Throughout U.S. history, countless women have served with courage and left a lasting mark on the military and the nation. From trailblazing pilots to decorated combat leaders, these female veterans broke barriers, redefined service, and inspired future generations. Here are seven of the most influential women whose contributions continue to shape history.
7. Sarah Emma Edmonds – The Civil War’s undercover nurse and spy
Let’s start with a woman who rewrote the book on military service–literally, by re-writing herself. Sarah Emma Edmonds, who was born in Canada, escaped a violent home and re-created herself as Franklin Flint Thompson, a man who served as a field nurse in the Union Army. Edmonds didn’t simply bandage wounds; she reportedly infiltrated behind enemy lines as a spy, assuming disguises that included Southern sympathizer, Black laborer, and Irish peddler. Her life was the stuff of a Netflix drama: malaria pushed her out, but she continued working as a nurse in D.C. and later wrote her escapades in a bestselling memoir. Edmonds was finally rewarded with a discharge, pension, and the unusual honor of being the only woman member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Talk about undercover heroics.
6. Elsie S. Ott – The trailblazing flight nurse of WWII
If you imagine that flying with a group of injured soldiers across continents is stressful, try it with no previous flight experience. That was the situation for 2nd Lt. Elsie S. Ott, who was selected for the initial intercontinental air evacuation in 1943. With only a first aid kit and a sergeant as a backup, Ott led five gravely ill patients from Karachi to Washington, D.C.–a trip that typically would take three months by sea, but she did it in one week. Her flight notes after missions informed future air evacuations, and she was the first female U.S. Army recipient of the Air Medal. Ott’s down-to-earth advice (such as “skirts are impractical for this job”) and pioneering attitude turned her into a legend in war medicine.
5. Harriet Tubman – The Underground Railroad hero turned Union Army commander
Harriet Tubman is perhaps most famous for her brazen rescues on the Underground Railroad, but her Civil War adventures are worthy of their own limelight. Having escaped into freedom herself, Tubman constructed a spy network for the Union and served as the first American woman to command a military mission. In 1863, she assisted Col. James Montgomery in liberating 750 slaves in South Carolina, gathering intel and steering through waters filled with torpedoes. Tubman’s leadership was so distinctive that Brig. Gen. Rufus Saxton referred to it as the sole military raid directed by and inspired by a woman. Though she was not awarded a pension for her spying activities, Tubman’s status as a military commander cannot be disputed. She was, in the words of one historian, “one of the great heroines of the Civil War.”
4. Grace Murray Hopper – The Navy’s programming legend
If you’ve ever cursed at a computer glitch, you can thank (or blame) Grace Hopper for the phrase. Hopper enlisted in the Navy Reserves in 1943 and soon became a programming trailblazer, working on the Mark I–the first large-scale computer in the world. She created the compiler, which enabled programmers to convert symbolic math codes into machine code, paving the way for contemporary software. Hopper served for decades, rising to commodore and rear admiral by special presidential appointment. Before she passed away in 1992, Hopper had a destroyer and a supercomputer bearing her name, along with honorary doctorates from more than 30 universities. She’s evidence that military life can propel you to the heights of tech fame.
3. Col. Eileen Collins – The Air Force pilot who flew the space shuttle
Eileen Collins spent her childhood observing aircraft with her father, dreaming of one day flying them. In 1979, she enlisted in the Air Force, was appointed the first woman flight instructor, and eventually the first woman to lead a space shuttle mission. Collins flew more than 5,000 hours in 30 aircraft and accumulated more than 537 hours in space. She wrote of the exhilaration of soaring above the planet, arms spread wide, as if she were floating above the Earth. Collins’ career broke glass ceilings for both the military and NASA, demonstrating women did more than fly–they could command.
2. Bea Arthur – The Marine Corps truck driver who became a TV icon
Before she was Dorothy Zbornak on “The Golden Girls” or the outspoken Maude, Bea Arthur was Bernice Frankel, a truck-driving, typist Marine during WWII. Arthur enlisted in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve at age 21, working her way up from corporal to staff sergeant. Her military records report her as having “argumentative” and “over-aggressive” traits that would come to serve her well when she became a sitcom legend. Once her honorable discharge, Arthur struck Broadway, won a Tony, then shattered TV taboos with her work in “Maude” and “Golden Girls.” In the words of Dr. Kate Browne, “Her service becomes like evidence of badassery.” Arthur spoke little of her military days, but her trailblazing nature was on full display both in combat and on television.
1. Why these women matter: Breaking barriers and changing perceptions
What unites these women isn’t that they served in the military–it’s that they refused to be limited. Whether dodging bullets behind enemy lines, soaring across oceans, leading soldiers, or redefining the television and technology landscapes, these veterans demonstrated that women could do anything. Their stories shattered stereotypes about the role of women in the military and gave generations agoal to reach higher. From the Civil War through the Space Age, these trailblazers not only served, they rewrote history. Arthur rarely spoke about her military years, but her trailblazing spirit was evident both on the battlefield and on screen.