doctor to serve with the ArmyMedical Corps. Captured by Confederate troops,she was a prisoner of war for four months untilher exchange for a Confederate prisoner of war.On January 24, 1866, Mary Edwards Walkerbecame the first woman to receive the Medal ofHonor for her outstanding service in the CivilWar.
M a r y E d w a r d s W a l k e r
Photo: Courtesy Library of Congress Prints andPhotographs Division, LC -USZ 62 -15558
February 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY11978: Women enlistingafter this date have 6-yearreserve obligation.
21988: LCDR Evelyn J.Fields took command ofresearch ship MacArthur;LCDR Deborah S. Gernesselected for at-seacommand.
31954: First WAC OfficerAdvanced Course openedat WAC School, Fort Lee,VA.
41976: First 2 women USCoast Guard Academycadets offered appoint-ments.
51941: Chief Nurse MarionB. Olds and Nurse LeonaJackson, Navy, arrived onGuam.
61943: War Department setgoal to graduate 750 pilotsfrom Women’s FlyingTraining Detachment(WFTD) courses in 1943.
71944: LTCs Carrie Sheetzand Marjorie Morrow,Army Nurse Corps, killedwhen 95th EvacuationHospital, Anzio Italy,bombed.
81972: Navy authorizedpilot program providingscholarships to women whocommit to serve 4 yearsactive duty upongraduation.
91948: 1LT Nancy C. Lef-tenant, first African-American member, RegularArmy Nurse Corps, joinedReserve Corps this month.
101967: Secretary of Defenseapproved increase of WACstrength by 38 percent tomeet Vietnam War needs.
111946: War Departmentannounced WAC will beused to make up shortagesof skilled personnel.
121945: African-American6888th Central PostalDirectory Battalion, WAC,traveled from Glasgow toBirmingham.
131943: Marine CorpsWomen’s Reserveestablished.
141777: Ann Bailey, alsoknown as Nancy Bayley,dressed in men’s clothing& enlisted as “Sam Gay” inAbraham Hunt’s company.
15President’s Day (Ob-served). 1994: Lt JeannieFlynn completed trainingon F-15E; became first AirForce woman combat pilot.
161862: Mary Ann “Mother”Bickerdyke nursed soldiersat Battle of Fort Donelson.
171942: 1LT Mary AnnSullivan earned Legion ofMerit for valor behindGerman lines in NorthAfrica.
181943: First class of Armyflight nurses graduated.
191988: Secretary of Defensereaffirmed policy againstsexual harassment withService Secretaries/JCSduring Armed ForcesPersonnel Council meeting.
201997: Air Force LtColMartha Rainville elected tocommand VermontNational Guard, firstwoman and youngest (38)adjutant general.
211913: Georgia “Tiny”Broadwick tested newparachute called “life boat”for US Army. 1919: Dr.Mary Edwards Walkerdied.
221997: Maj Gen Marcelite J.Harris, 1st African-Ameri-can woman general officer;Director, Maintenance,DCS/Logistics, HQAir Force, retired.
231945: 11 Navy nurses and 3civilian nurses interned atLos Banos liberated.
241992: Bertha DworskyHenderson, POW inCorregidor during WWII,died.
251957: Department ofNursing established, WalterReed Army Institute ofResearch, Walter ReedArmy Medical Center,Washington, DC.
261958: Air Force Lt ColSusan J. Helms born.Helms will be member, 2nd
crew, NASA’s Internation-al Space Station, beginningDecember 1999.
271991: MAJ RhondaCornum, Army flightsurgeon, on mission overIraqi territory, shot down;becomes Iraqi POW duringGulf War.
281901: 202 of 220 contractnurses on active dutyinducted into Nurse Corps(women).
Kady Brownell was born in a BritishArmy camp. She served in the UnionArmy beside her husband, Robert S.Brownell, who was an orderly sergeantwith the First Rhode Island Regiment.Kady served as color-bearer when shewas attached to a company ofsharpshooters at First Bull Run in July1861. Later, she and her husband jointlyreenlisted in the Fifth Rhode IslandInfantry Regiment, where she served asa nurse and Daughter of the Regiment.At the Battle of New Berne, Kadyidentified the Fifth Rhode IslandInfantry Regiment as Unionists, and iscredited with saving scores of her fellowsoldiers’ lives.
K a d y B r o w n e ll
Photo: Courtesy Library of Congress Prints andPhotographs Division, LC-USZ62-110631
March 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY11991: Army MAJ Marie T.Rossi, flying CH-47DChinook Cargo Helicopterin Operation Desert Storm,killed in crash in badweather.
21973: Women began pilottraining for US Navy.
31777: Captain AbrahamHunt learned Corporal“Sam Gay” (Ann Bailey) isa woman.
41977: Janna Lambine, 1 offirst women admitted to USCoast Guard OCS, receivedwings and began flyinghelicopters; first womancoast guard pilot.
51998: Air Force Lt ColEileen Marie Collins namedfirst woman space shuttlecommander.
61991: PVT AdrienneMitchell killed in SCUDattack, Operation DesertStorm; buried with fullmilitary honors, RiversideNational Cemetery.
71994: Navy issued firstorders to women assignedaboard combat ship, aircraftcarrier USS Eisenhower.
8International Women’sDay. 1945: Phyllis Daleybecame 1st African-American ENS, NavyNurse Corps. 1979: WASPas active military service.
91976: 119 women acceptedfor admission to USMilitary Academy as Classof 1980.
101945: Navy and civiliannurses interned at LosBanos flown back to UnitedStates; awarded BronzeStar.
111805: Deborah Samson(Sampson), as RobertShurtliffe (Shirtliffe,Shurtleff) in ContinentalArmy, on list of militarypensioners, USGovernment.
121991: Army MAJ Marie T.Rossi, only woman pilotkilled in Gulf War, interredat Arlington NationalCemetery.
131991: Specialist MelissaRathburn-Nealy & MAJRhonda Cornum, Army,received Purple Heart,POW Medal, & NationalDefense Service Medals.
141862: Kady Brownell savedscores of fellow Unionsoldiers’ lives at Battle ofNew Berne.
151901: Dita H. Kinneyofficially appointed firstSuperintendent, ArmyNurse Corps.
161995: DC Commission ofFine Arts granted approvalfor Women in MilitaryService for America(WIMSA) memorial design.
171993: Helen Hayes, actress,and 1 of 50 original mem-bers, Defense AdvisoryCommittee on Women inthe Services (DACOWITS),died.
181967: Sgt. Barbara J.Dulinsky, first womanMarine ordered to combatzone, arrived in Vietnam.
191917: Navy Departmentauthorized enrollment ofwomen in Naval Reservewith ratings of yeoman,radio electrician, or otheressential ratings.
201998: Leslie F. Kenne,Director, Joint StrikeFighter Program, promotedto Maj Gen.
211918: During air raid, ArmyNurse Isabelle Stambaughseriously wounded; laterreceived DistinguishedService Cross.
221996: SGT HeatherJohnson became firstwoman to stand watch atTomb of the Unknowns,Arlington NationalCemetery.
231923: Annie W. Goodrich,first Dean, Army School ofNursing, awardedDistinguished ServiceMedal.
241997: President Clintonnominated MG Claudia J.Kennedy, DCS/Intelligence,Army’s first woman 3-stargeneral.
251944: Last 2 (of 13) Armyflight nurses on November1943 evacuation flight fromSicily to Bari, withemergency landing inAlbania, escaped.
261930: Supreme CourtJustice Sandra DayO’Connor, DACOWITSmember, 1974 -76, born.
