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This year marks 75 years since the pioneering Women’s Armed Services Integration Act was passed, which permitted women to serve as full members of the U.S. Armed Forces in every branch. It also marks a decade since the Pentagon reversed its “ground combat exclusion policy.” This had allowed women to serve on combat ships, even though it banned them from serving in direct ground combat.
These have been enormous changes, and it’s important that these historic milestones are recognized and celebrated. Yet, while women represented just two percent of the U.S. military in 1948, they currently constitute nearly 18 percent of the armed forces. In addition, fewer than one percent of deployed active-duty combat troops are women, with only a fraction of them being Black women.
We can’t forget that Black women led armies and fought behind enemy lines during the Civil War, long before President Truman signed the legislation in 1948. Their achievements often get downplayed or even dismissed because of the national narrative that appeals to white Americans. Restoring this history of Black women’s roles in the military helps us understand our history and establish a new narrative that speaks the truth.
I believe people may be aware that Black women served during World War II, but I do not believe they know the full scope of their service. More than 6,500 Black women served during World War II, including the Six Triple Eight, the only all-Black Women’s Army Corps unit to serve in Europe during World War II. While the Six Triple Eight has received accolades in recent years — including the Army’s Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2019 — supporters are still calling for the battalion to receive the Congressional Gold Medal for their extraordinary service, joining the likes of the Tuskegee Airmen and Montford Point Marines.
The enlistment of Black women in the U.S. military has been growing over the past three decades. Black women now constitute nearly one-third of all women in the U.S. military. At around 30 percent, this number is twice their representation in the civilian population and higher than that of men or women of any other racial or ethnic group. I believe the changing economic, social, and political landscape in the United States has motivated Black women to enlist at such high rates. A case can also be made that it is due to the rise in woman-headed households.
My senior year of high school, my parents sat me down to tell me they didn’t have the money to send me to college. Even with a few grants, it wasn’t enough to get me through. My dad, who was active-duty army at the time, suggested that I enlist as a reservist. I would be able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill, monthly income from duty, and have the opportunity to travel. I thought he had lost his mind, but I didn’t have a better plan. Next thing I know, I am on a plane to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training.
For the next 8 years, I was able to pay for college and travel stateside as well as overseas. I developed leadership skills that I didn’t even know I had, skills that prove to be invaluable to me even now. It certainly wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done; there were times I wanted to give up. I definitely experienced my share of sexism and racism and the challenges with being the only woman or only Black woman, and I found myself in situations that could have been bad. However, I will never regret wearing the uniform and serving my country.
As I was completing basic training at Fort Jackson, my dad was on the front lines in Operation Desert Storm. What I learned is that nearly 40 percent of the 35,000 women who served in Desert Storm were Black women, including officers, noncommissioned officers, and enlisted soldiers. They endured the heat, no electricity, no running water, and no bathrooms right alongside the men. Lieutenant Phoebe Jeter led an all-male platoon that destroyed two Iraqi missiles. Captain Cynthia Mosely commanded Alpha Company, a 100-person unit that supplied everything from fuel to water to ammunition. Her unit resupplied fuel for all of the forward brigades because it was closest to the front lines.
Ensign Matice Wright was the Navy’s first Black woman naval flight officer in 1993, and Sergeant Danyell Wilson was the first Black woman sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in 1997.
The 2022 graduating class at West Point included 40 Black women cadets — a record number of for the U.S. Military Academy, making it the third time that the institution has graduated this many Black women since its inception in 1802. A new generation of leadership is emerging; new firsts, new triumphs and new legacies will be created.
As an army veteran, it’s not lost on me that many Black women separate from service and suffer personal, social, and economic difficulties. There is also a disturbing level of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and coping with sexual assault while they were on active duty. These women are faced with having sacrificed to serve a country that oftentimes doesn’t serve them back.
Black women have consistently been the backbone of this nation — called upon to lead its founding principles of democracy, whether in uniform, at the polls, and within political office. Today, several state lawmakers are working to deny or diminish the contributions of Black women service members and the many whose names we do not yet know. After 75 years, it should be a stark reminder that we must properly recognize the valor and resilience of Black women’s leadership in the military and weave their stories into our national narrative.
This year marks 75 years since the pioneering Women’s Armed Services Integration Act was passed, which permitted women to serve as full members of the U.S. Armed Forces in every branch. It also marks a decade since the Pentagon reversed its “ground combat exclusion policy.” This had allowed women to serve on combat ships, even though it banned them from serving in direct ground combat.
These have been enormous changes, and it’s important that these historic milestones are recognized and celebrated. Yet, while women represented just two percent of the U.S. military in 1948, they currently constitute nearly 18 percent of the armed forces. In addition, fewer than one percent of deployed active-duty combat troops are women, with only a fraction of them being Black women.
We can’t forget that Black women led armies and fought behind enemy lines during the Civil War, long before President Truman signed the legislation in 1948. Their achievements often get downplayed or even dismissed because of the national narrative that appeals to white Americans. Restoring this history of Black women’s roles in the military helps us understand our history and establish a new narrative that speaks the truth.
I believe people may be aware that Black women served during World War II, but I do not believe they know the full scope of their service. More than 6,500 Black women served during World War II, including the Six Triple Eight, the only all-Black Women’s Army Corps unit to serve in Europe during World War II. While the Six Triple Eight has received accolades in recent years — including the Army’s Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2019 — supporters are still calling for the battalion to receive the Congressional Gold Medal for their extraordinary service, joining the likes of the Tuskegee Airmen and Montford Point Marines.
