Most respected female soldiers: When Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haaver completed the US Army Ranger School course in August, it represented a milestone in the fight for total gender equality in the military. For those who doubted whether female soldiers could keep up with their male counterparts, this was a resounding “Hell Yeah”.
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But it kinda feels like an anticlimax, because the issue of women in combat shouldn’t be an issue. Women have always fought in battle, even if they had to disguise themselves as men. And that’s where the main problem lies. Why should they ‘hide’ if they are willing to fight for their country?
Throughout history, women have proven themselves to be excellent soldiers as well as generals. Queen Boadicea led a major uprising against the Romans in 61 A.D; Lakshmibai was one of the leading figures in the Indian Rebellion of 1857; history is packed with examples. But till date, gender discrimination still persists.
Even though Griest and Haver have earned their elite warrior status, they’re still barred from direct ground combat, which is kinda the Rangers’ main thing. Pentagon policy is still keeping them away from doing what they just proved they’re good at. While the battle for equality is being fought in the halls of the Pentagon, lets take a minute to appreciate ten women who fought and earned some of the highest military honors possible.
10. Lieutenant Commander Kelly Larson
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Larson joined the Coast Guard in 1984, and in 1986 became the first woman to complete Navy Rescue Swimmer School. In January 1989, she was flown over the Pacific on her first rescue case as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer.
Her mission was to recover a Air National Guard jet pilot, who had bailed out during a training exercise. With sixteen-foot waves, a high wind and water temperature of 56OF, the conditions were deemed dangerous, but Mogk chose to go ahead with the mission.
Her job was complicated by the fact that the pilot was entangled in his parachute, suffering from hypothermia, couldn’t speak and had suffered injuries from the crash. This meant Mogk had to take off her gloves and dive below the surface to free the pilot. To ensure that the pilot got to hospital quickly, Mogk risked her life and waited in the cold water for backup transport. Her actions earned her the Air Medal from then president George Bush.
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