Born
on this date in 1920, Hays was the first woman in the U.S. Military
to reach the rank of Brigadier General. She was a nurse who served in
India during World War II and also saw service during the Korean War.
She became chief of the Army Nurse Corps. Immediately after she was
promoted to Brigadier General, in 1970, a second woman was also
promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. (So Hays was first, but
only by a minute!)
That
second woman was Elizabeth Hoisington. She commanded Women's Army
Corps units in France after D-Day and also in Japan and Germany; later she served in San Francisco and at the Pentagon.
Women
in the Military
This
is in the news now because the U. S. Military is finally formally
accepting women in combat roles—although the separation between
combat and non-combat roles has apparently long been hazy or even
missing altogether.
By
the way, some countries have had no restrictions on roles for women
for years. For example, New Zealand has had no gender restrictions
since 2001, and Sweden has had none since 1989!
Warrior
Women
If
you are interested in some long-ago female military leaders, check
out:
- the legendary Amazons,
- and Joan of Arc.
Also
on this date:
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