Cathay Williams

Cathay Williams (1842 – 1892), a Buffalo soldier, was the first documented female to serve (enlisted as a male, Williams Cathay) in the U.S. Army in 1866. She became the first and the only known female Buffalo Soldier.

Brig. Gen. Johnson-Brown

Brigadier General Hazel Winifred Johnson-Brown (1927–2011), an army officer, nurse, and educator, was the first female General in the U.S. Army (1979) and commanded the Army Nurse Corps, overseeing 7,000 nurses with excellence.

Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne

Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne ( b Marcy 25, 1949-), a Navy Officer, was the first African-American female to become a Rear Admiral in the United States, an appointment made by President Bill Clinton on February 01, 1998.

Michelle J. Howard

Michelle J. Howard (April 30, 1960), a retired naval admiral, became the first woman to reach four-star admiral in 2014. She previously commanded a warship in combat, leading the 2009 rescue of Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates.