"Rose Covered Glasses" is a serious essay, satire and photo-poetry commentary from a group of US Military Veterans in Minnesota.
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“We have over 180,000 veterans in prison today and in jails all over this country,” Hagel told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell in an interview.
“This didn’t just start… the last
20 years, where America had its longest wars, we’ve seen these young men
and women redeploy, redeploy, redeploy… that takes a toll on anybody, I
don’t care how strong you are. There are going to be mental
breakdowns.”
“The Veterans Justice Commission (VJC)
of the Council on Criminal Justice announced in August of 2022 that a
full third of veterans in the United States say they’ve been arrested at
least once. Led by former defense secretaries Chuck Hagel and Leon
Panetta, the VJC began assessing the risk factor in play that leads
veterans into the criminal justice system.
That same 15-member commission, made up of
members of the judiciary, the Veterans Administration, and others is
looking into the adequacy of transition assistance programs led by the
Department of Defense, how well service members adjust to civilian life
when leaving the military, and how the justice system responds when
veterans are arrested.
Both Panetta and Hagel served in the Army
during the Vietnam Era. Panetta was a second lieutenant serving in
military intelligence between 1964 and 1966. Hagel enlisted in the Army
and was an infantry squad leader in Vietnam between 1967 and 1968. They
believe the United States isn’t doing enough to care for veterans and
their mental health when they return home.
“We can’t have this,” Hagel said. “It’s a
disgrace. When these men and women spend so many years in uniform, then
come back and somehow slip between the cracks.”
Researchers already know the risk factors that
lead the general public toward criminal behavior, but according to the
VJC’s 2022 Preliminary Report, veterans have a different set of risk
factors and their protective factors against those factors is thin.
These risk include mental trauma from repeated deployments, PTSD, TBI, substance abuse, loss of VA benefits, and the criminal justice system itself.
“These are patriots, they fought for our country, and now they’re in deep trouble, and we gotta help them,” Panetta said.
69% of veterans who are incarcerated are doing
time for violent crimes, and there are twice as many vets serving life
sentences as non-veterans. Aside from the latest survey that found more
than 180,000 veterans self-identify as having been arrested or
incarcerated, very little other data on veterans in the criminal justice
system exist.
“We’re gonna be looking through the courts,
police departments, the VA, DoD,” he said. “We’re going to be making
recommendations over the next two years to all these bodies based on
real, deep research… we don’t have all the answers but we’re gonna find
out the answers.”
Some prisons and local municipalities have
responded by creating special in-prison housing units and other programs
for incarcerated veterans, but little is known about their
effectiveness or if these units and programs are adhering to
evidence-based models of treatment and rehabilitation.
“There’s a code that Chuck and I know from the
Department of Defense,” Panetta told NBC. “Which is, you never leave
anybody behind in the military… and the act that we have this huge
number in federal and state prisons tells us that we are leaving them
behind.”
Having
been on the inside of the workings of our defense industrial base, I
have been constantly impressed with the objectivity, ethics and
coverage of the ” PROJECT ON GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT (POGO)”to
surface issues in a clear, factual fashion that citizens must be made
aware of.
The
issues range from waste, fraud and abuse, budgetary matters
concerning our largest federal agency, ethics in government and our
role on the world stage.
I
was a whistle blower years ago when there were few protections for
such individuals. I appreciate the support POGO lends these days to
that vital function, particularly in the defense industry.
POGO’s
“Federal Contractor Misconduct Data Base” is an eye opener. It is
maintained scrupulously with up to date public records of major
corporation government judgments containing details of judicial
proceedings and related fines.
The
support of POGO for ethics in government has been around for decades.
Its reputation is sterling, and its regular Congressional testimony
is riveting.
“Poolaw
would become the U.S. military’s most decorated veteran, serving in
World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. During his service,
he earned 42
medals and citations,
including four Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars and three Purple
Hearts,
one for each war in which he fought.”
“Despite
the troubled history between native tribes and the U.S. government,
American Indians have served in every major American conflict in the
country’s history. They also enlist in the U.S. military at five
times the national average of
other demographics. It’s a good thing, too, because without native
warriors like Pascal Poolaw, American military
history might
look entirely different.
Poolaw
was born into the Kiowa Nation
in 1922, at a time when American Indians weren’t even considered
natural-born citizens of the United States. Indigenous people
wouldn’t have the right to natural-born citizenship until Congress
passed the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924. Poolaw’s military story
isn’t just about his country, however; it’s also about his
dedication to family.
He
first joined the Army in
1942, following his father and two brothers who were already fighting
in World War II. By 1944, he was fighting with the 4th Infantry
Division in Europe. While assaulting the Siegfried Line in Belgium,
then-Staff Sgt. Poolaw noticed a strong German counterattack
threatening his machine gun squad.
Pushing
his men forward, he began tossing grenades at the advancing enemy
while under heavy returning fire. The effort dispersed the Germans
and saved his unit. After repelling the German assault, his company
continued its attack on the Siegfried Line. He was awarded his first
Silver Star for making a stand against a concentrated enemy
formation. Poolaw was also wounded in the effort, receiving his first
Purple Heart.
When
the Korean War broke out in 1950, Poolaw was still in the Army and
was sent to Korea with Army’s 25th Infantry Division. The 25th
Infantry Division was one of the units that cut off the approaches to
the port city of Pusan early in the war, preventing the communists
from pushing United Nations forces into the sea and capturing Korea.
After
the Incheon Landing put 40,000 U.S. and allied troops behind the
communist lines in September 1950, the 25th broke out of what was
then known as the Pusan Perimeter. Poolaw was there. Although the
bulk of the enemy forces fell apart in disarray from the UN’s
one-two punch, there were elements of stiff resistance. Poolaw was
with a company of men against that kind of resistance.
On
Sept. 19, 1950, Sgt. 1st Class Poolaw of Company C, 1st Battalion,
27th Infantry Regiment volunteered to lead a squad against a
numerically superior force dug in at the top of a hill. His squad
surprised the enemy’s perimeter, fighting a brutal hand-to-hand
engagement while the rest of C Company followed and captured the
position. Poolaw was awarded another Silver Star, but he was far from
finished in Korea.
By
April 1951, fighting was centered on or near the 38th Parallel, where
the war had ground into a bloody stalemate. At Chongong-ni,
then-Master Sgt. Poolaw’s platoon was pinned down by automatic
weapons fire, mortars and whatever else the communists could throw at
them.
To
relieve the pressure on his men, Poolaw advanced under this
onslaught, firing his rifle in the open terrain. Poolaw distracted
the enemy, drawing all their fire on himself. As he moved, his
platoon maneuvered to a better vantage point and returned fire on the
enemy position, and he was awarded a third Silver Star.
His
courage under fire in Korea earned him a battlefield promotion to
second lieutenant and later a promotion to first lieutenant. He
returned to the United States shortly after, where his four sons, all
of whom would serve in the military, were growing up fast. In 1962,
Poolaw retired from the Army after 20 years of service and four years
in combat.
But
Poolaw wasn’t away from the Army for long. The United States was
soon involved in another war, this time in Vietnam. His sons were old
enough to serve and three of them would fight in Vietnam. In 1967,
Pascal Poolaw Jr. lost his right leg to a land mine there. Shortly
after, his son Lindy received a draft notice and would soon be on his
way to Vietnam. The elder Poolaw decided to reenlist and serve one
more time.
To
ensure he would see action in Vietnam, Poolaw resigned his
commission, became a non-commissioned officer once more and
volunteered to serve in combat, all in an effort to keep Lindy out of
the war zones. He missed deploying with his son by
one day.
Deploying
to Vietnam with the 26th Infantry Regiment in May 1967, he was named
first sergeant of his company. A few months later, he was on a search
and destroy mission as part of Operation Shenandoah II in Loc Ninh.
It was an attempt to secure South Vietnam’s Highway 13 as it was
being repaired for use by American and South Vietnamese forces.
