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Contents 1 Pre-World War I 2 World War I 3 World War II 4 Korean War Era 5 Vietnam War Era 6 Women in the Navy since 1972 6.1 Officer Accession Programs 6.2 Surface Warfare 6.3 Aviation 6.4 Submarines 7 Admirals 8 Pregnancy and ship duty controversy 9 See also 10 References 11 Further reading 12 Bibliographies 13 External links

[edit] Pre-World War I

Women worked as nurses for the Navy as early as the Civil War. The United States Navy Nurse Corps was officially established in 1908. See United States Navy Nurse Corps for the evolution of the Navy Nurse Corps.

[edit] World War I

The increased size of the United States Navy in support of World War I increased the need for clerical and administrative support. Since Naval Reserve Act of 1916 authorizing the enlistment of yeomen did not specify that they had to be male, the Navy was able to induct its first female sailors into the U. S. Naval Reserve. Women served around the continental U. S. and in France, Guam and Hawaii, mostly as yeomen, but also as radio operators, electricians, draftsmen, pharmacists, photographers, telegraphers, fingerprint experts, chemists, torpedo assemblers and camouflage designers. The women were all released from active duty after the end of the war. See Yeoman (F).

[edit] World War II

World War II again brought the need for additional personnel. This time the Navy organized to recruit women into a separate women's auxiliary, labeled Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES). WAVES served in varied positions around the continental U. S. and in Hawaii. See WAVES.

[edit] Korean War Era

Women in the Naval Reserve were recalled along with their male counterparts for duty during the Korean War.

[edit] Vietnam War Era

Nurses served aboard the hospital ship USS SANCTUARY. Nine non-nurse Navy women served in country, however no enlisted Navy women were authorized.

[edit] Women in the Navy since 1972

Major changes occurred for Navy women in the 1970s. CAPT Alene B. Duerk, NC, Director of the Navy Nurse Corps since 1968, was spot promoted to Flag rank in 1972, the first female naval officer to be appointed to flag rank. She was followed in 1976 by RADM Fran McKee as the first female unrestricted line officer appointed to flag rank. During this time, women began to enter the surface warfare and aviation fields, gained access to officer accession programs previously open only to men, and women started to screen for command opportunities ashore.^[1]

[edit] Officer Accession Programs

The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) was opened to women in 1972 and the first woman was commissioned from a ROTC program in 1973. The Women Officer School (WOS), Newport, Rhode Island, was disestablished in 1973, and Officer Candidate School (OCS) training was integrated to support men and women. The United States Naval Academy, along with the other military academies, first accepted women in 1976 and commissioned its first female graduates in 1980. Women also began attending Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) in 1976.^[1]

[edit] Surface Warfare

In 1972 the pilot program for assignment of officers and enlisted women to ships was initiated onboard USS SANCTUARY (AH-17). In 1978 Congress approved a change to Title 10 USC Section 6015 to permit the Navy to assign women to fill sea duty billets on support and noncombatant ships. The Surface Warfare community opened to women. In 1979, the first woman obtained her Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) qualification.^[1]

[edit] Aviation

In 1973 the Secretary of the Navy announced the authorization of naval aviation training for women. LTJG Judith Neuffer was the first woman selected for flight training. In 1974, the Navy became the first service to graduate a woman pilot, LT Barbara Allen Rainey, followed closely by classmates Judith Neuffer, Ana Marie Fuqua, Rosemary Bryant Mariner, Jane Skiles O'Dea and Joellen Drag.^[1]

In 1979 the Naval Flight Officer (NFO) program opened to women. In 1979, LT Lynn Spruill became the first woman Naval aviator to obtain carrier qualification.

[edit] Submarines

In October 2009, the Secretary of the Navy announced that he and the Chief of Naval Operations were moving aggressively to change the policy that restricts assigning women to submarines. The first female officer accessions into the training pipeline could occur as early as 2010, with subsequent reporting dates to submarines in 2011. Initial assignments will likely be to SSBNs and SSGNs due to their availability of accommodations. Planning for assignment of female enlisted personnel will continue concurrently.^[2]

[edit] Admirals

The first promotion of a woman in the United States Navy to flag rank occurred in 1972.

