One of the things that my husband and I differ on is our taste in movies. While I love a good thriller or romantic comedy, he prefers sci-fi and anything involving the military, especially war movies. I will watch a sci-fi film with him, but it’s a hard “no” on war movies! I tried to watch one with him and I sobbed so much I had to get up and leave the room. One thing I have noticed is that there are very few movies depicting women involved in the military. The only one I recall was in 2024, The Six Triple Eight, which told the true story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only black female unit to serve overseas during World War II. They were pivotal in helping break the back log of mail to get vital communication to the soldiers, which provided a life line to their families. But where are the other stories of women who served our country?
Every fourth Monday in May, Memorial Day is observed as an annual day of remembrance to honor all those who have died in service to the United States during peace and war. Traditionally, when we think about Memorial Day we remember and honor the men who died in battle for our country. But the history of women in the U.S. military and their amazing sacrifice has largely gone unrecognized. Many women lost their lives serving our country; they had roles in nursing, logistics, aviation and security forces but their stories are seldom told. I’d like to share some of their stories.
1. Ellen May Tower (1868-1898) U.S. Army Contract Nurse – Spanish-American War
On April 21, 1898, three days before Spain declared war on the United States, Tower volunteered for the Army as a nurse, tending to soldiers returning from battle. She died of typhoid fever at just 30 years old. She was the first American Army nurse to die as the result of wartime service on foreign soil, and one of the first women in the United States to receive a full military funeral. The community of Tower, Michigan was named in her honor.
2. First Lieutenant Aleda E. Lutz (1915-1944) – U.S. Army Nurse Corps, 802nd Medical Air Evacuation Squadron, World War II
Lutz was a WWII Army flight nurse who served in six battle campaigns, flew 196 missions, and evacuated over 3,500 men before dying in a medevac crash in France. She was the first American woman killed in World War ii, and the first Army nurse to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross and is one of the most highly decorated women in U.S. military history. Today, the VA Medical Center in Saginaw, Michigan bears her name.
3. Specialist Lori Ann Piestewa (1979-2003) – U.S. Army, 507th Maintenance Company, Iraq War
Piestewa enlisted in the Army in 2001 as a single mother. On March 23, 2003, Piestewa was serving with a supply unit responsible for transporting water and other support to combat troops. Her convoy became lost and was ambushed and a rocket-propelled grenade struck her Humvee. She was 23 years old and the first Native American woman to die in combat in military history and the first woman killed in the Iraq War. She was posthumously promoted to Specialist and awarded the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal. The State of Arizona renamed Squaw Peak — a prominent Phoenix landmark — Piestewa Peak in her honor.
4. Captain Kimberly Nicole Hampton (1976-2004), U.S. Army, 82nd Airborne Division, Iraq War
Hampton flew the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, a reconnaissance helicopter, as Commander of Delta Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. On January 2, 2004, another pilot was originally assigned to lead a particularly dangerous mission near Fallujah. Hampton insisted on leading it herself, unwilling to send others into harm’s way she wasn’t willing to face. Flying cover for ground troops raiding an illicit weapons marketplace, her helicopter was shot down by enemy ground fire. She was 27 years old, and the first female military pilot in U.S. history to be shot down and killed by enemy fire. She was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Air Medal, and Purple Heart. A scholarship, a veterans chapter, a library blood drive, and a restored Vietnam-era helicopter have all been named in her honor.
5. Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Nicole Jacobson (1984-2005) – U.S. Air Force Security Forces, 17th Security Forces Squadron, Iraq War
Jacobson joined the Air Force in December 2003 at 19 years old. After completing Security Forces technical training, she was stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas before deploying to Iraq. On September 28, 2005, Airman Jacobson was providing convoy security near Camp Bucca, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near her vehicle in Safwan. She was killed instantly. She was 21 years old and had been deployed to Iraq for just over three months. She was the first female airman killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the first Security Forces Member killed in conflict since Vietnam. The U.S. Air Force established the Elizabeth N. Jacobson Award for Expeditionary Excellence in her honor, given to airmen for outstanding performance during deployment. A street on Ali Al Salem Air Base was renamed Jacobson Avenue.
6. Emily Jazmin Tatum Perez (1983-2006) Second Lieutenant,204th Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, United States Army, Iraq War
As brigade command sergeant major, Perez became the highest-ranking minority woman cadet in the U.S. Military Academy West Point’s history. Upon graduation, Second Lieutenant Perez was serving in the Iraq War when she was killed in action by an explosive device. She was the first black female officer to be killed in action in United States military history and the first female graduate of West Point to die in Iraq. Perez was buried with full military honors at the West Point Cemetery. Some of her many military awards include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Army Commendation Medal. After her death, the 4th Infantry Division dedicated the Emily Perez Treatment Facility at Forward Operating Base Kalsu in her honor, and named a street, Emily’s Way, after her. In 2011, the American Legion Mulligan-Eden Post 1573 dedicated River Road as 2nd Lt. Emily J.T. Perez Memorial Way.
What these women have accomplished is impressive, and there is so much we can learn from them. As we reflect on the lives of these women, what leadership and warrior qualities do you notice? Here are some that come to mind: selfless service, loyalty and duty, honor, courage, strength and resilience. I’m in awe of the dedication of these women. As we think about them and their sacrifice, it might be helpful to journal responses to the following questions.
- Which of these qualities do I possess?
- Which do I want to develop as a leader?
- If I had the qualities of these women, what would I do that I have been afraid of doing?
Many of us may know someone, a woman or a man who died while serving our country. Or we may know women who lost husbands, sons, brothers, and other relatives who are grieving that loss. We may be experiencing this personally. We may know a woman who is serving in the military right now. Let’s honor them today by remembering them, thanking them for serving our country, and let’s pray for God to watch over and protect those in the military today.
Sources: Army Women’s Foundation, Foundation for Women Warriors, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Wounded Warrior Project, SOFREP, Military Times, NPR, and the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
