March is Women’s History Month and this year’s theme is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.”

From America’s first days, women have made profound sacrifices. They have made innovative contributions to national security and blazed trails for future generations, he stated.

Since the Revolutionary War, more than 3 million women have served, even before the military fully recognized their service, he noted.

And the role of women in the U.S. military continues to expand. In 1971, women made up just one percent of the military services. Ten years later, it was 8.5 percent

However, women at that time were not allowed to serve in combat military occupational specialties like infantry, artillery and combat aviation.

Although there were instances of women serving in the military in every U.S. war, it wasn’t until World War I when policy allowed them to serve in non-combat jobs to free up men to fight.

Altogether, about 34,000 women served during World War II in the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. The Army only allowed women to serve as nurses.

With the end of the war on Nov. 11, 1918, women in all military branches were demobilized except for some Army and Navy nurses.

During World War II, the military once again faced a manpower shortage as they had in World War I. The services began accepting women who served in the Women’s Army Corps; the Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, more commonly known as WAVES; the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve; and the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve.

In June 1948 President Harry S. Truman signed the Women’s Armed Service Integration Act allowing women to receive regular permanent status in the armed forces, which by then included the Air Force.

In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month in perpetuity.