271964: Army nurses beganparticipating in reliefoperations to aid victims ofviolent earthquake inAlaska.
281962: Troy Devine, firstwoman Captain in AirForce U-2 program, born.
291973: Last of more than5,000 nurses left Republicof Vietnam—2 months afterceasefire.
301968: Sgt. Maj. YzettaNelson became firstwoman promoted toCommand Sgt. Maj.
31Erev Pesah, first seder.1912: Jane A. Delano, 2nd
Superintendent, ArmyNurse Corps, becameChairman, American RedCross Nursing Service.
Oveta Culp Hobby was born on January 19, 1905.A parliamentarian for the Texas House ofRepresentatives, executive vice president of theHouston Post, and civic leader, she became thehead of the Women’s Interest Section of the WarDepartment in 1941. The following year, she wastapped by General George Marshall to create theWomen’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). As itsfirst director, and later director of the Women’sArmy Corps (WAC), Hobby set out to recruit,train, and equip the corps from scratch. She set astandard of service for the corps, calling suchservice “a serious job for serious women.” Amajor at the start of the WAAC, by the end ofWorld War II she had been promoted to the rankof colonel and had received the Army’sDistinguished Service Cross. She was the firstwoman to receive this medal, the highestnoncombat award given by the Army. Hobbybecame the first Secretary of Health, Educationand Welfare when that cabinet post was createdunder President Eisenhower. She died on August16, 1995.
O v e t a C u l p H o b b yPhoto: Courtesy National Archives, Still Pictures Branch, SC-
208544
April 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY11991: 1LT Susan E.Meckfessel became first USMilitary Academy graduateappointed into Army NurseCorps.
21980: Secretary of Defenseannounced WAAC serviceconsidered active militaryservice for all lawsadministered by VeteransAdministration.
31992: First 5 coed recruitcompanies from Orlando,FL, Naval Training Centergraduated.
4Easter. 1975: Capt. MaryKlinker killed in OperationBabylift; posthumouslyawarded Airman’s Medalfor Heroism & MeritoriousService Medal.
51991: Petty Officer ShirleyMarie Cross, who served inOperation DesertStorm/Desert Shield, died.
61917: US entered WWI. Bythis date, 200 women hadenlisted as Navy yeomen;403 Army nurses on activeduty, including 170 reservenurses.
71777: Pay of “Army” nurseraised to $8 per month and1 ration per day; matronreceived $15 per month anddaily ration.
81971: Susanne M. Ocobokbecame first womanindustrial civil engineer inAir Force, Kelley AFB,TX.
91942: Army nurses onBataan retreat with otherUS forces to Corregidor,later imprisoned; 21 othernurses escaped to Australiawith GEN MacArthur.
101987: NY State Legisla-ture adopted resolutiondesignating week of June 1,1987, Women VeteransBenefits Awareness Week.
111968: Army nursesassigned to 312th
Evacuation Hosp., Wins-ton-Salem, NC, ordered toactive duty; deployed toVietnam, September 25.
121861: Sarah EmmaEdmonds enlisted in UnionArmy. Serving as a nurse,then recruited as a spy,Edmonds disguised self asFranklin Thompson,African-American male.
131876: Office of Commis-sioner of Claims receivedtestimonial letter that SarahThompson spied for UnionArmy.
141973: US Supreme Courtruled it unconstitutional forArmed Services to requirewomen provide proof thatclaims of dependents arevalid.
151919: Jane A. Delano,Director, Army NurseCorps, died in Armyhospital in France.
161979: Beverly Kelleybecame first womanCommander, US CoastGuard ship.
171975: Army nurses beganparticipation in “OperationNew Life/New Arrivals” toevacuate and care forIndochinese refugees.
181970: Army 1LT KristaBonino born; in 1995, onlywoman pilot stationed inBuedingen, Germany;piloted OH-58D Kiowawarrior helicopter.
191864: Phoebe YatesPember, Chief Matron,Chimborazo Hospital,Richmond, VA, largestmilitary hospital in world atthat time.
201994: Maj Jackie Parker,first woman combat pilot,Air National Guard,graduated from training inF-16C Fighting Falcon.
211992: NavyConstructionman Carol D.Keehner became Navy’sfirst woman Seabee MasterChief.
221998: DACOWITS SpringConference began (endedApril 26).
231995: Geraldine Pratt May,first Women in the AirForce (WAF) Director,turned 100 this month.
241943: First WASP pilotcourse graduated, EllingtonField, TX: Dorothy Yangbecame first woman toreceive diploma and wings.
251973: Army approvedhelicopter and fixed-wingflight training for WACofficers.
261957: Naomi M.McCracken became firstwoman US Air ForceAcademy officer; assignedas Assistant Director, CadetRecords.
271867: Sara EmmaEdmonds, Union spy,married Linus Seelye(Seeley).
281993: Secretary of Defensememo ordered ArmedForces train and assignwomen on combat aircraftand most combat ships, butnot ground combatpositions.
291827: Deborah Samsondied. 1956: 3 Army nurses,first to arrive in Vietnam,placed on TDY with USMAAG, Saigon.
301972: Sgt Maj June V.Andler led WomenMarines, replacing Sgt MajMabel A.R. Otten.
Belle Boyd was a female spy for theConfederacy. Born on May 9, 1844, shecirculated among Union officials and soldiers,gathering information and carryingimportant letters and papers to Confederateleaders. Sometimes she deliveredinformation herself--dodging guards andbullets; other times she had men pass theinformation farther behind Union lines.Boyd braved gunfire to enter a battle zone onMay 23, 1862, providing General StonewallJackson with intelligence about the number ofUnion troops expected to attack his soldiers.As a result of this information, Jacksonstrengthened his forces and won the battle.Although she was able to escape captureseveral times, Boyd was finally caught andtried as a spy. She served 17 months inprison between 1862 and 1863, gainingfreedom in an exchange for a Northernprisoner. After the war, Boyd toured theUnited States and England, lecturing abouther war experiences. When she died in 1900,the women's auxiliary of the Grand Army ofthe Confederacy paid for her burial. In 1919,a Confederate veteran paid for a new granitetombstone to mark her gravesite.
Photo: Courtesy Library of Congress Prints andPhotographs Division, LC-BH82-4864A
I s a b e l le “ B e l le ” B o y d
May 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY11950: First direct Armycommissions offered towomen college graduates.
21981: Elizabeth AnneRowe became first womangraduate, US NavalAcademy, this month.
31982: Army announcedreturn to separate basictraining for men andwomen.
41898: Joy Bright Hancock,once highest-rankingwoman line officer inNavy, born.
51967: LTC Patricia T.Murphy, Army NurseCorps, 1st nurse to receivePace Award recognizingoutstanding contribution toArmy during calendar year.
61942: 66 Army nursesbecame Japanese POWs inPhilippines; 55 nurses &Medical Specialist Corpspersonnel taken prisoner;interned at Santo Tomas inManila.
71947: CPT Mary A.Hallaren appointed WACDirector.
81991: US House ArmedServices Committee votedto allow women to serve incombat military aircraft.
91844: Confederate spyBelle Boyd born.
101813: Mary Allen and MayMarshall employed asmilitary nurses aboard theUnited States.
111978: First woman MarineCorps general, Margaret A.Brewer, appointed.
121944: First major WACcontingent arrived inAustralia; more than 5,000women served in Pacifictheater.
131908: US Navy NurseCorps established.
141973: US Supreme Courtruled women must betreated equally with men inall matters of dependencyand entitlements; DODauthorized back pay.
15Armed Forces Day. 1942:PL 77-554 establishingWAAC (WAC) signed.1975: DOD ruled involun-tary separation of womenfor pregnancy andparenthood not “viable.”
161942: Oveta Culp Hobbysworn in as first WAACDirector.
171978: First women—1representative from each ofthe 5 services—debuted asmembers of White HouseHonor Guard.
181953: Jacqueline Cochranbecame first woman to pilotaircraft supersonically.
191863: Jennie Hodgers, dis-guised as PVT Albert D.J.Cashier, Company G, 95th
Illinois Volunteer InfantryRegiment, participated inattack against Confederates.
201917: Army nurses EdithAyers and Helen BurnetWood accidentally killed ingun misfire on USSMongolia en route toFrance.
211979: Antonia H.Chayes,Assistant Secretary of theAir Force and then highestranking woman in Pentagongranted first official AirForce WASP discharges.
221943: First African-American WAC unitassigned to 5th ServiceCommand arrived at CampAtterbury, IN.
231862: Confederate spyBelle Boyd delivered infor-mation to GEN Jackson.
30 1862: “Mother”Bickerdyke, in charge ofMain Hospital, Corinth.
241974: US Congress reducesminimum age for enlistedwomen to that for men,effective April 1, 1976.
31 Memorial Day.
251973: Women ‘sparticipation in ArmyROTC programs at allcolleges authorized.
261975: US House ofRepresentatives voted toadmit women to serviceacademies.
271993: Air Force reported allaircraft assignments open towomen.
281941: CongresswomanEdith Nourse Rogersintroduced HR 4906, bill toestablish WAAC. 1980: 1st
women graduated fromArmy, Navy, Air Forceacademies.
291997: Capt Amy LynnSvoboda, first woman pilotfatality in Air Force, diedafter A-10 Thunderboltcrashed during trainingmission.
Clara Louise Maass was born on June 28, 1876,and graduated from Newark German HospitalTraining School for Nurses in 1895. Sheworked as an Army contract nurse in Florida,Cuba, and the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. In the fall of 1898, she was sentto the field hospital of the Seventh US ArmyCorps in Jacksonville, Florida. She next wentto Savannah, Georgia, and Santiago de Cuba.Released from her Army contract on February5, 1899, she volunteered to be placed on a list ofnurses bound for Manila, the Philippines,where she spent seven months. She next wentto Cuba, where she volunteered to be a subjectin research on modes of transmission of yellowfever while employed at Las Animas Hospital inHavana. Bitten by a Stegomyia mosquito in animmunization experiment, Maass contractedyellow fever and died on August 24, 1901. TheNewark German Hospital (renamed theLutheran Memorial Hospital) later became theClara Maass Memorial Hospital in 1952. TheUS Postal Service honored Clara Maass with acommemorative stamp in 1976.
C l a r a L o u i s e M a a s sPrint: Courtesy United States Postal Service .
Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved.
June 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY11964: SGT Patsy J. Wrightbecame first enlistedwoman assigned to Armyattaché system (Athens).
21948: US Congresspassesed PL 625—Women’s Armed ServicesAct, establishing permanentplace for women in Army,Navy, Air Force, andMarine Corps.
31997: B. Sue Dueittpromoted to BG, firstwoman promoted to generalofficer billet as line officerin Army Reserve.
41862: Rose O’Neal Green-how hailed for service asConfederate spy. 1920:Army Reorganization Actauthorized relative rank forArmy nurses.
51943: 11 African-AmericanWAC officerscommissioned; graduatedfrom 31st OCS class.
61868: Cathay Williams(William Cathey), withCompany A, 38th Infantry,marched to Fort Bayard,NM.
71942: Dr. Elizabeth Rey-nard, Special Assistant toChief, Bureau of NavalPersonnel, asked SmithCollege president to availfacilities to Navy to trainwomen.
81990: CDR RosemaryMariner became first Navywoman to command fleetjet aircraft squadron.
91994: Navy’s annualaviation commandscreening board reports; 5of 17 women eligibleselected, highest numberever for Navy.
101861: Dorothea Dixappointed Superintendentof Women Nurses forUnion Army, first formalmilitary position for awoman in US.
111970: COLs Elizabeth P.Hoisington, WAC Director,and Anna Mae Hays, Chief,Army Nurse Corps, becamefirst women promoted torank of BG.
121948: President Trumansigned Women’s ArmedServices Integration Act;admitted women intoregular and reserve forcesof Army, Navy, MarineCorps, & Air Force.
131980: “Hello Girl” (tele-phone operator) CordeliaDupois Davis presentedWWI Victory Medal andArmy of OccupationRibbon.
14Flag Day. 1945: COLFlorence A. Blanchfield,Chief, Army Nurse Corps,awarded Distinguished Ser-vice Medal for leadershipof Corps during WWII.
151955: Lt Col Ruby G.Bradley awarded FlorenceNightingale Medal for out-standing service while aJapanese POW in WWIIand for service in Korea.
161948: Geraldine Pratt Mayappointed first Director,WAF.
171993: Lt Col PatriciaFornes became first womanto command operationcombat squadron upontaking over 740th MissileSquadron, Minot AFB, ND.
181991: US Senate ArmedServices Subcommittee onManpower and Personnelheld hearing to discusslifting combat restrictionsfor women in the military.
191947: COL Florence A.Blanchfield, Chief, ArmyNurse Corps, became 1st
woman with permanentcommission in RegularArmy.
201899: First Army regula-tions governing NurseCorps published as circularapproved by Secretary ofWar and issued fromSurgeon General’s office.
211982: In this month in theNavy, 193 women officerson board 30 ships, 2,185enlisted women on board37 ships.
221944: US House ofRepresentatives rejectedlegislation that would havemilitarized the WASP.
231921: Maj Gen Jeanne M.Holm born.
241965: WAC Student Offi-cer Program founded. 1972:Army announced expansionof WAC strength to 23,800to help fill vacancies withend of draft, June 1973.
251950: Korean War began;CPT Viola B. McConnellonly Army nurse on duty atstart of hostilities.
261978: 8 women cadetsgraduated, 1st US MerchantMarine Academy class.1996: US Supreme Courtruled Virginia MilitaryInstitute couldn’t excludewomen.
271950: 13 platoons ofMarine Corps Women’sReserves mobilized for“involuntary service” forKorean War, this month.
281876: Clara Louise Maass,Army contract nurse, born.1943: US Coast GuardAcademy opened doors towomen; 50 SPARS officercandidates reported.
291951: DOD Directive750.04-1 (renumbered1125.1) establisheddefinitive policy on use ofregistered nurses in thearmed services.
301974: Mildred C. Kelly be-came 1st African-Ameri-can WAC Command SGTMAJ 1975: Secretary ofDefense ended involuntarydischarge of pregnantwomen, mothers.
.
Jeanne M. Holm was born on June 23, 1921, inPortland, Oregon. She enlisted in the Army asa truck driver in July 1942, and wascommissioned from the Officers CandidateSchool at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, in January1943 as a “ third officer.” Holm left the servicein 1946, and was recalled to duty in October1948 at Fort Lee, Virginia WAC TrainingCenter as a company commander. Transferredto the Air Force in 1949, she was the firstwoman to attend the Air Command and StaffSchool at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.Holm was Director of the Secretary of the AirForce Personnel Council from November 1965to February 1973. A WAF Director, she wasone of the first women promoted to colonel.Holm was promoted to brigadier general in1971 and became the first woman majorgeneral in 1973. Her awards include theDistinguished Service Medal with Oak LeafCluster, the Legion of Merit, and the NationalDefense Service Medal with Bronze Star. Sheretired from the Air Force in 1975, after 38years of service. At the time of her retirement,she was the highest ranking woman to serve inthe US Armed Forces.
J e a n n e M . H o lmPhoto: Courtesy national Archives, Still Picture Branch,
RG342FHNASM4A Box 2162 09040 121741 AC
July 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY11943: President Rooseveltsigned PL 78-110,converting WAAC toWAC. 1949: Air ForceNurse Corps established.
21862: This month, ClaraBarton received permissionto travel behind battlelinesand deliver aid to soldierson both sides of Civil War.
31990: Women MarinesAssociation nationalconvention in Denvercelebrated 30th anniversaryof Women Marines.
4Independence Day. 1994:Maj Gen Carol Mutter be-came then highest-rankingwoman in US military;received 2-star rank fromMarine Corps.
51943: Oveta Culp Hobbyappointed WAC Director;commissioned COL in USArmy.
61779: Margaret Corbin,“Captain Molly,” foughtbeside husband withContinental Army; tookover his cannon when hewas wounded.
71976: First class of womenadmitted to US MilitaryAcademy enrolled.
81974: Reverend Alice M.Henderson commissionedcaptain in Army ChaplainsCorps; first African-American woman so com-missioned since Civil War.
91918: Nurse Corps(women) redesignatedArmy Nurse Corps byArmy Reorganization Actof 1918.
101942: First enlistments forWAAC. 1943: 1st full-blooded Native AmericanWomen’s Marine Corps re-cruit, PVT Minnie Spotted-Wolf, enlisted this month.
111961: Army nurses assistedin relief operationsfollowing crash of UnitedAirlines Flight 759 nearDenver, CO.
121988: Secretary of Defenseapproved opening Navy’sUnderwater ConstructionTeams & fleet oiler, am-munition ships, and combatstores ships to women.
131898: Namahyoke Curtis,Army contract immunenurse, asked to recruitnurses allegedly immune totyphoid and yellow fever.
141944: WAC contingentarrived in Normandy.
151964: Margaret E. Baileybecame first African-Am-erican nurse promoted toLT COL, Army NurseCorps; later became firstAfrican-American COL.
161971: Jeanne M. Holmbecame first woman AirForce general.
171861: Rose O’Neal Green-how, “dangerous, skillfulspy” for Confederacy,received communication onlocation of “Grand Army ofthe Potomac.”
181887: Dorothea Dix died.1980: 3rd US Circuit Courtof Appeals ruled inGoldberg v. Rostker draftregistration excludingwomen unconstitutional.
191848: US Congress grantedElizabeth Newcume bountyland warrant and pay formilitary service. Newcumeserved—until discharge—when discovered a woman.
201942: First WAACTraining Center opened atFort Des Moines, IA. 440women in 6-week OCS;125 enlisted women in 4-week basic training course.
211861: Kady Brownellcarried flag of 1st Rhode Is-land Infantry at 1st Battle ofManassas; tried to rallytroops as they retreat.
221998: Mary-Agnes BrownGroover, VeteransAdministration lawyer whoheaded WAC in SouthPacific during WWII, died.
231993: 2Lt Sarah Dealbecame first woman Marineselected for Naval aviationtraining.
241994: Secretary of Defenseissued new policy preclud-ing women from serving inground units engaging orsubject to attack from theenemy, effective October 1,1994.
251996: Marines CorpsLt Gen Carol A. Mutterbecame 1st woman 3-stargeneral in its history.
261942: CAPT Joy BrightHancock appointedDirector, Women’s NavalReserve.
271996: DACOWITS Over-seas Installation Visits(Italy, Jordan, Hungary,Germany, and United King-dom) end (began July 12).
281944: Secretary of NavyForrestal recommended toPresident Roosevelt thatNavy admit and treatAfrican-American womensame as caucasian women.
291994: Department ofDefense rescinded “riskrule,” opening 32,7000 jobsin active Army, ArmyReserve, and NationalGuard; effective October 1.
301942: President Rooseveltsigned PL 77-689 allowingNavy to accept officer andenlisted appointments inWAVES.
311909: Dita H. Kinney, 1st
Superintendent, ArmyNurse Corps, resigned,1991: US Senate voted toallow women to fly combatmissions.
Anna M. Rosenberg, former regional director, SocialSecurity Board, Region II (New York) and owner of apublic relations agency, was appointed AssistantSecretary of Defense for Manpower and Personnel in1950. A recognized labor relations expert, she wasresponsible for coordinating all defense policies onmilitary manpower and civilian personnel. Anadvocate of universal military training,Ms. Rosenberg sought to improve the conditions ofservice life. She also was a proponent of integration,stressing that integration was necessary for effectiveuse of black manpower. At her recommendation, andwith the approval of Secretary of Defense GeorgeMarshall, the Defense Advisory Committee onWomen in the Services (DACOWITS) was formed inAugust 1951. DACOWITS was made up of 50prominent women from the wartime women’s corps,academia, business, the arts, politics, and the legalprofession. The committee's mandate--givendeclining enlistments--was to lead a unified recruitingdrive to increase the number of women in theServices, to interpret to the public the role of womenin the Services, and to promote acceptance of militaryservice as a prestigious career. DACOWITS alsosought to reassure parents that young women in themilitary were properly supervised. DACOWITScontinues to exist today.
A n n a M . R o s e n b e r g
Photo: Coutesy National Archives, Still Picture Branch,208pu176R-1
August 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY11956: 1st foreign womenofficers (6 from Burma)entered WAC Officer BasicClass. 1973: Discharge-on-marriage rule for enlistedwomen and officers ended.
21990: United Nations forcesbegan to form for “Opera-tions Desert Shield/DesertStorm”; 26,000 Armywomen will participate, 13will die and 2 becamePOWs.
31942: Mildred H. McAffeebecame first woman officersworn into Naval Reserve.
41972: WAC TrainingCenter activates 2additional trainingbattalions.
51943: Women’s AuxiliaryFerrying Squadron (WAFS)and WFTD merged to formWASP. 1985: BG Wilma L.Vaught, Commander, USMilitary Entrance Process-ing Command, retired.
61862: Jennie Hodgers, aliasAlbert Cashier, enlisted inIL regiment; laterparticipated in battles in MI,TN, and AL. In 1911, stillin dis-guise, admitted toveterans’ hospital.
71959: US Congressauthorized PL 86-142,military credit for WAACservice for women whoserved after September 30,1943.
81942: First official WAACparade and review, Fort DesMoines, IA.
91989: Kristen Bakerbecame first woman brigadecommander and firstcaptain, Corps of Cadets,US Military Academy.
101861: Rose O’NealGreenhow sent anotherreport on troops movementsand other intelligence toGEN Beauregard.
111951: DACOWITSestablished to interpret topublic role of women in ser-vices and to promote ac-ceptance of military serviceas career for women.
121918: Secretary of NavyDaniels approvedacceptance of women in USNavy and Marine Corps.
131918: Opha Mae Johnsonbecame first womanmember, US Marine CorpsReserve; hired as clerk inWashington, DC head-quarters.
141945: By end of WWII,more than 400,000 womenhad served in military units,working in most militaryoccupation specialities.
151942: WFTD receivedofficial approval from WarDepartment.
161995: Oveta Culp Hobby,WAC Director duringWWII, died.
171917: Army nurses BeatriceM. MacDonald & Helen G.McClelland on duty duringattack on British casualtyclearing station in Belgium;later received DistinguishedService Crosses.
181908: Esther VoorheesHasson became firstSuperintendent, US NavyNurse Corps.
191812: Lucy Brewer servedunder alias of NicholasBaker on USS Constitution,fights in battle with HMSGuerrierre; served 3 yearsin US Navy.
201945: In this month, 2 ½years after founding,Marine Corps Women’sReserve had 17,640 womenand 820 officers on duty.
211950: Army beganvoluntary recall of WACenlisted reservists andcompany-grade WACOrganized Reserve Corpsofficers.
221998: Carol C. Elliott pro-moted to BrigGen thismonth; Vice Director forIntelligence, J2, Joint Staff,since October 1997.
231944: Antonia Novello, 1st
woman & 1st Hispanic USSurgeon General (1990-93),with rank of 3-star VADM,born. 1976: 10 WACSassigned to US MilitaryAcademy staff & faculty.
241954: US Congress author-ized PL 650, limited VAbenefits for WAAC per-sonnel disabled in line ofduty. 1973: Army author-ized WAC enlistees to enterparachute rigger training.
251942: 5 Navy nurses onGuam taken prisoner byJapanese repatriated todiplomatic corps inMozambique.
261959: Kathryn P. (Kay)Hire, CMDR, USNR, andNASA astronaut, born. Firstwoman aviator to servewith combat squadron.
271916: Actress/comedienneMartha “Colonel Maggie ofthe Boondocks” Raye,born.
281942: 120 women officers,commissioned directly asENS or LTJG, reported to“USS Northampton”—Smith College.
291942: First WAAC OCSclass graduated 434 womenas 3rd Officers (equivalentto 2Lt).
301862: Sarah EmmaEdmonds, Union spy,gathered information onactivities of Confederateforces.
311944: WAC advance partyarrived in Paris.
Ruth Cheney Streeter was born on October 2,1895, in Brookline, Massachusetts. With theonset of World War II, Streeter becamechairperson of the Fort Dix, New JerseyCitizen’s Committee for the Army and Navy.She next became involved in aviation, earningboth a private and a commercial pilot’s license.Streeter served on the Civil Air Patrol, theNorth Jersey squadron of the New Jersey CivilAir Defense Services, and the New JerseyDefense Council’s Committee on Aviation. Shewas also made an honorary pilot of the 126thSquadron of the Army Air Force. Streeter wasthe first director of the Marine CorpsWomen’s Reserve, serving from February 13,1943 to December 7, 1945. The first woman tohold the rank of major in the Marine Corps(commissioned, January 29, 1943), she waspromoted to lieutenant colonel on November22, 1943, and to colonel on February 1, 1944.She was awarded the Legion of Merit forwartime service (WWI), the AmericanCampaign Medal, and the World War IIVictory Medal.
R u t h C h e n e y S t r e e t e r
Photo: Coutesy National Archives, Still PictureBranch, 127-GR10460
September 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY11943: WAAC incorporatedinto Army. 1979: Hazel W.Johnson became 1st Afri-can-American woman gen-eral officer upon assumingpost of Chief, Army NurseCorps; retired as BG.
21994: Mildred H.McAffee, formerCommander, WAVES,died.
31943: First class WAACnoncommissioned officersgraduated from WAACTraining Center, Fort DesMoines, IA.
41917: Army Nurse Eva JeanParmalee, wounded in airraid at base hospital inFrance, continued to serve;later received DistinguishedService Cross.
51898: Sarah EmmaEdmonds died; auto-biography is Nurse and Spyin the Union Army.
6Labor Day (Observed).1871: Anne Warner Bailey,“heroine of Groton,” hiked3 miles to Fort Grizzwald tosearch for uncle at Battleof Groton Heights.
71977: 1,500 US ArmedForces women participatedin NATO wargames inGermany for first time, thismonth.
81939: US declared state oflimited emergency inresponse to war in Europe;Army Nurse Corps with625 nurses, Navy NurseCorps with 430 nurses.
91861: Sally Tompkinsopened RobertsonHospital, Richmond, VA.Jefferson Davis commis-sioned her as captain —only commissioned womanin Confederate Army.
101942: Nancy HarknessLove organized 25 womenpilots into WAFS.
11Rosh Hashanah. 1952:White House ceremoniescommemorated first dayissue of US Postal Servicestamp honoring women inthe Services.
121979: Megan C. Jansbecame pilot in commandfor Army’s first all-womenflight crew, Huey helicoptersupporting NATO exerciseReforger.
131957: Maj Kathleen W.Philipps assigned Consul-tant, Nursing Audio-VisualEducation, Medical Illustra-tion Service, Armed ForcesInstitute of Pathology,Washington, DC.
141942: General Henry “Hap”Arnold, CommandingGeneral, Army Air Forces,approved program, ArmyAir Force WFTD, to trainwomen to serve as ferryingpilots.
151942: War Departmentannounced formation ofWFTD headed by aviatorJacqueline Cochran.
161987: Secretary of Defenseestablished DOD TaskForce on Women in theMilitary.
171991: RADM MariannStratton became Director,Navy Nurse Corps andAssistant Chief ofPersonnel Management inNavy Medicine, this month.
181951: First meeting ofDACOWITS held.
191950: 11 Navy nurses enroute to assignment at USNaval Hospital, Yokosuka,Japan, died in plane crashupon takeoff fromKwajellein Island.
20Yom Kippur. 1977: SelectUS House Subcommittee onVeteran Affairs heard testi-mony on Bill 3277, recog-nizing WASP service asactive duty in armed forces,entitling veterans’ benefits.
211972: WAC Detachment inVietnam closed.
221914: Dora E. Thompsonappointed Superintendent,Army Nurse Corps, firstRegular Army nurse to holdpost.
231977: USCGS Morganthaubecame first cutter to oper-ate with women assigned aspermanent crew; USCGCGallantin assigned mixedcrew.
241989: Dedication ofWomen VeteransMonument, VeteransMemorial Plaza, RockawayBeach, Queens, NY.
251996: 3-day (September 25-27) National Summit onWomen Veterans' Issuesheld, White HouseConference Center.
271948: New Regular Armyenlistments accepted forWAC for first time.
281977: Last WAC officersOrientation Coursegraduated, Fort McClellan,AL.
291985: US House of Repre-sentatives approved HR1378 for Women in Mili-tary Service for AmericaMemorial Foundation toestablish memorial onFederal land in DC.
301947: WAC reenlistmentprogram ended. 1951: COLMary G. Phillips retired; 1st
Chief, Army Nurse Corps tocomplete statutory 4-yearappointment as Chief ofCorps.
Mary Hays McCauley, “Molly Pitcher,” wasborn on October 13, 1754 near Trenton, NewJersey. She fought beside her husband, JohnCasper Hays, who served with the First andSeventh Pennsylvania Regiments of theContinental Army against the British Redcoats.She earned her nickname, “Molly Pitcher,”because she brought water to soldiersexhausted by battle and heat. On June 28,1778, during the Battle of Monmouth, when herhusband collapsed from the heat, Mollyreplaced him at his cannon and fought in hisplace for the rest of the battle. Molly alsoswabbed cannon bores and loaded shot. TheGeneral Assembly of Pennsylvania passed “Anact for the relief of Molly M’Kolly” in 1822,honoring her services and providing her anannuity and cash grant of 40 dollars--a lifetimesoldier's half-pay pension--and one suit ofclothes or the equivalent in cash. Monumentswere erected at her gravesite in 1876 and 1916.Her likeness also appears on the monumentcommemorating the Battle of Monmouth.
M a r y H a y s M c C a u le y
“M o l ly P i t c h e r ”
Print: Courtesy Library of Congress Prints andPhotographs Division, LC-USZ62-665
October 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY11976: WAC OCS deactivat-ed; women to attend ArmyOCS at Fort Benning, GA.1979: Army ordered sameenlistment qualificationsfor men and women.
