Unsung Heroes: The Story of America's Female Patri

Today more women serve in the armed forces than at any other time in our nation's history, in ways never before possible. Women pilot B-2 Stealth Bombers on combat missions, drive tanks in Iraq, direct Marines in Afghanistan, command carrier battle groups, fly jet fighters and helicopters, and continue the noble tradition of providing critical battlefield care as doctors and nurses. This courageous heritage can be traced back to the Revolution where women like Molly Pitcher and Sarah Shattuck donned men's clothes and took up arms against the British. And though none had the right to vote, hundreds of women participated in the Civil War as nurses, spies and soldiers. Of the 33,000 women who served their country during the Great War, some 300 lost their lives. More than 700,000 women defended America in WW II, Korea and Vietnam. Today, there are almost 2,000,000 living female veterans whose contributions spans three generations. The service of these women has been heroic, their sacrifices profound and their enormous accomplishments largely ignored.