Side-By-Side: Photo History of American Women in the Military - Hardcover

Lewis, Vicki

9781556709449: Side-By-Side: Photo History of American Women in the Military

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1556709447 ISBN 13: 9781556709449

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 1999

An illustrated history of the American women who went to war retraces the contributions of female soldiers, doctors, nurses, pilots, and observers--from Molly Pitcher on the front lines of the Revolution to an army doctor POW during the Gulf War.

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From the Inside Flap:

From the legendary Molly Pitcher, who loaded cannons during the American Revolution, to Major Rhonda Cornum, an army flight surgeon held prisoner of war during Operation Desert Storm, millions of American women have served on the battlefield, side-by-side with men. Women have fired muskets and shot down Scud missiles, and they've performed countless vital tasks in all branches of the armed forces.

"Side-By-Side" highlights the strength and courage of women in military service through poignant photographs and personal narratives, offering a new perspective of American history. In addition to other public and private collections, author Vickie Lewis has been given unprecedented access to the archive of the Women In Military Service For American Memorial Foundation. She draws on hundreds of personal interviews and historical journal entries for her text, allowing many women's stories to be told in their own words. In more than 150 images, we see a story of women unfold like never before.

This inspiring volume is a book to be shared by generations of women and men - a moving and thought-provoking tribute to American heroines.

From the Foreward: The defense of our nation is a shared responsibility. Women have served in the defense of this land for years before our Untied States was born. They have contributed their talents, skills, and courage to this endeavor for more than two centuries with an astounding record of achievement that stretches from Lexington and Concord to the Persian Gulf and beyond.

Women's service to this nation transcends their traditional roles as mothers, sisters, aunts, and wives on the home front to wearing the uniform of their country; it rises above the commonplace and the expected. Countless women saw the need and rose to the challenge - in intelligence, aviation, and command. These remarkable patriots- volunteers all-served in our army, our navy, our air force, our Marine corps, and our Coast Guard.

"Side-By-Side" celebrates this tradition of selfless service to one's nation. In this remarkable work, you are offered a snapshot view of what thousands of American women have given to their country. But no single publication can hope to do justice to what women have given and continue to give their country. Today's armed forces could not meet the diverse challenges they face without the participation of the thousands of American women who volunteer for service every day.

As this books shows, there is a bright legacy for these modern patriots. Women ministered to Washington's army at Valley Forge, card for the sick and dying in Grant's and Lee's armies, and provided valuable insights into the operations of both. They served with Pershing in World War I, Eisenhower and MacArthur in World War II and Korea, Westmoreland in Vietnam, and Schwartzkopf in the Persian Gulf. Today, they themselves are strike aircraft commanders, missile battery commanders - and even generals.

Our armed forces would be vastly different if women were prohibited from full participation in service. Each volunteer offers her unique qualities and talents to the nation, qualities that form the story line of "Side-By-Side."

It is a story that has long needed to be told. GORDON R. SULLIVAN General, U.S. Army (Ret.) President, Association of the United States Army

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