	Name	Commission	Position	Community	RDML	RADM	VADM	Retired	Notes
1	TraceyPatricia A. Tracey	1970	Director, Navy Staff, N09B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations	URL	??	??	19961996	20042004	First woman to earn third star in the US Navy.
2	RondeauAnn E. Rondeau	1974 (OCS)	Deputy Commander, United States Transportation Command	Fleet Support	19991999	20022002	20052005		Currently on active duty.
3	BrownNNancy Elizabeth Brown	1974 (OCS)	Director for C4 Systems (J6)	URL	20002000	20032003	20062006		Currently on active duty.
4	HightElizabeth A. Hight	1977 (OCS)	Vice Director, Defense Information Systems Agency	URL	20032003	20062006			Currently on active duty. First woman to Command the JTF-GNO, after serving as its Deputy Commander. First woman Vice Director at DISA.
5	McKeeFran McKee	1950	Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Human Resource Management	URL	19761976	19781978		19811981	First woman line officer promoted to flag rank in the United States Navy. Second woman promoted to flag rank in the United States Navy
6	HazardRoberta L. Hazard	1960	Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel, Personnel Readiness and Community Support 1989-1992	URL	1984 1984	1988 1988		1992 1992	First woman to command a Navy training command (NTC San Diego 1982).
7	WilmotLouise C. Wilmot	1964	Commander, Naval Base Philadelphia -1994	URL	1988 1988	??  ??		1994 1994	First woman to command a naval base.
8	StrattonMariann Stratton	1966	17th Director, Navy Nurse Corps 1991-1994	Nurse Corps	19911991	??		19941994	17th Director, Navy Nurse Corps.
9	EvansMarsha J. Evans	1967	Superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School 1995-1998	Fleet Support	1992 1992	1995 1995		1998 1998	Retired.
10	McGannBarbara E. McGann	1970 (OCS)	Provost, Naval War College 2000-2002	URL	19941994	19971997		20022002	Notes.
11	EngelJoan Marie Engel	1969	18th Director, Navy Nurse Corps 1994-1998	Nurse Corps	19941994	????		20002000	18th Director, Navy Nurse Corps.
12	FromanVeronica Froman	1970	Director, Ashore Readiness, Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. 2000-2001	Fleet Support	1995 1995	1999 1999		2001 2001	Commander, Navy RegionSouthwest, 1997-2000.
13	PaigeKathleen Paige	1971	Program Director, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense 2003-2005	Engineering Duty Officer	1996 1996	1999 1999		2005 2005	Retired.
14	PotterBonnie Burnham Potter	1975 (OIS)	Fleet Surgeon, U.S. Atlantic Fleet 1999-	Medical Corps	19971997	20002000		20032003	First female physician to become a flag officer in the military.
15	HarmeyerKaren A. Harmeyer	1975	Chief of Staff, Chief of Naval Operations, N093R, Washington, D.C.	Nurse Corps (Reserve)	19971997	20002000		??	Retired. 1st female two-star in the Reserves.
16	BrownA Annette E. Brown	1974 (OCS)	Commander, Navy Region Southeast (2002)	Fleet Support	19981998	20012001		2005 2005	Retired.
17	MartinKathleen L. Martin	1973 (OIS)	Deputy Surgeon General of the Navy/ Vice Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery 2002-2005	Nurse Corps	1998 1998	20012001		2005 2005	19th Director of the Navy Nurse Corps from August 1998 to August 2001. First Nurse Corps officer to be assigned to the position of Deputy Surgeon General of the Navy.
18	BirdLinda J. Bird	1974 (OCS)	Director, Supply, Ordnance and Logistics Operations Division, N41 2003-2005	Supply Corps	1999 1999	20022002		2005 2005	Retired.
19	MorrisElizabeth M. Morris	1973 (OIS)	Deputy Chief for Reserve Affairs at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery 2005-2006?	Nurse Corps, Reserve	20002000	20042004		2006 2006	Retired.
20	LescavageNancy J. Lescavage	1972 (OIS)	Senior Health Care Executive Regional Director, TRICARE Regional Office – West	Nurse Corps	20012001	20042004			20th Director of the Navy Nurse Corps.
21	CrispDonna L. Crisp	1974 (OCS)	Commander, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command	URL	20012001	20052005			Currently on active duty.
22	GilbrideAnn D. Gilbride	1978 (OCS)	Associate Director of Naval Intelligence	Reserve	20032003	20062006			Currently active.
23	RedpathSharon H. Redpath	1976 (ROTC)	Vice Commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, Commander, Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group	Reserve	20032003	20062006			Currently active.
24	PottengerCarol M. Pottenger	1977 (ROTC)	Commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command	SWO	20032003	20072007			Currently on active duty.
25	Bruzek-KohlerChristine Bruzek-Kohler	1974	21st Director, Navy Nurse Corps	Nurse Corps	20042004	20072007			21st Director of the Navy Nurse Corps.
26	HunterChristine S. Hunter	1980	Commander, Navy Medicine West, Naval Medical Center San Diego	Medical	20042004	20072007			Currently on active duty.
27	FlandersMoira N. Flanders	1978 (OCS)	Director, Inter-American Defense College	URL	20052005	2008 2008			Currently on active duty.
28	CarpenterWendi B. Carpenter	1977 (AOCS)	Commander, Navy Warfare Development Command, Norfolk	Reserve	20042004	2008 2008			Currently serving.
