Acheivements of Women in the US Army - Essay Example

Achievements of Women in the US Army Women have been serving in the United s Army from the nation’s birth. Although their duties were officially relegated to nursing and clerical positions up to the mid 20th century, they have patriotically responded to calls of duty during shortages of manpower in wartimes (Weatherford 23). When the government of the United States declared war on Germany during World War I in 1917, more than nine million men took up military jobs, and by the end of the war more than two million had been deployed outside the country. With such deployments, the impact of the country’s resolution to get into war was quickly felt by women, who then stepped in to fill the openings left in offices, factories and shops. With a steady increase in their numbers in the industries, women eventually made up over 20 percent of the workers during the war period in manufacturing of airplanes, electrical machinery and food. In the same period, they dominated jobs that were formerly the preserve of men (Earley 12). In that respect, this paper will describe the achievements of women in the United States Army from World War I to present. In 1916, the Women’s Naval Service organized the National Service School to offer training to women for national duty (Earley 21). The Army, Marine Corps and Navy worked together to train women in their thousands for roles in times of national disaster and war. They learnt skills in food conservation, military drills and aerobics, telephone operations, signaling and manufacture of bandages and surgical dressings. The Army Signal Corps had more than 200 female telephone operators, christened the “Hello Girls”, who were deployed for overseas duty. They lived and travelled under orders from the Army and were accorded the same per diem allowances as the nurses, including uniform with Army emblems. Over 35,000 women of American nationality used their acquired skills to serve in the military in the course of World War I. Ultimately; they held a wide array of noncombat positions ranging from accountants, radio electricians, telephone operators to the secretaries’ draftsmen (Weatherford 18). More than half of the women serving in the United States Army in the war were from the Army Nurse Corps who performed exceptional service in station hospitals and camps. They often found themselves in the warfront and lived in makeshift tents or bunkers that offered little or no comfort. They went through the horror of continuous artillery bombardment and mustard gas while caring for both civilians and soldiers. At the end of the war and after lengthy deliberations, Congress, in 1979, granted the operators of the Signal Corps military status (Earley 37). In World War II, more than 150,000 American female soldiers were serving in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). Apart from nurses and other noncombat female workers, the WAC members were the first women to serve within the United States Army ranks, even though both the public and army initially did not accept the concept of uniformed women (Weatherford 42). To the women’s achievement, military and political leaders realized the potential of the women to provide the desperately needed additional resources in the military sector. Given the opportunity, the women seized it and by the time the war ended, their contributions were acknowledged. Congresswoman Edith Rogers introduced a bill in 1941 to institute an army women’s corps that was distinct from the Army Nurse Corps. It was intended to extend to women serving in the war similar disability benefits, pensions and legal protection as the male soldiers. With the army’s reluctance to directly have women in its ranks, they settled on a compromise bill and established the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) to work alongside the army. Their only mandate was to provide the national defense with special skills and training of the nation’s women (Weatherford 46). No female officer could command men. WAAC’s Director was allocated the rank of major with three deputy officers below her with ranks comparable to captain and lieutenant within the regular army, although with less salary. Even though the WAAC compromise bill did not forbid the auxiliaries to serve overseas, it did not give them life insurance from the government, overseas pay or death benefits. They had no protection under prisoner of war agreements in case they were captured. Those were the sacrifices Rogers had to give in order to establish the WAAC. However, on May 14th of 1941, women in the United States Army achieved another milestone when Rogers’ bill was passed into law and allowed them equal benefits as their men counterparts (Earley 19). Major Oveta Hobby was appointed WAAC Director the following day. Being the Texas Governor’s wife, Hobby was well informed in local and national politics. Hobby organized the WAAC recruitment exercise and the first officer training program began in July with 440 female trainees. They had all attended college, were previously in employment and averaged 25 years of age. Upon graduation, the auxiliary units were absorbed into United States Army Air Forces, Army Ground Forces and Army Service Forces replacing civilian volunteers. They had achieved an integral part in the military as each service unit found increasing positions that could be filled by the WAACs. Although they were only allowed noncombat duties, they thrived on their idea that for every recruit into the WAAC, a male soldier was freed from noncombat duties to actively participate in the war front in combat duties. The WAAC achieved success because it had a mission that was a component of a broader national effort requiring selfless, patriotic sacrifice by all Americans; to stand for the country during war. That initiative not only changed women’s roles in the army, but the American society at large (Weatherford 47). More recent achievements include the nomination of Lieutenant General Ann Dunwoody of the United States Army to be appointed General and assigned as commander of Army Materiel Command (Stewart 1). She was commissioned into the military in 1975 and had served various command positions. On November 14th 2008, for the very first time in the history of the United States, a female officer, General Anne Dunwoody, was confirmed to the rank of a four star general (Stewart 1). Sitting at the helm of Army Materiel Command, she is in charge of almost 130, 000 personnel scattered over 150 locations around the world. In the same year, another female officer, Monica Brown of the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, became only the second woman to earn a Silver Star for bravery in combat (Sherman 1). The combat gallantry was in the course of the war in Afghanistan. She stood over the Forward Operating Base in the Khowst province of Afghanistan. Another historical achievement for women in the United States Army was recently observed at the White House when a female crew flew President Obama to the Andrews Air Force Base. The flight marked the last day of Major Jennifer Grieves’ rotation that had endorsed her as the first woman pilot of the presidential helicopter. She had a female copilot, Major Jennifer Marine, and a female crew chief, Colonel Sergeant Rachel Sherman. Finally, Commander Darlene Iskra was the first female officer to command a United States Navy Ship in 1990, the U.S.S. Opportune. However, female officers were later disallowed to serve on submarines. After internal deliberations, the Defense Secretary informed Congress on February 23rd 2010 that the ban would be repealed. On February 26th , the Defense Secretary confirmed that graduate female sailors from the Naval Academy would be given the first opportunity to serve on submarines. On April 29th 2010, it became official that arrangements to include female crews on submarines would be in place by 2012, officially ending the gender barrier to qualified women in the military. Works Cited Earley, C. One Woman's Army: A Black Officer Remembers the WAC. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1989. Print. Sherman, Jerome. Candidates Differ on Female Draft. 2008. Web. Stewart, Martina. General: U.S. Should Be Out of Iraq By Late 2011. , 2009. Web. Weatherford, D. American Women and World War II. Chicago: Meridian Publishing House, 1990. Print. Read More