Women in the Military

Women in the Military

2 Seasons

This series tells the story of the heroic accomplishments of women in the U.S. military. Subjects include a Civil War spy, the first woman to earn the rank of Admiral, life as a Sailor onboard a deployed ship, the effort to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” which discriminated against gays and lesbians in the military, and the Congressional effort to address sexual assault in the military.

Women in the Military
  • Brevet Major Pauline Cushman-Fryer

    Episode 1

    Directed by Allyce Ondricka

    Performed by Constance Smith, Pauline Cushman-Fryer tells us how she became a Union Spy, got caught and was almost hanged, why Abraham Lincoln granted her the rank of Major, and how she died lonely in San Francisco from an overdose of opium.

  • Nurse Helen Fairchild: Killed in Action?

    Episode 2

    Directed by Eliciana Nascimento

    Bravery, compassion and the will to save lives motivated the young Nurse Helen Fairchild to leave home in Pennsylvania and embark on a journey to Europe, where she served as a surgical nurse during World War I before dying on the front lines.

  • Tiffany McKinley: Sailor

    Episode 3

    Directed by David Washburn

    Tiffany McKinley dismisses the stereotype of a single female personality in the military. For Tiffany, her interest in the Navy was activated by the spread of patriotism after 9/11. In the Navy, she manned the control centers of deployed ships.

  • Julie Mendez: From PTSD to Art

    Episode 4

    Directed by Silvia Turchin

    Julie Mendez served in the Iraq War. Finding herself on convoys engaging insurgents, she came to question the reason why so many Iraqi found the Americans as invaders rather than liberators. She turned to art to recover from her experiences.

  • Pam Roark: Iraq War Nurse

    Episode 5

    Directed by Natasha Sharapova

    Captain Pam Roark is a Navy nurse who shares her story about service, compassion, and leadership, demonstrating that leadership ability isn't a consequence of gender. It is a consequence of character.