29	FlahertyKaren A. Flaherty	1973 (OIS)	Senior Health Care Executive, Deputy Chief, Wounded, Ill and Injured, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery	Nurse Corps, Reserve	20032003	2008 2008			Currently serving.
30	DuerkAlene B. Duerk	1943	Director Navy Nurse Corps 1970-1975	Nurse Corps	19721972			1975 1975	First woman promoted to flag rank in the United States Navy. Director Navy Nurse Corps 1970-1975.
31	ConderMaxine Conder	1951	Director, Navy Nurse Corps 1975-1979	Nurse Corps	1975 1975			1979 1979?	Director, Navy Nurse Corps.
32	Shea-BuckleyFrances Shea-Buckley	1951	14th Director, Navy Nurse Corps 1979-1983	Nurse Corps	1979 1979			1983 1983	14th Director, Navy Nurse Corps.
33	HartingtonPauline Hartington	1953	Commander, Naval Training Center Orlando	URL	1981 1981			1983 1983?	Second woman line officer selected for flag rank.
34	HopperGrace Hopper	1944	Head, Training and Technology Directorate/Special Advisor to the Commander, Naval Data Automation Command	URL?	1983 1983			1986 1986	Co-inventor of COBOL. Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Hopper (DDG-70) named for RADM Hopper.
35	NielubowiczMary Joan Nielubowicz	1951	15th Director, Navy Nurse Corps 1983-1987	Nurse Corps	1983 1983			1987 1987	15th Director, Navy Nurse Corps.
36	HallMary F. Hall	1959	16th Director, Navy Nurse Corps 1987-1991	Nurse Corps	1987 1987			1991 1991	Director, Navy Nurse Corps.
37	IbachMaryanne T. Gallagher Ibach	1964		Reserve Nurse Corps	1990 1990			1995 1995	First Reserve flag officer for Navy Nurse Corps.
38	LaughtonKatharine L. Laughton	????	Commander, Naval Space Command, Dahlgren, VA 1995-1997	Fleet Support	1993 1993			1997 1997	Retired.
39	BarnesJacqueline O. (Allison) Barnes	????	Director, On-Site Inspection Directorate 1998-2000	Fleet Support	1996 1996			2000 2000	Retired.
40	FishburneLillian E. Fishburne	1973 (OCS)	Director, Information Transfer Division for the Space, Information Warfare, Command and Control Directorate ?-2001	URL	1998 1998			2001 2001	First African-American woman to achieve flag rank.
41	DrewMarianne B. Drew	1967	Deputy Commander, Navy Personnel Command	Reserve, Fleet Support	1998 1998			? ?	Retired.
42	LevitreRosanne M. Levitre	1973 (OCS)	Director of Intelligence, J2, U.S. Joint Forces Command	Intelligence	20002000			2005 2005	First Director, Navy Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), FORCEnet. First female Intel officer selected for flag rank in the United States Navy.
43	MarianoEleanor Mariano	1977	White House Physician	Medical Corps	20002000			2001 2001	First Filipino-American flag officer.
44	TurnerCarol I. Turner	1977	Senior Health Care Executive, U.S. Navy Commander, Navy Medicine Support Command	Dental Corps	20032003			2008?	retired. First female Chief of the Naval Dental Corps, 2003-2007.
45	LoewerDeborah Loewer	1976 (OCS)	Commander, Mine Warfare Command 2005-2006	Surface Warfare	20032003			20062006	First warfare-qualified woman selected for flag rank in the United States Navy.
46	HambyJanice M. Hamby	1980 (ROTC)	Director, Command Control Systems NORAD and U.S. Northern Command	URL	20062006				Currently on active duty.
47	HowardMichelle J. Howard	1982 (USNA)	Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy	Surface Warfare	20062006				Currently on active duty.
48	DussaultKathleen M. Dussault	1979 (OCS)	Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy For Acquisition and Logistics Management	Supply Corps	20062006				Currently on active duty.
49	BraunRobin R. Braun	1980	Deputy Commander, Navy Recruiting Command	Reserve, Naval Aviator	20072007				Currently serving.
50	DanielsSandy L. Daniels	1980 (USNA)	Director, Warfare Integration on the Chief of Naval Operations staff (N6F)	Reserve	20072007				Currently serving.
51	DulleaCynthia A. Dullea	1980 (OIS)	Deputy Commander, Navy Medicine National Capital Area	Reserve	20072007				Currently serving.
52	WolfePatricia E. Wolfe	1981 (ROTC)	ADCOS for Logistics, Fleet Supply and Ordnance, US Pacific Fleet; Commander, Logistics Task Force Pacific; Commander, Naval Logistics Forces Korea	Reserve, Supply Corps	20072007				Currently serving.
53	TysonNora W. Tyson	1979 (OCS)	Commander, Logistics Group, Western Pacific	Naval Flight Officer	20072007				Currently on active duty.
54	NiemyerElizabeth S. Niemyer	1981	Director, Tricare Region West, San Diego.	Nurse Corps	20082008				Currently serving.
55	CovellCynthia A. Covell	1980 (OCS)	Director, Total Force Requirements Division (OPNAV N12)	Navy Human Resources Officer	20082008				Currently on active duty.
56	KleinMargaret D. Klein	1981 (USNA)	Naval Network Warfare Command Operations Officer	Naval Flight Officer	20082008				82nd Commandant of Midshipmen, USNA - first woman.
57	YoungMaude Elizabeth Young	1984 (USNA)	Director, Systems Engineering National Reconnaissance Office; Commander, SPAWAR Space Field Activity (SSFA), PEO for Space Systems, USN	URL	20082008				Currently on active duty.

