In Honor of our Women Patriots

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World War II

The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps was established as America prepared for World War II. Within a year, it became fully incorporated into the Army and became the Women's Army Corps, with rank, pay and appropriate benefits.

Soon after, the Navy organized the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) as part of the Naval Reserve. Women in the Coast Guard were inducted as SPARs (Semper Paratus -- Always Ready). Women served throughout the theaters of operation -- as secretaries, interpreters,
intelligence operatives.

Nurses once again were at or near the front lines. More than 200 were killed by hostile fire, including six Army nurses who remain buried at the beachhead on Normandy.

Also during World War II, 900 women volunteered to join the Women's Air Forces Service Pilots (WASPs). They served as flight instructors for men, ferried airplanes from the United States to Europe, and had the dubious privilege of towing targes so fighter pilots using live ammunition could practice on something moving. Thirty-eight WASPs were killed in airplane crashes and many more injured.

During World War II, more than 384,000 women served in the military.

Korean War

The Korean War once again saw women serving both in hospitals and in support roles. The development of the air evacuation system for combat casualties and the expansion of the roles of the flight nurse were pioneered during Korea and would make a significant difference in the casualty care system during Vietnam.

During the Korean era over 120,000 women were on active duty. In addition to the nurses actually in Korea, many women served at support units nearby, in Japan and other far eastern countries.

Captain Lillian Kinkela Keil, a member of the Air Force Nurse Corps and possibly the most decorated woman in the U.S. military.
Captain Kinkela flew over 200 air evacuation missions during WWII as well as 25 trans- Atlantic crossings. She went back to civilian flying with United Airlines after the war, but when the Korean conflict erupted she donned her uniform once more and flew several hundred more missions as a flight nurse
in Korea.

Captain Keil-Kinkela was the inspiration for the 1953 movie "Flight
Nurses" and served as technical advisor to the film. Her corations include the European Theater of Operations with Four Battle Stars; The Air Medal with Three Oak Leaf Clusters; The Presidential Unit Citation with One Oak Leaf Cluster;
The Korean Service Medal with Seven Battle Stars; The American Campaign Medal; The United Defense Medal; and Presidential Citation, Republic of Korea. Captain Kinkela has been honored several times in her home town of Covina Hills, California
and is still quite active in the VFW.

Vietnam War

The perception that women, if there at all, were assigned to the "safe" places in Vietnam demonstrates an ignorance of women's contributions. From the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964 to the fall of Saigon in 1975, more than 265,000 women served in the military. Approximately 11,000 women served in Vietnam; most served as military nurses. Others worked as physicians or in intelligence, supply, administration, air support and addition areas. Eight military nurses died while serving in Vietnam -- their names are engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

American Women
Military and Civilian
who died in the Vietnam War (1959-1975)

Military Women 8
Civilian Women 59
Total Women 67


Persian Gulf War

By 1991 and the Persian Gulf War, more than 11 percent of the
active duty military and 13 percent of the reserve forces were women.

The Persian Gulf was a true turning point for women in the military. For the first time they were called upon to demonstrate their effectiveness in war positions previously reserved for men. Manning Patriot missile placements, flying helicopters on reconnaissance and search and rescue missions,
driving convoys over the desert, close to enemy positions, women were called upon to do all these jobs and more. Close to 35,000 women served in the Persian Gulf.

Their success can be measured by the fact that many
new positions have been opened to women in recent years.
Mobilization for the Gulf war included an unprecedented proportion of women from the active forces (7%) as well as the Reserve and National Guard (17%). It was the largest female deployment in U.S. history. Over 40,000 US military women served in key combat-support positions throughout the Persian Gulf Region.

Sixteen women died during the war and two were held prisoner.