Military history, paving the way for the modern-day era of women in the military. 1, 2 During this time, women expanded the military roles they had filled in previous conflicts and military eras, 3 with some engaging in direct combat for the first time in U.S.
Across all US military branches, approximately 37,000 (6.8%) deployed troops were women, serving in many roles. During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (collectively, the Persian Gulf War ), over 500,000 US troops were deployed to the Middle East, and 200,000 to surrounding regions between August 1990 and March 1991.