War and American women : heroism, deeds, and controversy

Allowing women to serve in the military during wartime has been a subject of controversy since World War I, when, for the first time in history, thousands of American women volunteered, answering the same patriotic call to duty as the men. Unlike the men, however, these pioneers were targets of gossip and branded as "camp followers" by some. Since that time, some 3.5 million American women have served their country as spies, nurses, guerrillas, or war correspondents. Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-245) and index. viii, 255 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm