Introduction

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we honor the unsung heroes of national service who have been breaking barriers and challenging limitations with extraordinary resilience and determination. For more than a hundred years, women have stepped forward from the coded communications of Native American cryptologists to the critical medical care provided by African American nurses, from the strategic intelligence of OSS operatives to the pioneering aviation of WASPs. Women have consistently demonstrated their unwavering commitment to serving their country in profound and transformative ways. Long before they were officially recognized, women have been integral to national progress, stepping forward in times of war and peace – and reshaping the very definition of patriotism and service along the way.

1. Tribal women who served as code talkers.

World War II saw the Allied forces achieve victory through various strategic advantages – and code talkers were a key strategy. Code talkers were American Indians who utilized their tribal language to establish secure battlefield communications. Code talkers were initially tested in World War I with groups such as the Choctaw Telephone Squad, but were not put into full effect until World War II.

In 1940, the U.S. Army began recruiting Native Americans, primarily from Oklahoma and surrounding areas, to train in code talking. This consisted of years of training and the development of two types of code talking. Type 1 Code consisted of 26 Navajo terms that represented English letters. For example, the Navajo word “wo-la-chee,” meaning “ant,” represented the letter ‘a’. These Navajo words were then combined to form sentences, which were subsequently decoded into English. Type 2 Code contained 211 words that were able to be directly translated from English to Navajo, and vice versa. These words were military-specific, such as “submarine” being called “besh-lo” in Navajo, which translates to “iron fish” in English. The 211-word vocabulary evolved to 411 words by the end of the war. 

By 1942, the first class of Marine code talker recruits had completed their training. Code talkers typically worked in pairs, with one operating a portable radio and the other translating between Navajo and English. This strategy proved highly effective against Japan, with over 800 messages being transmitted using this code. Notably, fifty percent of these transmissions were flawlessly coded by a single individual: Winnie Breegle. 

Winnie Breegle served as a WAVE (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) cryptographer and code talker during World War II. Fluent in English, Latin, and Spanish, she also mastered the Navajo code talker language while serving in the Navy. Winnie served for five years and has since been recognized, along with her fellow code talkers, for having unparalleled value in winning World War II. Despite their vital contribution, code talkers were sworn to secrecy after V-J Day, in case their unbreakable code was needed in future conflicts. Although the program was declassified in 1968, Congressional Gold Medals were not awarded to the code talkers until 2001.

2. African American nurses or members of the Women’s Army Corps during segregated military service.

African American nurses like Della Hayden Raney – a six-time military award recipient and the first African American woman to be promoted to captain –  made nursing and military history by serving the U.S. with distinction during segregated military service.

The U.S. Army Nurse Corps (ANC) became part of the Army Medical Department in 1901 to aid ill and injured soldiers. By 1918, the ANC had 21,460 nurses, though only a few African American nurses were allowed to serve. Despite over 1,800 African American nurses being qualified to serve in the ANC, only 18 were accepted at the end of World War I to treat victims of the Spanish Flu pandemic. Eight months after their service began, the women were discharged and barred from service for 22 years. 

When the start of World War II inspired Black women to volunteer in the ANC, they were initially blocked from entry due to segregation. However, the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses pushed against racial discrimination and a quota of 56 – later increased to 500 – African American nurses were allowed to serve in World War II. Still, the nurses were sent to segregated bases under the condition that they were only allowed to aid injured African American soldiers or German prisoners of war.

Della Hayden Raney was the first African American woman to join the ANC during World War II, ending the 22-year block on women of color serving in the ANC. Raney was also the first African American woman to receive a commission from the Army. She stood as second lieutenant in 1941 and a year later, became the first African American woman to be promoted to first lieutenant. She also became the first African American chief nurse and made history again when promoted to captain in 1944 and major in 1946. These brave women paved the way for the ANC and for Black women’s role in our military efforts. Since 1918, millions of Black women have served in all branches of the military, overcoming barriers and discrimination to serve their country. 

3. SPARs

On November 23rd, 1942, the U.S. Coast Guard established its women’s reserve, known as SPARs. The name “SPAR” is derived from the Coast Guard’s motto, “Semper Paratus, Always Ready.” This vital reserve comprised 10,000 dedicated women volunteers who served their country during World War II, filling crucial roles as men were called to active duty.

The creation of SPARs was driven by necessity. As more men were called to active duty, women stepped forward to fill essential roles. The duties performed by these women in the military were diverse and included “officers, seamen, clerical workers, logistics specialists, photographers, parachute riggers, air traffic controllers, and radio operators.” The establishment of SPARs, signed into effect by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, served a dual-purpose: it provided crucial support to the country during wartime and represented a significant step in recognizing women’s right to participate directly in the armed services. This recognition helped pave the way for future generations of women to join the military and pursue careers in fields traditionally dominated by men.

A particularly important figure in the SPARs effort was Captain Dorothy Stratton. Prior to 1942, Dorothy had an esteemed career as the Dean of Women at Purdue University for nine years. However, when the call came, she took a leave of absence to join the WAVEs (United States Naval Women’s Reserves). Her leadership qualities were quickly recognized, and within a year, she was selected to direct the U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserves. Dorothy played a critical role in organizing and managing the recruitment, training, and integration of over 10,000 women into the military through SPARs during the war. She was instrumental in breaking gender barriers, demonstrating women’s capability in military service, and paving the way for future generations of women in the armed forces.

SPARS was disbanded six months following the end of the war. However, the progress made in women’s military service held steadfast. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, which allowed women to serve as permanent members of the U.S. military.  While the Coast Guard was initially not included in this act due to its distinct organizational structure, they followed suit in 1949 and revised their policies to allow women to serve. Finally, in 1973, Congress amended the rules to ensure Coast Guard women could serve alongside men on fully equal terms. 

