Arlington National Cemetery's notable women part of U.S. history

Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place of thousands of the nation's most honored heroes. A quick glance at the names that adorn headstones show visitors that women who have served the nation are also at rest in the cemetery's hallowed grounds.

To honor Women's History Month, Women in Military Service hosted a tour of the cemetery March 18 that highlighted the notable women who have served across the nation's armed services.

Dr. Regina T. Akers, historian at the Naval History and Heritage Command, led a tour of the gravesites of notable women buried at the cemetery and served as the event's guest speaker.

"Today's women who are serving are continuing a truly rich history of service and sacrifice," she said. "Most people don't realize that women have never been drafted."

But that doesn't mean that women haven't served from the earliest days of the nation's founding, Akers said. During the Revolutionary War, Molly Pitcher fought during the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey. Two women, Navy Seaman Recruit Lakiba Palmer and Seaman Lakeina Francis, were killed when the U.S.S. Cole was bombed off the coast of Yemen in October of 2000.

"During the Gulf War, we lost women in SCUD attacks," she said. "My point is, women did what they were called to do and always volunteered."

Among the grave sites attendees visited were those of Navy Rear Adm. Grace Hooper, a renowned computer programmer; Army Spc. Toccara Renee Green, who was killed by an improvised explosive device in Iraq in 2005; and Army Brig. Gen. Hazel Winifred Johnson-Brown, the first African-American general in the Army.

Pentagram Staff Writer Julia LeDoux can be reached at jledoux@dcmilitary.com.