21917: GEN Pershing re-quested Army Nurse Corpssupervise nursing activities,American ExpeditionaryForce; Bessie S. Bell, ChiefNurse, Walter Reed ArmyHospital, reported Nov. 13.
31977: First combined maleand female Army SignalCorps training began, FortGordon, GA.
41987: Allendale County,SC monument dedicated toresidents who died in con-flicts from WWI –Vietnam.2LT Elizabeth Ann Jones,Army Nurse Corps, died inSaigon, 1996, inscribed.
51948: First WAC OCSclass since end of WWII.
61997: NASA mission STS-86 Atlantis ended, NASAastronaut Wendy B.Lawrence, CMDR, USNavy, aboard.
71975: President Ford signedPL 94-106 allowingadmission of women toservice academies.
81951: Associate WACCompany Grade OfficersCourse initiated to obtainmore officers for KoreanWar.
91973: Army authorizedexpansion of WAC from23,800 to 50,400 by 1979.
101998: “Gathering ofEagles,” October 9-10,1998, US Air ForceMuseum, honored WASPpilot of more than 23aircraft, LtCol (Ret.) DoraDoroughty Strother.
11Columbus Day(Observed).
121818: Elizabeth Van Lew,Union spy, later appointedpostmaster of Richmond,VA by President Grant,born.
131754: Revolutionary Warheroine “Molly Pitcher”born in Trenton, NJ.
141868: “William Cathey”(Cathay Williams), probab-ly 1st African-Americanwoman in US RegularArmy, discharged withcertificate of disability;served since Nov. 15, 1866.
151948: First 8 womenofficers on active dutysworn in as commissionedofficers in regular Navy.
161946: 8000th WACDetachment arrived toserve in Occupied Japan.
171862: Sarah Rosetta Wake-man, alias PVT LyonsWakeman, enrolled in 153rd
Regiment, NY StateVolunteers.
181997: Women in MilitaryService for Americamemorial dedicated.
191774: After death ofhusband, Richard Trotter,in battle, Anne TrotterBailey dressed like man;joined Army. 1944: Ban onAfrican-American womenin WAVES abolished.
201944: SPARS opened toAfrican-American women.1978: President Cartersigned bill abolishingWAC.
211861: Loretta JanetaVelaquez, posing as HarryBuford, claimed she wasappointed temporary com-mander of a companyduring Battle of Ball’sBluff.
221987: Tree planted on OhioState Univ. grounds site ofVA Out-Patient Clinic hon-oring Sallie Farmer, formerArmy nurse & only surviv-ing WWII-era womanPOW residing in Ohio.
231973: BG Lillian Dunlapbecame 1st Army womanserving as President ofofficer promotion board.1983: More than 100women participated in“Operation Urgent Fury.”
241961: Susan Leigh Still,LCDR, US Navy & NASA
astronaut, born. 31 1966:WAC detachmentestablished for duty inVietnam.
251994: LT Kara S. Hult-green, 1st woman to qualifyin combat-ready F-14 Tom-cat, graduating 3rd in pilotclass, died--enginemalfunctions approachingdeck, USS AbrahamLincoln.
261998: Mary J. Wamsleyappointed by Secretary ofDefense Cohen to succeedElizabeth T. Bilby as Chair,DACOWITS, for calendaryear 1999.
271943: First WomenMarines reported for dutyon West Coast—at CampPendleton, Santa Barbara,and El Centro, CA, thismonth.
281987: RADM Mary A.Fields became Director,Navy Nurse Corps andDeputy Commander,Personnel Management,Naval Medical Command,this month.
291997: DACOWITS FallConference began (endedNovember 2).
301984: US Congress grantedFederal Charter to WACVeterans Association underFederal Law 98-584.
Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Marie Collins,born November 19, 1956, is the first woman selectedto command a US space shuttle. Collins wasattending the US Air Force Test Pilot School atEdwards Air Force Base when she was selected forthe NASA program in January 1990. She becamean astronaut in July 1991. Collins has been a T-38and T-41 instructor pilot, a C-141 aircraftcommander and instructor pilot, and an assistantprofessor in mathematics at the US Air ForceAcademy. She has logged more than 5,000 hours in30 different types of aircraft. As of September1998, her NASA experience included more than 419hours in space. She has been a member of theastronaut support team responsible for orbiterprelaunch checkout, final launch configuration,crew ingress/egress, and landing/recovery, workedin Mission Control as a spacecraft communicator,and also been a pilot on the STS-63 and STS-84.Collins piloted the STS-63 Discovery in February1995 and the STS-84 in May 1997; those missionsrendezvoused with the Russian space station Mir.In January 1999, Collins will command theColumbia’s crew on a five-day mission to deploy anx-ray telescope to study phenomena such as blackholes and quasars.
Photo: Courtesy National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration
E ile e n M a r i e C o l l i n s
November 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY11978: Men & women beganArmy joint basic training. 8women ensigns report toduty aboard ships. 1978:BG Mary E. Clarkepromoted to MG, 1st Armywoman to achieve this rank.
21921: Ludmilla “Lou”Ferenz , Army Nurse Corpsflight nurse during WWII,born.
31948: Col Katherine A.Towle, 2nd Director, Wo-men’s Reserve, took Regu-lar commission as perma-nent Lt Col; appointed 1st
Director, Women Marines,temporary rank of Col.
41965: Georgette (Dickey)Meyer Chappelle, photo-journalist & war corres-pondent, killed by landmine while accompanyingMarines near Chulai,Vietnam.
51988: 1st meeting, MinorityOfficers Association, organ-ization dedicated to improv-ing minority & female offi-cer recruiting, assignments,& promotion opportunities,all services, Savannah, GA.
61986: Women in MilitaryService for Americamemorial authorized.
71942: Commandant ofMarine Corps approvedinclusion of women inMarine Corps Reserve;known as Marines.
81967: US Congress passedPL 90-130—equal promo-tion & retirement rules, men& women officers; womenallowed promotion above 0-5 & Army National Guardmembership.
91995: Cheryl Stearns, firstwoman member, USArmy’s Golden Knightsparachute team, broke 3world records; completes24 hours of continuousskydiving.
101943: “Molly Marine,” 1st
statue of woman in uni-formed service, US ArmedForces unveiled, NewOrleans, LA. Monumentdedicated to US MarineCorps Women’s Reserve.
11Veterans Day. 1993:Vietnam Women’sMemorial unveiled,Washington, DC.
121993: Workshop on wo-men, technology & militaryinstitution, Cornell Univ.;attended by military offi-cers, academics, andmilitary researchers fromOSD.
131918: 18 African-Americannurses assigned to duty inArmy Nurse Corpsfollowing influenzaepidemic.
141988: Army announcedwomen eligible to filladditional 3,128 jobs inactive forces, 6,274 jobs inNational Guard and 1,736jobs in Reserves.
151988: President Reagansigned S20042, legislationauthorizing memorial onFederal lands to militarywomen who served duringVietnam War.
161776: Margaret Corbin tookhusband’s gun after he waskilled in battle near FortWashington, NY. 1983:“Women in Military”corridor in Pentagondedicated.
171945: 60th and last WACOCS class graduated, FortDes Moines, IA.
181943: WAC membersbecame eligible for GIinsurance, this month.
191956: Lt Col Eileen MarieCollins, US Air Force andNASA astronaut, born.
201970: Navy Nurse Corpsgranted authority to placecommemorative bronzeplaque on NursesMonument, ArlingtonNational Cemetery.
