Category Archives: History

The First of the “Golden Fourteen”: Yeoman 2/C Armelda Hattie Greene, USNR (F)

Posted on August 12, 2018 by readersquest

On August 12, 1918—one hundred years ago today—Miss Armelda Hattie Greene became the first African American woman to enlist officially in the United States armed forces.  Greene was born in Jackson, Mississippi on August 12, 1888, the oldest child of … Continue reading →

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Making WAVES: Depiction of Navy Women in a 1951 Recruiting Comic Book

Posted on July 31, 2018 by readersquest

In honor of yesterday’s 76th anniversary of the creation of the Navy Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), I thought I’d post about this 1951 WAVES recruiting comic book that I found in a file of women’s military recruiting … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Literary Criticism | 1 Comment

Between Us “Girls”: The US Naval Institute’s 2016 Naval History “Athena Conference”

Posted on September 12, 2016 by readersquest

I’m going to call out an admiral and a general in this post, with all due respect and only the kindest of intent. But first, I’d like to start with a story that I’ve told elsewhere. As a lieutenant on … Continue reading →

Posted in History, In the News | 6 Comments

The Matriarch of Contemporary Women Veterans’ Literature

Posted on January 27, 2016 by readersquest

Since Cara Hoffman wrote her op-ed “The Things She Carried” for the New York Times in 2014, critics have either pointed out the “absence” of women veterans’ narratives in the canon of war literature, or wondered what female authors today’s women … Continue reading →

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Bibliography Update

Posted on May 18, 2015 by readersquest

Today I revisited the Women in Military Service for America Memorial to investigate the contents of the bookshelves in the gift shop. In addition to M. L. Doyle’s biography of General Julia Cleckley, which is already on the P&F bibliography … Continue reading →

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“Every Servicewoman’s Story Is Important!”

Posted on March 30, 2015 by readersquest

I recently visited the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Washington, DC. Public spaces in a nation’s capital tell the “official” story of that country to the rest of the world, and the architects and planners of Washington, … Continue reading →

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“A Remarkable, Vigilant Soldier on Her Post”

Posted on March 20, 2015 by readersquest

In 1782, Deborah Sampson disguised herself in men’s clothing to enlist in the Continental Army. She was wounded in combat later that year. After her discovery and discharge from the Army in 1783, she petitioned for and received a Congressional … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Nonfiction | Tagged , | 1 Comment