Women and the Army
by Quashwn Cook
It is no secret that women of yesterday and today has had a long battle with equality. A battle that is still being fought until this very day, this very second. The military is no exception to this. Since 1775 women have served in the United States Army in some form or another (Bumiller & Shanker 2013). In the beginnings of women serving in the U.S. Army women were nurses, cooks, and tailors (Bumiller & Shanker 2013). They did not play a huge role in the Army but it was significant enough to keep women around. Women made countless sacrifices for our country but was never given equal treatment as the men. The Pentagon in 1994 restricted women from "artillery, armor, infantry and other combat roles and military occupational specialties (Bumiller & Shanker 2013)." It was not until a mere two years ago that this rule was finally lifted. In 2013 "Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta signed a document to lift the Defense Department's ban on women in direct combat roles (Bumiller & Shanker 2013)." Because of the lift of the band more than 33,000 jobs have been made available to the women that serve this country and jobs are still opening up to women.
The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was a way for women to be more a part of the army then just being nurses. The WAC was started in WWII it was the first time women were able to serve in noncombat positions and within ranks of the army (Women's Army Corps 2014). This establishment gave over 150,000 women the opportunity to serve with men in the army, with the exception of combat (Women's Army Corps 2014).
References
Bumiller Elisabeth & Shanker, Tom. (2013, January 24). Military to lift bar on women in combat jobs; Joint Chiefs advised rule; will phase it in, Panetta says. The New York Times. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR). p. 1.
Women’s Army Corps (WAC). (2014). Encyclopedia Britannica.
The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was a way for women to be more a part of the army then just being nurses. The WAC was started in WWII it was the first time women were able to serve in noncombat positions and within ranks of the army (Women's Army Corps 2014). This establishment gave over 150,000 women the opportunity to serve with men in the army, with the exception of combat (Women's Army Corps 2014).
References
Bumiller Elisabeth & Shanker, Tom. (2013, January 24). Military to lift bar on women in combat jobs; Joint Chiefs advised rule; will phase it in, Panetta says. The New York Times. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR). p. 1.
Women’s Army Corps (WAC). (2014). Encyclopedia Britannica.