Women have been breaking barriers for the next generation of military women for decades. But have you ever thought about how the older generation feels about the younger generation who has taken up the call to serve and continued to break  barriers and make change for women?

“I’m so proud of all of you!” 

Those were the words of the 98 year old woman veteran who attended the Women Veteran Alliance Unconference. As we the younger generation cheered all her many accomplishments of military service, breaking down barriers before many of us were alive or at least we were only in our early years. And we cheered even louder. 

But those words also stuck with me long after the fun after hours event was over. The women who I admired who had made a way for future generations of women. Those same women were also proud of what we had done. Not only in our own service, but with their legacy. I didn’t realize this was a two way street. The admiration for what had been accomplished was also passed down to those of us who followed in the footsteps these women had taken. 

As a woman who served in combat years before combat exclusion was lifted.

I can quickly share that the work I did as part of my job was never seen to me as ground breaking or blazing a trail for the future. I was assigned to a combat mission. So, I fulfilled my role. I saw combat. Even though I couldn’t serve in the Infantry unit I was attached to. At the time, I didn’t think about the complex blurry lines that we as women crossed for filling the roles required. There was no doubt that we would likely see combat. But combat exclusion only prevented us from certain jobs and this mission needed Civil Engineers. I was a Civil Engineer. My gender didn’t matter. I was about to head out on an adventure that only years later I would find was an important piece in the story of the combat exclusion law being repealed. 

I often wonder if women who served in the military and broke glass ceilings were thinking of how they were rewriting the future opportunities for women. My guess is they were likely just doing their job. Maybe pushing the limits or saying why when they were told no. And maybe sometimes coloring outside the lines just to do something really cool that sounded like fun. 

Did they realize in the moment the impact they were making?

KRISTI MULDER / COURTESY OF U.S. AIR FORCE, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

I have talked to women on my podcast, Women of the Military, who knew that they were breaking ground and doing something new. They often felt a pressure to not only succeed but to be excellent in the work they did. Women like Nicole Malachowski, the first woman to be a Thunderbird pilot. She didn’t apply to be a Thunderbird pilot because no woman had ever done it before. Instead she thought it was a natural next step in her career and something really cool she wanted to do. It was only after being selected did she learn that she would be the first woman to be a Thunderbird pilot.

Now not only would she need to hold herself to a high standard all Thunderbird pilots must meet. She felt the added pressure to excel. Wanting to ensure that she would not be the first and only woman in this role. The door was open for her. But she wanted to kick the door off the hinges to ensure that it would be open for the women who followed. She then goes on to share about the amazing women who followed her as Thunderbird pilots. 

Women have a unique and interesting story especially when it comes to uncovering the story of military women.

And I guess that is why I think it is so important to not only work to share those stories but to also lean in and do the hard work of telling my own story. 

I never intended to be driving in up-armored vehicles in Afghanistan. I always pictured my deployments keeping me inside the safety of the base. But that wasn’t the story the military asked of me. And it led me to go on a crazy adventure that changed my life. And I’m proud of what I accomplished. But when I really think about it, I am so proud of all the women who stepped up to fill nontraditional roles. Sometimes even sacrificing their lives. Opening the door for the next generation of military women to have the opportunity to do any career field in the military they chose.