4. Women in the OSS

In 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt established the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The OSS was composed of 13,000 men and women who were selected based on their skills, aptitude, bravery, ruthlessness and creativity. Of the 13,000 OSS members, 4,500 were women, with backgrounds ranging anywhere from graduate students and teachers to socialites and lawyers. These women put themselves in harm’s way to engage in counterintelligence and create propaganda to help fight against enemy forces.

Julia Child, well-known for bringing French cuisine to America, had origins in the OSS as a research assistant tasked with developing shark repellent for sailors and airmen conducting missions in shark-infested waters. However, women of the OSS did all sorts of jobs that put themselves at risk for their country. For instance, Gertrude Sanford Legendre, a young female socialite and from a wealthy family, became the first female American prisoner of war (POW) because of her relationship to the OSS. Alongside two OSS officers, Legendre was trapped by sniper fire near the Luxembourg border and captured by the Germans for six months. Legendre refused to give up her true identity – and only escaped by jumping off of a moving train and running into a nearby forest.

Female OSS members were also instrumental in key war operations such as Operation Sauerkraut. Operation Sauerkraut was a series of secret missions that used German POWs to disperse propaganda during 1944 to 1945. Many women were involved in the mission, such as multilingual journalist Barbara Lauwers who interviewed German and Czech POWs during the operation. Lauwers also devised propaganda that convinced nearly 600 Czech and Slovak soldiers to surrender to the Allies – with many of them carrying her leaflet propaganda in their pockets. In 1945, Lauwers received a Bronze Star for the success of this operation.

Although the OSS only lasted for three years, it served as the basis for the CIA. Some of the OSS women, such as Marion Frieswyk who became the first female intelligence cartographer, went on to work for the CIA after the war. The OSS women have several books written about them, detailing their bravery and efforts in assisting resistance behind enemy lines. 

5. WASPs

During the height of World War II, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) were formed to free men for combat. The idea for the formation of the WASPs was proposed by Jacqueline Cochran, a pioneer in women’s aviation. She went on to serve as director of the WASPs from August 1943 to December 1944. 

Over the course of 27 weeks, 1,830 women learned to fly planes and trained in navigation, physics, Morse code, meteorology, military law, and mechanics. A total of 1,074 women graduated and engaged in non-combat missions such as ferrying new and damaged planes, testing aircraft with suspected mechanical issues, and towing practice targets for anti-aircraft gunners. By the end of the war, the WASPs had flown 77 different military aircraft – including B-25 bombers and Navy A-24 attack planes – and ferried thousands of planes across 126 bases.

There were 38 WASP fatalities during the war, but because the WASPs were considered a “civilian group,” there were no flags on their caskets, no service flags on their windows and their families had to pay for their funerals. Everything from uniforms to room and board was paid for by the WASPs, and they resorted to passing around a hat to raise money for their deceased sisters and escorting each of them home. When the war ended, Cohran proposed that the WASPs be disbanded if they were not militarized, and so they were.

Many people never knew what the WASPs did for their country. The women did not get recognition for their service or receive veteran benefits until 30 years later. Byrd Howell Granger, former WASP commanding officer, compiled a document entitled “Evidences of Military Service of Women Air Force Service Pilots of World War II,” containing more than 100 pages of flight logs, accident reports and proof that they underwent military training and were assigned top secret missions. Granger’s efforts played a major role in the WASP’s militarization and finally, in 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed H.R. 8701 into law, giving the WASPs the veteran status they so valiantly earned. 

6. Rosie the riveter

“We Can Do It!” Rosie the Riveter stands as one of the most iconic and influential figures in American history, inspiring millions of women to enter the workforce during World War II.

Originally conceived by J. Howard Miller in 1942, Rosie the Riveter was a fictional female character who encouraged women to work in manufacturing jobs on the home front while men who previously held those jobs were away fighting the war. The most recognizable image portrays Rosie in a red bandana with her sleeves rolled up in a denim jumpsuit, set against a vibrant yellow background, with the empowering text bubble proclaiming, “We Can Do It!” This strong imagery conveyed a powerful message: women were just as capable as men in performing skilled labor.

The campaign proved remarkably effective, helping recruit over two million women in the workforce. It spurred female entry into a variety of critical industries, including factory work, shipbuilding, engineering, mechanics, and aviation manufacturing– making up 65% of the aviation industry’s total workforce, compared to just 1% in the pre-war years. Not only did the increase of women in these fields boost the production of war materials and stabilize the economy, but also marked a major step forward for gender equality, both during and after the war.

Rosie the Riveter played a vital role in dismantling pre-existing gender norms by demonstrating that women could successfully hold the same jobs and societal responsibilities as men. Additionally, women gained newfound financial independence and self-confidence in their strength, intelligence, and technical skills. Internal and external perceptions of women improved drastically during the war. 

As the soldiers returned home following the end of the war, many women remained in these wartime careers, which allowed for men to pursue education through the newly enacted GI Bill.  Although the explicit push for women in the workforce diminished somewhat following the war, the effects were long-lasting. Rosie the Riveter became an enduring symbol of women’s strength, resilience, and capability. She continues to inspire future generations of women to pursue careers in traditionally male-dominated fields like engineering, science, and technology.

Conclusion

The story of women’s service is not just a historical narrative but a continuing legacy of courage, innovation and dedication. Each generation of women builds upon the groundwork laid by their predecessors, expanding possibilities and creating pathways for those who will follow. Their service transcends uniforms and titles – it is a testament to the fundamental truth that commitment to one’s country knows no gender. As we reflect on over a century of contributions, we are reminded that true national strength is not about limitations, but about the boundless potential of individuals who are willing to serve, sacrifice and lead, regardless of the obstacles they face.