Today, women are allowed to fight in combat positions in the military. As of 2013, the Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, removed the ban of women fighting in combat positions. It took 230 years to finally realize women are capable to fight in combat positions. Still today, women are not allowed to be in front-line or riot control. But, in 2016, women got the chance to be a part of the military’s Special Forces program. Only one unidentified woman broke barriers and passed in 2018. As of March 11, 2019, there are 15% of women in the army, 19% of women in the Navy, 20% of women in the Air Force, 8% of women in the Marine Corps. Also, because people started realizing that women should have equal rights, in 1920, women gained the right to vote. Life would be very different nowadays if Deborah Sampson hadn’t decided to break barriers and risk her life going off to war.
This is a video of the news, PBS News hour, reporting Leon Panetta removing the ban of women fighting in combat positions.
Credit: "Secertary Panetta Lifts Military Ban on Women in combat", 2013, PBS NewsHour
This is a video clip showing Leon Panetta announcing the removal of the ban of women fighting in combat positions.
Credit: "US Officially Lifts Ban on Women in Combat", 2013, AFP News Agency
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