The
company was moving through a rubber plantation as it was ambushed by
the Viet Cong. The ambush began with accurate sniper fire, but the
unit was soon engulfed by claymore mines, rockets, small arms and
automatic weapons. Outnumbered and outgunned, Poolaw tried to
organize the lead squad to establish a base of fire and move wounded
troops.
Already
wounded in the initial ambush, Poolaw was hit by incoming Viet Cong
fire as he attempted to pull one of his wounded soldiers to safety.
He succumbed to the wound that day, Nov. 7, 1967, at the age of 45.
He posthumously received his fourth Silver Star and third Purple
Heart.
Irene
Poolaw, his wife of 37 years, said in his eulogy: “He has followed
the trail of the great chiefs. His people hold him in honor and
highest esteem. He has given his life for the people and the country
he loved so much.”
The civilian must accept his or her role in the issue. Elected representatives appropriate money and approve U.S. activities in other countries. Solders go where they are ordered by their commander.
If the civilian wishes change, then change can be at hand if the elected official is contacted and a strong input from the citizenry makes the demand heard.
“Asking warriors to do everything poses great dangers for our country — and the military. Our armed services have become the one-stop shop for America’s policymakers.
Here’s the vicious circle in which we’ve trapped ourselves: As we face novel security threats from novel quarters — emanating from nonstate terrorist networks, from cyberspace, and from the impact of poverty, genocide, or political repression, for instance — we’ve gotten into the habit of viewing every new threat through the lens of “war,” thus asking our military to take on an ever-expanding range of nontraditional tasks.
But viewing more and more threats as “war” brings more and more spheres of human activity into the ambit of the law of war, with its greater tolerance of secrecy, violence, and coercion — and its reduced protections for basic rights.”
The following article from “Military.Com” is an excellent
treatise from an employer perspective about the challenges often
faced by veterans returning to or entering the civilian workplace.
It
does not fully address, however, an understanding of why these
challenges exist and what to do about them from both employer and
employee perspectives. For that insight I suggest you combine your
review of this article with the article at our companion blog ,
“Smalltofeds” “Meeting
Veteran & Employer Challenges During Transition from Military
to Civilian Work”
A
respectful partnership and realistic expectations must evolve
between the veteran and the company for success in transitioning
former military personnel into the civilian work force. This must be
achieved through education, training, communication and
assessment of both the veteran and the company personnel.
"MILITARY.COM”
"Transitioning
from the military into civilian life isn’t always easy. Despite the
fact that you come from the same country and speak the same language,
the culture of the civilian working world is radically different from
the U.S. military. Both have different hierarchies, practices, and
industry-specific language. Making a successful transition means
learning a new set of skills to adapt to civilian workforce
culture. Business
Insider provided
a list of the top nine obstacles transitioning veterans usually face,
and we’ve touched one each of them for you below.
1. You
don’t see the transition from the military as starting over
professionally.
When
you first joined the military, how much did you know about it? Maybe
a few basic concepts from books or what you heard from friends and
family, but not much else. It took months of training and
acclimatizing to fully integrate, and years to move up the ranks.
Every step of the way brought new lessons and new ways of doing
things.
The
working world is no different. No matter what you did in the
military, no matter how competent you are with the core skills
necessary to do the job you want, it takes training and experience to
climb the ranks. Although some may move quickly, the learning curve
is unavoidable.
When
they join the civilian workforce, it’s important that veterans
realize they are, more often than not, taking a step down. Their
responsibilities won’t be as intense or, likely, important as they
were in the military. Accepting that is imperative to maintaining a
focused, realistic perspective.
2. You
overestimate how unique your skills and experiences are.
Years
of intense experiences have shaped you in many positive ways. You
should be a shoe-in for any civilian job, right? If there were far
fewer people competing for the same positions, then
maybe. Monster.com reported
that 470,000 resumes were uploaded every week in 2012. If you compare
that number to the number of job openings available, you have roughly
187 candidates, qualified or not, per job. No matter how qualified
you are, you’re likely competing with many others who are just as
capable as you or are otherwise flooding the recruiter or hiring
manager. Don’t ever rely on your inherent worth – finding jobs
will always require work.
