10 famous women who served in the military

Detailed summary

Queen Elizabeth was a military truck driver during World War II, while "Golden Girl" Bea Arthur was a staff sergeant for the Marines.

Women have been an important part of the armed services since the beginning, with icons like Harriet Tubman participating in the Civil War. While being female in a traditionally male-dominated space hasn't always been easy, these women still served their countries. In 2024, the US Department of Defense reported that the percentage of women serving in active-duty roles grew between 2022 and 2023 — 17.7% of active-duty roles were held by women in 2023, it reported, citing the 2023 Demographics Profile of the Military Community. That trend has continued. Per a DoD report released in August 2025, 24,000 women entered basic training that year, up from 16,700 in 2024.

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