Called to Duty
The Called to Duty Educational lesson/theme examines the myriad of reasons women choose to serve in the military. This theme emphasizes three women in particular who answered the “call to duty.” Latiana Wilson and Jessica Ellis joined as results of the 11 September 2001 attack on America and Tammy Duckworth volunteered to deploy to Iraq out of patriotism and a sense of service. This theme will explore the policy decision that made it possible for women to go into harm’s way and discusses 9/11. The college curriculum associated with this theme will introduce academic tools and readings that will offer more detail with reference to the decisions that called women to military service. The theme introduces the Women’s Army Corps (WACs), the Navy’s Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES), the Coast Guard SPARs (Semper Paratus Always Ready), Women Marines and the first directors of each; the contentious draft debates relative to women; the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Service (DACOWITS), Public Law 90-130 and the myriad of other men and women who played varying roles in the women’s “called to duty” debates that began prior to World War II.
Congresswomen Tammy Duckworth of Illinois is a helicopter pilot veteran of the War on Terror. She was seriously wounded when her aircraft was shot down over Iraq. She still serves in the National Guard and is a Wounded Warrior.
Sergeant Latianna Wilson is a Wounded Warrior who served two tours of duty in Iraq. She is a tireless and outspoken advocate for the rights of wounded veterans and those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD).