“Someday, sure, there’ll be a woman [Chief of Naval Operations],” she told Time Magazine 14 years ago, while commanding the USS Rushmore, a post that made her the first African American woman to command a US Navy ship, “It will happen of its own accord.” Obama’s appointment would have her serving as Vice Chief of Naval Operations, one step away from the top ranking officer position in the service.
Though barred from combat, women in military service do have de facto roles in combat. Tammy Duckworth, former assistant secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs lost her legs in combat while piloting a Black Hawk helicopter. “When I’m asked if the country is ready for women in combat, I look down at where my legs used to be and think, ‘Where do you think this happened, a bar fight?’“
Wow.
As much as I loved the other speakers, I am amazed more people aren’t talking about Tammy Duckworth. What an amazing woman.