211943: LTs Lillian J. Tacina& Eugenia H. Rutkowskiamong 13 nurses, 17 men,Army Air Force, shot downin German-occupied Alban-ia; escaped after 850-milewalk to Adriatic, this mo.
221994: Company at FortLeonard Wood, MO, be-came 1st group to completecoed basic training underrenewed policy of gender-integrated basic training formany noncombat jobs.
231942: PL 773 establishedUS Coast Guard Women’sReserve (SPARS). 1977:PL 95-202 passed; givesWASP veteran status.
241946: 8225th WACBattalion arrived for servicewith Far East Command inTokyo.
25Thanksgiving.
261832: Dr. Mary EdwardsWalker born.
271991: COL Nancy R.Adams promoted to BG;sworn in as 19th Chief,Army Nurse Corps.
281989: President Bushsigned Joint Resolution ofCongress authorizingVietnam Women’sMemorial Project.
291977: Evelyn P. Footebecame Commander, 2nd
Basic Training Battalion,Fort McClellan, AL, thismonth.
301943: 12th OCS class,WAAC Training Center,Fort Des Moines, IA began;first desegregated class.
Grace Hopper was born on December 9, 1906.She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from VassarCollege in 1928 and received a Ph.D. inmathematics from Yale University in 1934.Hopper joined the Naval Reserve during WorldWar II and was commissioned as lieutenant,junior grade. Assigned to the Bureau ofOrdnance Computation Project at HarvardUniversity, she worked as a programmer on theMark I, the first information-processing digitalcomputer. Discharged from active duty in 1946,she continued working for the Navy as a reservistuntil her retirement as a captain in 1966. Hopperwas recalled to active duty in 1967 and taskedwith standardizing the Navy’s computerprogramming languages. She was promoted tocommodore (rear admiral) in 1983. When sheretired from the Navy at the age of 80 in 1986, shewas the oldest officer on active duty. GraceHopper died on January 1, 1992. On January 6,1996, the Navy christened the guided missiledestroyer, the USS Hopper, at the Bath IronWorks. The christening marked only the secondtime in the Navy’s history that a warship had beennamed for a woman from the Navy’s own ranks.
G r a c e M u r r a y H o p p e r
Photo: Courtesy Library of Congress, Prints and PhotographsDivision, LC-USZ62-111439
December 1999
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY11991: BG Nancy R.Adams appointed Chief,Army Nurse Corps.
21942: First 2 African-American WAACcompanies completed basictraining; arrived at FortHuachuca, AZ to red-carpetreception by all African-American 92nd Division.
3Hanukkah begins. 1948:COL Mary A. Hallarenreappointed WAC Director.1973: 14 USC 762 passed,Women’s Reserve nolonger separate branch ofthe Coast Guard Reserve.
41968: COL Maxene B.Michl became first WACCenter and WAC SchoolCommander/Commandantto hold rank of full colonel.
51991: President Bushsigned repeal of 10 USC8549 (Air CombatExclusion Law).
61945: Ruth Cheney Streeterresigned commission asDirector, Marine CorpsWomen’s Reserve.
71973: Congress passedlegislation allowing womento serve in active CoastGuard.
81941: 11 Navy nurses onduty in Philippinesevacuated patients inCanacao Hospital to safearea under-neath hospital’sreinforced concrete floor.
91906: RADM GraceHopper born.
101941: 5 Navy nurses onGuam became JapanesePOWs; repatriated onAugust 25, 1942.
111990: Sgt Marie Elliott,member of National Guardunit called to active duty,arrived in Saudi Arabia toparticipate in Gulf War.
121980: Defense OfficerPersonnel Management Actenacted; women in allservice branches on samepromotion lists as men.
131862: Sarah EmmaEdmonds served as aide toCOL Orlando Poe atFredericksburg, VA.
141950: Anna M. Rosenbergconfirmed as AssistantSecretary of Defense forManpower and Personnel.
151945: First WAC trainingcenter, Fort Des Moines,IA, closed. 1972: LastWAC Basic Officer Courseand OCS classes graduated.
161995: USS Benfolddelivered earlier this month,first Navy ship built fromkeel up with habitabilitymodification needed for fullintegration of women crew.
171760: Deborah Samsonborn.
181948: 199 WAC officers—first such increment sincewomen’s integration intoregular Services--appointedto Regular Army.
191997: RADM MarshaJohnson Evans, first womanSuperintendent, NavalPostgraduate School,relinquished command.
201989: More than 600 Armywomen participated in “Op-eration Just Cause” result-ing in arrest of Panama’sManuel Noriega. MilitaryPolice CAPT Linda Bray &her unit involved in combat.
211952: Pamela DavisDorman, first woman USNavy chaplain to serve withMarines, born.
221944: Harriet Ida Pickensand Frances E. Wills, first 2African-American WAVESofficers, commissioned.1967: First 2 WAC officersselected for Army WarCollege.
231941: Army nurses orderedto evacuate Manila.
241975: Army authorizedadmission of women toArmy OCS training, FortBenning, GA.
25Christmas Day.
271991: PresidentialCommission on Assignmentof Women in the ArmedForces established as part ofFY92 Authorization Bill,10 USC 6015, this month.
281990: LCDR Darlene M.Iskra, Navy, installed asCommander, USSOpportune, a salvagevessel.
291958: LTC Nancy JaneCurrie, Army, born. Currieis scheduled for December1998 space shuttle, 1st
mission to carry hardwareinto space for assemblingInternational Space Station.
301977: Army CombatExclusion Policy keptwomen out of specialties orunits that involve directcombat.
311976: WAC Center andSchool, Fort McClellan,AL, closed after 22 years.
This calendar celebrates and commemorates the achievements
and activities of American women in the armed forces between
1760 and 1998. Notable achievements or milestones are
reported, typically in relation to a person's date of birth or death,
the date of her particular achievement, or an influential event in
the lives of military women. The calendar aims to show the
diversity, breadth, and depth of women's experience in the
United States military. Achievements of women in all branches
of the Services are depicted, and both individual and
service-wide milestones are noted. The calendar also includes
Federal and other holidays.
The calendar attempts to be representative of women in all
walks of military life, but is not exhaustive. It commemorates
women who served beside their husbands during the
Revolutionary and Civil Wars and those who were disguised as
male soldiers. The calendar also notes women who served as
spies during the Revolutionary War and the Civil War—in the
latter conflict both Confederate and Union spies are reported.
During the Spanish American War, World War I and II, the
Korean War, and the Vietnam War, women served
predominately in the various nursing corps, and in other
noncombat positions. Beginning in World War II, however,
with the formation of the auxiliary women's services (WAAC,
WAC, WAF, WFTD, WASP, WAVES, and SPARS), women
also began to serve the military in other capacities.
Beginning in the 1970s, when women became eligible to
attend the Service academies, their accomplishments
became more diverse. Many of the women in this
calendar are celebrated as firsts. For example, the first
woman to graduate first in her class from the Naval
Academy, the first woman combat pilot, the first woman
to head a state-level National Guard unit, the first woman
brigade commander, and so on. The calendar also honors
women whose breakthroughs were accomplished
alongside their military service and also identifies military
Olympians, astronauts, and government officials.
As of September 1, 1998, the total resident
population of the United States was approximately
270,498,000, of which there were approximately
137,992,000 women, or 51 percent. That same month,
there were 195,655 women in the United States military
active duty forces, representing approximately 14 percent
of the military. Of this total, approximately 44.6 percent
were minorities. There were 71,213 women in the Army,
49,150 women in the Navy, 9,779 women in the Marines,
and 65,513 women in the Air Force. The Army has the
highest percentage of African-American and other
minority women; they constitute almost 43 percent and
almost 7 percent, respectively, of Army women. The
Marines have the highest percentage of Hispanic
members; approximately 13 percent of Marine women are
Hispanic.
