Opinion
I generally refuse to participate in any Women’s History Month, International Women’s Day, or “You Go Girl!” activities and have my whole life. Growing up, I never understood why women should receive special treatment or recognition for doing the same things men do.
I grew up in the late ’80s and ’90s, when it became very fashionable for women to be told that they could do and be anything they wanted to be and that they should aspire to be everything and more. All I knew was that I wanted to be more than I was financially destined to become, so as soon as I could and with very insistent pushing from my parents, I enlisted in the United States Air Force.
Being a woman in the military, specifically the Air Force, wasn’t all that revolutionary when I joined; I wouldn’t feel the pressure to be a role model and inspiration for my gender until much later, when I rose through the ranks and became a senior leader. It was these women I’m about to tell you about who inspired me.
Captain Linda Bray
Capt. Linda Bray, a U.S. Army ROTC graduate, is the reason women like me served in combat alongside our brothers in uniform during the last Forever War in Afghanistan. In 1989, Captain Bray led the 988th Military Police Company during Operation Just Cause in Panama.
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She became the first American woman to command soldiers in battle. Her unique combat role at the time ultimately led to the end of Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s ban on women serving in combat in 2013.
Colonel Martha McSally
Colonel Martha McSally was the first female fighter pilot to fly combat missions. A pilot of the A-10 Thunderbolt II, she became the first woman to command a fighter squadron in combat.
While attending the Air War College before blaming the Colonel, Martha McSally said:
“I hope to be a role model for both men and women because we are a fighting force and we shouldn’t worry about the differences between us.”
Colonel McSally, unfortunately, is also one of many survivors of sexual assault in the military, as she publicly revealed during a congressional hearing in 2019.
Major Lauren Edwards
Marine Corps Major Lauren Edwards is the epitome of badass and cool. During the invasion of Iraq, Major Edwards led more than 150 soldiers and countless military vehicles across the country of Iraq while she faced heavy fire.
In addition to her extraordinary leadership skills, at one point, she managed to complete the standard men’s Marine Corps physical fitness test with perfection, a feat that many men find difficult. For reference, that means Major Edwards could run three miles in 18 minutes and complete 20 pull-ups and 100 sit-ups in two minutes.
After taking command of the 8th Engineer Support Battalion at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in 2015, Lt. Col. Edwards said:
“My job now is to serve as a positive example of leadership and professionalism for men and women. I am extraordinarily proud to assume command of the 8th ESB today, and I hope that all the Marines and sailors of this battalion recognize that if they work hard and care for each other they can accomplish anything they set their minds to.”
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Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester
We rarely hear about women in combat roles engaging in what is known as close combat. However, this is exactly what earned Sergeant Hester the Silver Star.
While deployed to Iraq, Sergeant Hester walked directly into the line of fire, killing three Iraqi insurgents at close range. When his supply convoy was ambushed, he directed his squad with deadly precision.
His leadership that day resulted in the death or wounding of 33 rebels, without the loss of a single person among his teammates. Her service runs deep for this girl as she later separated from the National Guard to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a police officer.
Later, the call to duty came again when he donned the uniform to serve his nation in Afghanistan and again in the Virgin Islands on a humanitarian mission.
Gone too soon
Some of us never get the chance to take revolutionary action or save our fellow soldiers through movie-worthy acts of courage. Sergeant Nicole Gee is one of too many service members whose full heroic potential was never allowed to blossom.
Sergeant Gee was one of 13 abducted by us in suicide attacks at Kabul International Airport during the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Immortalized by images of her holding an Afghan child in an attempt to protect and calm, this woman in uniform was a hero taken from us too soon and forgotten just as quickly by the administration that condemned her and her fellow service members to an untimely death.
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The world was better with her, and although her service was short, it did not make her any less of a giant than her fellow servicemembers’ military courage.
Last thoughts
I was and still am proud to have worn the military uniform and served my country with distinction and honor. I endured many of the same hardships as my fellow service members.
With each rank I obtained, it often became much more difficult for my fellow leaders in the room not to look at me as “the female leader” in the room but to look at me as an equal and someone they should keep an eye on because I was often quicker on my feet than the most of them. Making myself no more special than the next female in service, I endured sexual harassment and survived a sexual assault during my time in uniform.
Although women face different barriers and obstacles than men, what makes us unique is not our genetic makeup but our strength of character. This trait can be found in anyone, regardless of gender.
It was and probably still is difficult to be a woman in the military. She now imagines how much more difficult it will be for women in the military when men are allowed to say they are women and belittle the truly great women of military history.
To all my comrades in uniform past, present and future… thank you for your service, and give them hell, sir.
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