Gusse: Women keep making headway in U.S. military

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By Julia Romero Gusse

Just a few weeks ago two women (Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver) made history in completing the Army’s elite Ranger School. They underwent the same training as their male counterparts. Women did not officially serve in the U.S. military until 1901, but hundreds of women disguised themselves as men and served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War.

While Capt. Griest and 1st Lt. Haver made history by earning the Ranger tabs, neither one can ever serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment because it is still male-only.

The Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 excluded women from combat positions and it was not until 1993 that these exclusions were lifted for women aviators. In 1994 the Pentagon declared “service members were eligible to be assigned to all positions for which they are qualified, except that women shall be excluded from assignment to units below the brigade level whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the grounds.”

In 2012, a review of pentagon policies resulted in the lifting of restrictions on 14,000 military positions. Women remained ineligible to serve in 238,000 positions, about a fifth of the armed forces. On Jan. 24, 2013, the Combat Exclusion Policy was lifted, meaning both men and women are eligible to serve in front line combat operations.

Women serving in the U.S. military in the past have often seen combat despite the Combat Exclusion Policies. If you believe the history books, women have been serving in combat for over 585 years; in 1430 Joan of Arc was a French combat hero until she was captured and subsequently executed. In 2003 during the invasion of Iraq, Arizona native Lori Ann Piestewa was the first Native American (Hopi) woman in history to die in combat while serving in the U.S. armed forces.

Lioness is an award-winning documentary that tells the story of a group of women in direct combat roles, although it was made in violation of “official military policy.” Women have been contributing in the U.S. armed forces for years, in many fields and during all conflicts.

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, as of January 2015, there were over 2 million female military veterans and 54,221 in the state of Arizona alone. In 2011 Col. Adele E. Hodges retired after 33 years of service – she was the first female colonel to command the Marine Corps Base of Camp Lejeune in its 65-year history.

It is projected that by 2040 close to 18 percent of all living veterans will be women. I believe it is just a matter of time before Capt. Griest and 1st Lt. Haver (and the women after them) will be let into the all-male regiment. After all, the 75th Ranger Regiment’s motto is “Rangers Lead the Way,” and that is exactly what these women will do.

Julia Romero Gusse is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and lives in Maricopa.