3. Your
resume is too long or too short.
How
do you condense the depth and breadth of your work history and
military experience into a single sheet of paper? According to
Business Insider, you don’t. The trick is to cherry-pick jobs and
tasks from your work history, military experience included, that are
most relevant to the job you’re applying for. That means you might
need to create a slew of resumes for different applications, but
doing so will prove fruitful. An employer will respond more favorably
to a resume that clearly identifies what in your history suits you
well to the open position rather than a laundry list of miscellaneous
accomplishments.
4. You
did not proofread your resume.
If
your version of proofreading is scanning for all the red squiggly
lines and unthinkingly making the suggested changes, you’re doing
it wrong. Proofreading tools that accompany word processors are
powerful but limited. They won’t always catch obvious spelling
mistakes, sometimes autocorrect to the wrong word, and their sense of
grammar isn’t as impeccable as yours should be. Take the time to
honestly analyze every single sentence and scrutinize each
punctuation mark. Have other people read it, read it five more times
yourself, then have even more people read it; do whatever it takes,
even using a professional resume
writing service,
to make sure your grammar, spelling, and formatting are impeccable.
5. You
aren’t using LinkedIn, or your profile isn’t complete.
The
civilian working world takes LinkedIn seriously, and so should you.
You don’t have to be a social media expert, but creating a complete
profile and remaining open to networking opportunities will serve
well any job-seeker. Some may even argue it’s a necessity. A
LinkedIn profile shows off that you’re capable of navigating modern
technology and adapting to shifting business standards. Even if you
don’t have your sights set on working in upper management, having
an easily accessible professional online profile will help you
regardless of your chosen industry.
6. You
aren’t trying to leverage social media.
A
few years ago, scoffing at Myspace or the then young Facebook wasn’t
an outmoded thing to do. Social media started off as an interesting
way to reach out to others online, but only recently has it exploded
into a nearly ubiquitous cultural phenomenon and enraptured the
working world. Just as with LinkedIn, you don’t have to be an
expert but competency will make you a stronger candidate.
Websites
like Facebook and Google+ allow you to remain in contact with
individuals who may offer you a new job; even if you don’t see each
other face to face on a regular basis, professionals tend to remember
who they like and trust when it’s time to fill a position.
Furthermore, Twitter isn’t just for bragging about food or
lamenting about “first world problems” – hiring managers and
companies alike often tweet about job openings and provide
information about their company, industry, and other useful
information.
7. You
did not prepare adequately for the interview.
No
matter how many jokes you’ve heard about professionals successfully
faking their way through work, the reality is that valuable employees
train, prepare, and make sure they’re ready to accomplish a given
task. Job interviews aren’t to be taken lightly, and research and
practice can only help you. The more you know about a company and the
industries it’s a part of, the more knowledgeable and prepared
you’ll appear during an interview. Potential employers respond well
to candidates who show genuine interest, and that’s proven by
knowing who they are, what they do, who their competition is, what
industry trends they’re grappling with; the list goes on and on.
8.You
wrote a lackluster thank you note.
Thank
you notes are simple, easy, and help you stand out. After a job
interview, get busy procuring and crafting your note, and make sure
it gets to the right people as soon as possible. Having said that,
it’s not enough to write: “Dear potential employer, thank you for
the interview. I’m awesome. Take care, veteran of the U.S.
Military.” The thank you needs to be accompanied by genuine
introspection. Recall what you discussed during the interview, and
mention one or two points in the thank you note. The note itself is a
mark of appreciation, but what you write is an indicator of what you
learned and how much you pay attention.
9. You
don’t know what you want to do.
If
you really don’t know what you want to do professionally, your
job-searching forays are a poor time and place to figure it out.
Candidates who lack focus aren’t appealing to employers. You might
not know what you want to do, but no one else will figure it out for
you, especially hiring managers and recruiters. Rather than use job
listings and the application process to find your path, try securing
informational interviews, attending gatherings for different careers,
and researching online.”
If companies to which you are applying are doing business with the Federal Government, they must abide by the law with regard to hiring protected veterans and report statistics on their compliance. Application data regarding protected veterans is tracked.
“DEPARTMENT OF LABOR”
“The
law, sometimes referred to as VEVRAA or Section 4212, requires
employers doing business with the Federal government to take steps to
recruit, hire and promote protected veterans. It also makes it illegal
for these companies to discriminate against protected veterans when
making employment decisions on hiring, firing, pay, benefits, job
assignments, promotions, layoffs, training, and other employment related
activities.”
You are a “protected veteran” under Section 4212 if you belong to one of the categories of veterans described below:
Disabled Veteran
A veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military and is entitled to disability compensation (or who but for the receipt of military
retired pay would be entitled to disability compensation) under laws
administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or was discharged or
released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.
Other Protected Veteran
A veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military
during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge
was authorized under the laws administered by the Department of
Defense.
Recently Separated Veteran
A
veteran separated during the three-year period beginning on the date of
the veteran’s discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military.
Armed Forces Service Medal Veteran
A veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, participated in a U.S. military operation that received an Armed Forces service medal.”
The companies to which you are applying are doing business with the Federal Government. As such they must abide by the law with regard to hiring protected veterans and report statistics on their compliance. That is why the application data regarding protected veterans is tracked.
The definition of a protected veteran under the law is below:
“DEPARTMENT OF LABOR”
“The law, sometimes referred to as VEVRAA or Section 4212, requires employers doing business with the Federal government to take steps to recruit, hire and promote protected veterans. It also makes it illegal for these companies to discriminate against protected veterans when making employment decisions on hiring, firing, pay, benefits, job assignments, promotions, layoffs, training, and other employment related activities.”
You are a “protected veteran” under Section 4212 if you belong to one of the categories of veterans described below:
Disabled Veteran
A veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military and is entitled to disability compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to disability compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.
Other Protected Veteran
A veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge was authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.
Recently Separated Veteran
A veteran separated during the three-year period beginning on the date of the veteran’s discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military.
Armed Forces Service Medal Veteran
A veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, participated in a U.S. military operation that received an Armed Forces service medal.”
The below table of contents reflects free small business federal government contracting materials available at Small To Feds.
You may download the book, SmallBusiness Federal Government Contracting and its supplement from the "Box" in the right margin below at this site. Blue topic titles are the basic book and red topics are contained in the supplement.
Use the links beneath the table to access more recent articles at Smalltofeds since the publication of the book and the supplement.
All articles are kept current on the web site. The latest version within the book can be reached by simply clicking on the article live links. You may also benefit from the free "Reference Materials" in the "Box" in the right margin. Contract agreements, incorporation instructions for all the US states, guidance on marketing and business planning are all included.
Other free books by Ken Larson, available as downloads from the "Box" include:
"A Veteran's Photo/Poetry Journal of Recovery From Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "
"Odyssey of Armaments" My Journey Through the Defense Industrial Complex"
Free in Adobe format in the Box Net cube in the right margin of this site.
In 2005 Ken Larson underwent treatment at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota for PTSD, having self-treated the illness since returning from Vietnam in 1968
He chose not to be treated when advances in care became available in the mid 1980's, driven by a need to keep his security clearances in the defense industry. That dilemma is described in his book," Odyssey of Armaments" and is a story for another time.
This journal has been a powerful catalyst in Ken's recovery. It combines thoughts as he worked his way through a traumatic past with favorite photos of nature taken in his odyssey. The resulting marriage of written word and visual expression permitted resolutions to issues that haunted him.
Although the journal is still a work in process, it is published here in the hope it may educate and perhaps assist others like him who have suffered from PTSD to come out of the darkness and into the light.
"Despite
more than a decade’s worth of effort to prevent suicides among
service members, the numbers continue to rise, including a 16-percent
jump during 2020.
To
get a better idea of the scope of the issue, Congress mandated an
independent review commission in the 2022 National Defense
Authorization Act and, on Tuesday, the Pentagon announced it would
begin getting it off the ground."
“It
is imperative that we take care of all our teammates and continue to
reinforce that mental health and suicide prevention remain a key
priority,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote in a
memo signed Tuesday.
“One death by suicide is one too many. And suicide rates among our
Service members are still too high. So, clearly we have more work.
The
commission will study suicide prevention and behavioral health
programs across the services, including site visits, focus groups,
interviews and a confidential survey of troops at every location
visited, much in the same way an independent
review commission on sexual assault went
about its mandate last year.
“He’s
seen enough to know that we we’ve got to do something different,
that we’ve got to try to take additional and more creative action
here,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said of the secretary’s
concerns.
The
first nine bases on the list are:
Joint
Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
Fort
Wainright, Alaska
Eielson
Air Force Base, Alaska
Fort
Campbell, Kentucky
Camp
Lejeune, North Carolina
Nellis
Air Force Base, Nevada
Naval
Air Station North Island, California
Camp
Humphreys, South Korea
North
Carolina National Guard
Alaska
has made headlines in recent years with its disproportionate suicide
rate among service members. U.S.
Army Alaska alone
confirmed in December that it had seen 10 confirmed suicides in 2021,
with several more deaths still under investigation.
Austin
“spent a lot of time when he went out to Fairbanks, talking with
troops and commanders about the challenges there with respect to
mental health and suicide,” Kirby said of the secretary’s trip to
Alaska last summer.
The
other installations were chosen in consultation with leaders, Kirby
said.
Alaska
has made headlines in recent years with its disproportionate suicide
rate among service members. U.S.
Army Alaska alone
confirmed in December that it had seen 10 confirmed suicides in 2021,
with several more deaths still under investigation.
Austin
“spent a lot of time when he went out to Fairbanks, talking with
troops and commanders about the challenges there with respect to
mental health and suicide,” Kirby said of the secretary’s trip to
Alaska last summer.
The
other installations were chosen in consultation with leaders, Kirby
said.
“So,
I mean, it was a team effort to come up with this list,” he said.
“And … it’s the initial list of installations. It doesn’t
necessarily have to be the end all list here.”
Despite
more access to behavioral health resources than ever before, some
service members still struggle to push through their concerns about
seeking treatment, while others experience long waits to access care
on their bases.
I think
the secretary believes that one problem that we have to get after is
the stigma of seeking help for mental health problems, which is still
a problem in the military,” Kirby said. Many service members still
have the impression that seeking mental health treatment will
negatively affect their military careers, from favorable assignments
to deployments to promotion chances.
One
specific measure Austin is interested in is firearms storage, Kirby
said.
More
than 60 percent of military suicides are carried out with a
personally owned firearm, according to DoD data. Research
on suicide has shown that the decision to end one’s life
is largely an impulsive one, and that even having to remove a weapon
from a locked safe can give someone enough time to reconsider.
“And
one of the things that he wants to do is is is work with commanders
on storage of the firearms in the home or on base and make sure we’ve
got that,” Kirby said.
The department has 60 days to tap members of the commission, according to the memo. After that, site visits will begin no later than Aug. 1, with an initial report due to Austin by Dec. 20. Congress will receive the findings by Feb. 18."
If you or a loved one is experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, you can confidentially seek assistance via the Military/Veterans Crisis Line at 800-273-8255, via text at 838255 or chat at http://VeteransCrisisLine.net."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members. Follow on Twitter @Meghann_MT
After a careful review by the Intelligence Community for Publication, Drone Warrior has performed a stunning service, giving the reader a gut level feel for U.S. War from a decorated soldier's perspective.
Those of us who served in Vietnam and similar conflicts since can totally relate to this masterpiece of honesty.
Brett Velicovich pulls no punches. The mental stress, teamwork, tragedy and after effects in this modern, technological killing process can be felt with every line. The impact on the man himself and on those with whom he worked has not been spared in its detail and its effects.
Having left the service, Brett is now involved in harnessing and controlling the technology for peaceful purposes like wildlife preservation and management. Those of us who have made similar transitions applaud, commend and recommend the book and the man.
Read it to become informed and consider the billions we are spending on this warfare today as well as the impact on our youth and our future. Drone Warrior
“Women have dutifully served
their country since the days of the American Revolution. From breaking
barriers in combat to challenging the status quo across eras, here are
eight female soldiers who changed the course of history for the U.S.
military.“
“The
Union Army had pressed Cathay Williams into service as a young girl to
cook and launder clothes for XIII Corps. She grew accustomed to military
life and being on the march, which must have made her later deception
easier. (U.S. Army)
Pvt. Cathay Williams began her journey with the U.S. military in a
support role during the Civil War, forced to serve due to her status as a
captured slave, the National Park Service noted.
After the war, Williams became the first Black woman to enlist when she
joined the Army under a male pseudonym, William Cathay, in 1866, the
Army noted.
“A young, female, unmarried former slave,” Williams joined the Army
without a full medical examination, and she was assigned to the 38th
U.S. Infantry Regiment – which would become part of the famed Buffalo Soldiers, according to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Suffering from smallpox, Williams was discovered to be a woman while
undergoing treatment and honorably discharged in 1868. She continued in
her work as a military cook at Fort Union, New Mexico. Her story was
documented in the St. Louis Daily Times in 1876.
Williams was the first Black woman to enlist in the U.S. Army and the only known female Buffalo Soldier.
Dr. Mary E. Walker
Dr.
Mary Walker was an outspoken advocate for women’s rights, and the first
woman ever awarded the Medal of Honor for her service as a surgeon
during the Civil War. (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
In 1861, 29-year-old Dr. Mary Walker applied to become a surgeon with
the Union Army, as she had been one of the few female physicians in the
country prior to the start of the Civil War. She was rejected but
remained on as a volunteer, leveraging her skills to treat the wounded,
AUSA noted.
Two years later, Walker finally received an appointment to serve an
assistant surgeon in the Army, after spending additional time as a field
surgeon in Virginia, according to an Army story.
In the latter years of the war, Walker was captured by Confederate
forces, held in squalid conditions as a prisoner of war, yet another in a
long line of abuses due to her status as a woman.
She lobbied for women’s causes and for her service during the war, she was awarded the Medal of Honor in
1865. The award was later rescinded in 1917 due to her status as a
civilian, but President Jimmy Carter restored the award in 1977, the
Army noted.
Dr. Mary Walker remains the only woman to have received the Medal of Honor in U.S. history.
Harriet Tubman
The
rechristened and self-liberated Harriet Tubman launched an illustrious
career as a member of the Underground Railroad. Tubman was the “Great
Emancipator,” leading scores of escaping African Americans to freedom,
often all the way to Canada. She built up a network of supporters and
admirers, including William Lloyd Garrison and William Seward, to name
but two who lauded her efforts. (Library of Congress)
Beyond being the legendary “conductor” of the Underground Railroad,
shepherding enslaved persons to freedom, Harriet Tubman also aided the
Union’s military effort in the Civil War. Early in the war, Tubman
served as a nurse for Union regiments before moving on to a larger role
as spymaster and military scout.
Under the direction of War Secretary Edwin Stanton, Tubman recruited
locals throughout conquered areas in the South to pass information along
to Union commanders and assist in assault preparations. Her group’s
work led to a successful assault on Jacksonville, Florida, and the
Combahee River Raid in June 1863, as Military Times previously reported.
Decades later, Tubman finally received recognition — to a degree —
for her military service during the Civil War, as she had been kept out
of official military documents. In 1899, Tubman was granted a pension,
officially validating her widely known contributions to the Union cause.
Mary A. Hallaren
Col. Mary Hallaren became the first official female soldier to join the U.S. Army as Director of the Women’s Army Corps. (AP)
Col. Mary Hallaren became a member of the first training class of the
Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (later, Women’s Army Corps, or WAC) in
1942 before commanding the largest all-female unit to serve overseas. In
1948, while serving as WAC’s director, Hallaren “was instrumental” in
advocating for women to be fully integrated as “permanent regular
members” of the military beyond just wartime, according to the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Hallaren, who had originally enlisted in the military following the
Pearl Harbor attack, later became the first commissioned officer in the
Regular Army, not a medical role, in 1948, according to the Army’s Center of Military History.
“To me there was no question that women should serve,” Hallaren said, as reported by the New York Times.
Marcella A. Hayes became the first black female to receive aviator
wings in the U.S. Armed Forces in November 1979 when she completed Army
helicopter flight training at the U.S. Army Aviation Center, Fort
Rucker, Alabama. (Army)
Marcella Hayes, who began her military career as an ROTC cadet at the
University of Wisconsin, became the first Black female pilot in the
U.S. military in 1979. She graduated Army Flight School at Fort Rucker,
Alabama, earning her paratrooper badge during her training as a
helicopter pilot, the Army Women’s Foundation reported.
Hayes became the 55th woman to earn her pilot wings, before being
assigned to the 394th Transportation Battalion in Germany, the unit’s
first black soldier and first woman leader. She went on to marry Dennis
Ng, also in the Army, retiring in 2000 as a lieutenant colonel.
Linda Bray
Capt.
Linda L. Bray, 29, from Butner, N.C., with the 988th Military Police
Company from Fort Benning, Ga., poses in the Army’s Quarry Heights base
in Panama City Jan. 3, 1990. She led 30 MPs in an attack on Panamanian
Defense Forces kennels the night of the American invasion, resulting in
intense combat with PDF soldiers and a cache of weapons captured. (AP)
Capt. Linda Bray was one of over 700 women to participate in
Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989, as she led the 988th Military
Police Company, according to the Army. There, she became the first woman
to command American soldiers in battle, a trailblazing role that
launched a reflection about women in the military.
“I joined the Army for the excitement, the challenge, the experience
and loyalty to my country,” Bray said at the time, according to the New York Times. “I haven’t been let down a day.”
Bray’s role in combat forced the U.S. military to reevaluate their
prohibition on women in the role, which ultimately culminated in an end
to the ban by then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in 2013, the
Seattle Times noted.
Kristen Griest & Shaye Haver
1st
Lt. Shaye Haver, left, and Capt. Kristen Griest talk on the phone Aug.
20 with Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who called to congratulate them on
being the first women to earn the Ranger Tab. (Patrick A.
Albright/Army)
Capt. Kristen M. Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye L. Haver became the first
two women to complete Army Ranger School and earn their Ranger tabs in
2015. Both graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New
York, the two soldiers became the first females of over 77,000 tabbed
soldiers since the Ranger School’s inception in 1950, according to an
Army story.
Griest was a military police platoon leader, and Haver was an AH-64
Apache pilot, who both looked at Ranger School as the highest challenge
to prepare them to lead soldiers.
“The reasons I chose to come were the same as the men here: to get
the experience of the elite leadership school and to give me the
opportunity to lead my Soldiers the best that I can,” Haver told the
Army at the time. “I think if females continue to come to this course,
they can be encouraged by what we have accomplished, but hopefully
they’re encouraged by the legacy that the Ranger community has left.”
Since Griest and Haver shattered this barrier, over 30 female
soldiers have earned Ranger tabs, including enlisted soldiers and
National Guardsmen, Army Times reported.
Ann E. Dunwoody
Army
Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody was pinned by Chief of Staff of the Army
General George W. Casey, left, and her husband Craig Brotchie during her
promotion ceremony at the Pentagon, making history as the nation’s
first four-star female officer. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly A.
Burgess/DoD)
Retired Army Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody became the first woman to
reach a four-star officer rank in the history of the United States
military in 2008. Dunwoody, who led Army Materiel Command before her
retirement in 2012, remained a pioneer throughout her decades-long
service. In 1992, she became the first woman to command a battalion in
the 82nd Airborne Division during the First Gulf War, according to the Purple Heart Foundation.
“I have never considered myself anything but a soldier. I recognize
that with this selection, some will view me as a trailblazer,” Dunwoody said on
her promotion at the time. “But it’s important that we remember the
generations of women, whose dedication, commitment and quality of
service helped open the doors of opportunity for us today.”
Dunwoody was a fourth-generation Army officer, and she released a book on leadership in 2015.”
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