The enlistment of Black women in the U.S. military has been growing over the past three decades. Black women now constitute nearly one-third of all women in the U.S. military. At around 30 percent, this number is twice their representation in the civilian population and higher than that of men or women of any other racial or ethnic group. I believe the changing economic, social, and political landscape in the United States has motivated Black women to enlist at such high rates. A case can also be made that it is due to the rise in woman-headed households.
My senior year of high school, my parents sat me down to tell me they didn’t have the money to send me to college. Even with a few grants, it wasn’t enough to get me through. My dad, who was active-duty army at the time, suggested that I enlist as a reservist. I would be able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill, monthly income from duty, and have the opportunity to travel. I thought he had lost his mind, but I didn’t have a better plan. Next thing I know, I am on a plane to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training.
For the next 8 years, I was able to pay for college and travel stateside as well as overseas. I developed leadership skills that I didn’t even know I had, skills that prove to be invaluable to me even now. It certainly wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done; there were times I wanted to give up. I definitely experienced my share of sexism and racism and the challenges with being the only woman or only Black woman, and I found myself in situations that could have been bad. However, I will never regret wearing the uniform and serving my country.
As I was completing basic training at Fort Jackson, my dad was on the front lines in Operation Desert Storm. What I learned is that nearly 40 percent of the 35,000 women who served in Desert Storm were Black women, including officers, noncommissioned officers, and enlisted soldiers. They endured the heat, no electricity, no running water, and no bathrooms right alongside the men. Lieutenant Phoebe Jeter led an all-male platoon that destroyed two Iraqi missiles. Captain Cynthia Mosely commanded Alpha Company, a 100-person unit that supplied everything from fuel to water to ammunition. Her unit resupplied fuel for all of the forward brigades because it was closest to the front lines.
Ensign Matice Wright was the Navy’s first Black woman naval flight officer in 1993, and Sergeant Danyell Wilson was the first Black woman sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in 1997.
The 2022 graduating class at West Point included 40 Black women cadets — a record number of for the U.S. Military Academy, making it the third time that the institution has graduated this many Black women since its inception in 1802. A new generation of leadership is emerging; new firsts, new triumphs and new legacies will be created.
As an army veteran, it’s not lost on me that many Black women separate from service and suffer personal, social, and economic difficulties. There is also a disturbing level of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and coping with sexual assault while they were on active duty. These women are faced with having sacrificed to serve a country that oftentimes doesn’t serve them back.
Black women have consistently been the backbone of this nation — called upon to lead its founding principles of democracy, whether in uniform, at the polls, and within political office. Today, several state lawmakers are working to deny or diminish the contributions of Black women service members and the many whose names we do not yet know. After 75 years, it should be a stark reminder that we must properly recognize the valor and resilience of Black women’s leadership in the military and weave their stories into our national narrative.
The two loveable characters Wallace and Gromit are getting their own VR experience on Meta Quest later this year! Check out the full press release below. Are you excited?
Get a Thrilling First Glimpse at Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway, an All-New VR Adventure From Aardman and Atlas V
Enter VR-O-RAMA and See the Iconic Animated Universe of Wallace & Gromit Like Never Before
France (June 13, 2023) — Astrea Immersive presents Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway, a VR adventure from multi-award-winning independent animation studio Aardman and immersive storytelling experts Atlas V! The iconic stop-motion animated duo’s first virtual reality experience revealed its key art, logo, and an exciting teaser trailer during Saturday’s Future Games Show, as part of Summer Games Fest, following its initial announcement last year.
See how the whimsical world of Wallace & Gromit translates to VR in the exciting first teaser below:
Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway is an interactive, narrative-led VR experience for Meta Quest VR headsets which will take fans on a brand-new adventure with much-loved characters Wallace and Gromit. For the first time, users will be able to walk around, explore and get a hands-on (or paws-on!) experience within the world of Wallace & Gromit, and truly be a part of the pair’s adventures.
In The Grand Getaway, holidays are in the offing for Wallace and Gromit. Everything is prepared to enjoy some sun, sand, and the chance to test out their latest contraption, the Auto-Caddy. But Wallace has his dates mixed up and the pair have to be on the other side of the country in just half an hour. There’s only one solution… they’ll take the Rocket!
Under the guidance of BERYL, their beverage and employee-related logistics contraption, Wallace and Gromit pack and prepare for take-off. But shortly after launch, a mishap with the controls sends the team hurtling off course. This is going to be a holiday to remember!
Wallace and Gromit, Aardman’s most beloved and iconic duo, have been delighting family audiences around the world for 30 years. First hitting our screens in Nick Park’s Academy Award®-winning Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out (1989) the pair went on to star in three further half hour specials (Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993), Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave (1995), and Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf or Death (2008) and a feature length film, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), and are internationally celebrated winning over 100 awards at festivals, including 3 Academy Awards® and 5 BAFTA® Awards. Most recently, the duo featured in their first augmented reality story, The Big Fix Up, launched in 2021, and a new Wallace & Gromit film has been announced for 2024, directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham.
Finbar Hawkins and Bram Ttwheam are co-directing the experience for Aardman with the support of Academy Award® winner and creator of Wallace & Gromit Nick Park, and Wallace & Gromit Creative Director Merlin Crossingham. Ben Whitehead will again voice Wallace, as he has done for previous Wallace & Gromit projects, following in the footsteps of the late Peter Sallis.
The project is a co-production between Aardman and the award-winning creators of the VR experience Spheres and Gloomy Eyes at Atlas V, in association with No Ghost and Albyon, and published by immersive distributor and publisher Astrea, with Meta Quest team support.
Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway will launch in 2023 for Meta Quest.
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