[edit] Pregnancy and ship duty controversy

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In her 1995 book, Jean Zimmerman reported that there was a perception in the Navy that women sailors use pregnancy to escape deployed ship duty. In an example cited by Zimmerman, in 1993 as the USS Cape Cod prepared to depart on a deployment cruise, 25 female sailors, out of a crew of 1,500, reported being pregnant shortly before the scheduled departure and were reassigned to shore duty. Although Zimmerman felt that the number of pregnancies was small and should not be regarded as significant, the senior enlisted person on the ship, Command Master Chief Alice Smith commented, "Just about every division has been decimated by the number of pregnancies. Now tell me that's not going to hurt a ship."^[3]

A Navy policy change in June 2007 extended post-partum tours of duty ashore from 4 months to 12 months. A Virginia Pilot article in October 2007 reported on the Navy's policy decision as a means to improve long term retention of trained personnel. The chief of women's policy for the chief of personnel noted that far more men than women fail to deploy or are sent back from deployment, "because of sports injuries, discipline issues or testing positive for drugs."^[4]

In 2009, Andrew Tilghman reported in the Military Times on a Naval Inspector General (IG) report noting that, in the wake of this change, Navy shore commands based in Norfolk reported that 34% of their assigned members were pregnant sailors reassigned from ship duty. Since shore-based assignments for pregnant sailors were extended in 2007, the number of Navy women leaving deploying units to have children rose from 1,770 in June 2006 to 3,125 as of August 1, 2009. Tilghman further reports that Navy Personnel Command is reviewing the report.^[5]

[edit] See also

United States Navy Nurse Corps

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Godson, Susan H. (2001). Serving Proudly: A history of Women in the U.S. Navy. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-317-6. 
• Ebbert, Jean and Marie-Beth Hall (1999). Crossed Currents: Navy Women in a Century of Change [Third Edition, Revised and Updated]. Washington, D.C.: Brassey's. ISBN 978-1574881936. 
• Ebbert, Jean and Marie-Beth Hall (2002). The First, the Few, the Forgotten: Navy and Marine Corps Women in World War I. Annapolis, MD: The Naval Institute Press. ISBN 155750203X. 
• Sterner, Doris M. (1997). In and Out of Harm's Way: A history of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. Seattle, WA: Peanut Butter Publishing. ISBN 0897167066. 
• Hancock, Joy Bright Captain, U.S. Navy (Retired) (1972). Lady in the Navy A Personal Reminiscence. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-336-9. 
• Collins, Winifred Quick Captain, U.S. Navy (Retired) with Herbert M. Levine (1997). More Than A Uniform: A Navy Woman in a Navy Man's World. Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press. ISBN 1-57441-022-9. 
• Holme, Jeanne Maj Gen, USAF (Ret) (1972). Women in the Military: An Unfinished Revolution [Revised Edition]. Novato, CA: Presidio Press. ISBN 0-089141-450-9. 
• Zimmerman, Jean (1995). Tailspin: Women at War in the Wake of Tailhook. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-47789-9. 

[edit] Bibliographies

• Women in the Navy, a bibliography compiled in 1998 by Diana Simpson, Bibliographer, Air University Library, Maxwell AFB.
• Women in the U.S. Navy: Bibliography and Sources from the Naval Historical Center.
• 30 YEARS OF WOMEN AT USNA, selected bibliography of resources available in the Naval Academy's Nimitz Library.
• Bibliography on women in the military from the Women in Military Service for America (WIMSA) Memorial

[edit] External links

• Office of Women's Policy (N134W) Bureau of Naval Personnel
• Sea Services Leadership Association supporting motivated Sea Service officers since 1978. (Formerly Women Officers Professional Association.)