Bibliography
The following works were used in conjunction with numerous other general referenceresources in the Main Reading Room Reference Collection of the Library of Congress incompiling the entries for this calendar. One of the most comprehensive and scholarlysources consulted was Minerva: Quarterly Report on Women and the Military andMinerva's Bulletin Board.
Bellafaire, Judith A. The Women's Army Corps: A Commemoration of World War IIService. U.S. Army Center of Military History. Washington, DC: 1993.
Breuer, William B. War and American Women: Heroism, Deeds, and Controversy.Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 1997.
Burgess, Lauren Cook, ed. An Uncommon Soldier: The Civil War Letters of SarahRosetta Wakeman, alias Private Lyons Wakeman, 153rd Regiment, New York StateVolunteers. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
Burrelli, David F. Women in the Armed Forces. CRS Issue Brief IB92008. Washington,DC: Library of Congress. Updated September 29, 1998.
Carnegie, Mary Elizabeth. The Path We Tread: Blacks in Nursing Worldwide, 1854-1994.3d. ed. No. 14-2678. New York: National League for Nursing Press, 1995.
Carruth, Gorton, ed. The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates. 10th ed. New York:HarperCollins, 1997.
Claghorn, Charles E. Women Patriots of the American Revolution: A BiographicalDictionary. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1991.
Collins, Winifred Quick, and Herbert M. Levine. More Than a Uniform: A Navy Womanin a Navy Man's World. Denton: University of North Texas Press, 1997.
Dever, John P., and Maria C. Dever. Women and the Military: Over 100 NotableContributors, Historic to Contemporary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland &Company, 1995.
Ebbert, Jean, and Marie-Beth Hall. Crossed Currents: Navy Women from WWI toTailhook. Washington, DC: Brassey's, 1993.
Feller, Carolyn M., and Constance J. Moore. Highlights in the History of the Army NurseCorps. U.S. Army Center of Military History. Washington, DC: 1995.
Not everything mentioned in the listing of day-by-day events represents something
positive. Women have been injured and killed in the line of duty and also captured as
prisoners of war. However, although women have had difficulties in advancing within
the armed forces, this calendar attempts to highlight their accomplishments.
The calendar was compiled for the Defense Equal Opportunity Management
Institute under an Interagency Agreement with the Library of Congress.
Andrea M. Savada
Federal Research Division
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20540-4840
December 1, 1998
DEOMI Project Manager: Jerry C. Scarpate, Directorate of Research
Calendar Layout: SGT Nancy Jane Portz, U.S. Army
COVER ART for the calendar was reproduced from the 32¢ stamp issued by the United
States Postal Service in 1997 to commemorate Women in Military Service. "Stamp
Design © 1997 U.S. Postal Service. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved."
Numerous sources were used to compile this calendar. Books, serial
publications, monographs, websites, and even e-mail were used to gather information.
Those who wish to learn more about women in the military should consult the
bibliography, which selectively includes some of the sources consulted.
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and should not be
construed to represent the official position of DEOMI, the Military Services, or the
Department of Defense.
Local reproduction is authorized and encouraged.
Gavin, Lettie. American Women in World War I. Niwot, Colorado: University ofColorado Press, 1997.
Heiman, Gover Jr., and Virginia Heiman Myers. Careers for Women in Uniform.Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1971.
Holm, Jeanne. Women in the Military: An Unfinished Revolution. Novato, California:Presidio Press, 1982.
Janney, Rebbeca Price. Great Women in American History. Camp Hill, Pennsylvania:Horizon Books, 1996.
Johnson, Jesse J., ed. Black Women in the Armed Forces, 1942-1974 (A PictorialHistory). Hampton, Virginia: Hampton Institute, 1974.
Kirstin, Olsen. Chronology of Women's History. Westport, Connecticut: GreenwoodPress, 1994.
MacGregor, Morris J., Jr. Integration of the Armed Forces. Defense Studies Series.United States Army. Washington, DC: Center of Military History, 1981.
Markle, Donald E. Spies and Spymasters of The Civil War. New York: HippocreneBooks, 1994.
McCullough, Joan. First of All: Significant "Firsts" by American Women. New York:Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980.
Meid, Pat. Marine Corps Women's Reserve in World War II. Washington, DC: HistoricalBranch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1968.
Merryman, Molly. Clipped Wings: The Rise and Fall of the Women Airforce ServicePilots (WASPs) of World War II. New York: New York University Press, 1997.Moore, Brenda L. To Serve My Country, To Serve My Race: The Story of the OnlyAfrican American WACS Stationed Overseas During World War II. New York: NewYork University Press, 1996.
Morden, Bettie J. The Women's Army Corps, 1945-1978. Washington, D.C.: Center forMilitary History, 1990.
Putney, Marcha S. When the Nation Was in Need: Blacks in the Women's Army CorpsDuring World War II. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1992.
Shaefer, Silvia Anne. Women in America's Wars. Springfield, New Jersey: Enslow, 1996.
Sherrow, Victoria. Women and the Military: An Encyclopedia. Denver: ABC-CLIO,1996.
Smith, Karen Manners. New Paths to Power, American Women, 1890-1920. New York:Oxford University Press, 1994.
Sterner, Doris M. In and Out of Harm's Way: A History of the Navy Nurse Corps. Seattle:Peanut Butter, 1996.
Stiehm, Judith Hicks, ed. It's Our Military Too! Women and the U.S. Military.Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1996.
Stremlow, Mary V. Free a Marine to Fight: Women Marines in World War II. Marines inWorld War II Commemorative Series. Marine Corps Historical Center. Washington, DC:1994.
Tomblin, Barbara B. "Beyond Paradise: The US Navy Nurse Corps in the Pacific inWWII," Pt. 1. Minerva: Quarterly Report, XI, No. 1, Spring 1993, 33-53.
United States. Department of Transportation. United States Coast Guard. Women in theCoast Guard Study. Commandant Publication 5312.17. Washington, DC, 1990.
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. National Summit on Women Veterans'Issues, Proceedings: September 25–27, 1996. Washington, DC, 1997.
Weatherford, Doris. Milestones: A Chronology of American Women's History. NewYork: Facts on File, 1997.
Williams, Vera S. WACs: Women's Army Corps. Osceola, Wisconsin: MotorbooksInternational, 1997.
Zeinert, Karen. Those Courageous Women of the Civil War. Brookfield, Connecticut:Millbrook Press, 1998.
Zilboorg, Caroline, ed. Women's Firsts. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997.
Homepages
The World Wide Web contains a wide variety of resources on women in the military, aswell as general information sources. It is also useful to check each Service's homepagefor links to various useful sites. The numerous webpages on the Civil War provideinformation on women in that war. Some of the most useful websites in compiling thiscalendar were…
http://twu.edu/library [for information on the WASP]
http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/
http://wasp-wwii.org/wasp/
http://www.af.mil/news/biographies
http://www.army.mil/
http://www.gendergap.com/military
http://www.history.navy.mil
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/
http://www.militarywoman.org/
http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/people/women/winhist.htm
http://www.undelete.org/
http://www.uscg.mil/
http://www.wimsa.org/
Since its inception in 1971, the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute at Patrick Air Force Base hasbeen a leader in human relations training and equal opportunity research. To date over 12,000 equal opportunity
advisors have been trained and numerous research projects have been conducted.
Defense E qual Oppor tunity Management Institute 1999
