Value of Service (original) (raw)

All-Volunteer Force Desegregation of the Military Women's Integration Into the Armed Forces Opening of Combat Roles to Women

Hundreds of Marines salute during a Marine Corps pageant.

1973

Established on July 1, 1973, the all-volunteer force was a return to the tradition of voluntary service in the military. Every soldier, Marine, sailor, airman and guardian in the military today is a volunteer, and that effort has produced the finest fighting force the world has ever seen.

African-American and white soldiers during World War II.

1948

President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948, which abolished segregation in the U.S. armed forces.

1952 Women service members.

1948

President Truman also signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act on June 12, 1948. That act allowed women to serve as permanent, regular members of the armed forces. Prior to the act, women served only in national emergencies.

Marine Corps Capt. Marina Hierl speaks with a Malaysian service member

2013

It has been more than a decade since former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, eliminated the Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule. They directed the military services and U.S. Special Operations Command to open all military occupational specialties to women, including frontline combat units.