BRIEF HISTORY:
- 1862 - Sisters of the Holy Cross served about USS Red Rover, the Navy first hospital ship.
- 1908 - establishment of the Nurse Corps
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels announced that the Navy will enlist females on 17 March 1917; Most of the 11,000 female yeoman worked in the nation’s capital filling a variety of jobs including draftsman, interpreters, couriers and translators. Late in the War I, the Navy enlisted 24 African American women who worked in the Navy Department building. Fifty-seven Yeoman (f.) and two woman marines died from the 1918 Influenza.
- 1948 - Edna Young - 1st black enlisted female to serve in the regular Navy in 1948; retired as a Chief.
- 1974 - Six women earned their wings and became the first naval aviators
- 2014 - Vice Admiral Michelle Howard confirms as the first woman 4-star admiral
- 2015 - enlisted women can serve on submarines.
Current Issues:
- Controversy with allowing women to be a part of the SEALs - decision comes on Jan. 2016
- Health risks when on submarines including pregnancy ignored
- Sexual assault and harassment cases against women
References:
http://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/diversity/women-in-the-navy/milestones-of-women-in-the-us-navy.html
Navy SEALs: http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2014/12/27/navy-seal-integration-women-2015-report/20769871/