Of the 265,00 women who served their country during the Vietnam War, approximately 11,000 American women served in Southeast Asia with close to 90 percent serving as nurses in the Army, Navy and Air Force. Others were doctors, physical therapists, air traffic controllers, communications specialists, intelligence officers and clerks.
This conflict presented unique challenges unlike previous wars. As the Vietnam Women’s Memorial website points out, “Because of the guerilla tactics of Vietnam, many women were in the midst of the conflict. There was no front, no such thing as ‘safe behind our lines.’ Many women were wounded throughout the Vietnam War, with eight ultimately killed in action.