Changing the Rules of Engagement (eBook)

Women in the military tell their own remarkable, inspiring stories
Changing the Rules of Engagement documents the lives of women who have shattered the glass ceiling and performed extraordinary feats while serving their country. By telling their stories about their remarkable careers in traditionally male-dominated environments, Martha LaGuardia-Kotite demonstrates how tenacious and courageous women can achieve the unimaginable.
Among the pioneering women profiled are Vice Adm. Vivien Crea, who as vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard held the highest-ranking position of any woman in the history of the U.S. military, Capt. Tammy Duckworth, USA (Ret.), a Purple Heart recipient and triple amputee who was shot down in Iraq while piloting a Black Hawk helicopter, and Heather Wilson, an Air Force Academy graduate, Rhodes scholar, and the country's only female veteran in Congress. Included are the inspirational stories of women Marines, one of the three female Shuttle commanders in the history of the NASA program, and the first female members of the military service academies' gender-integrated classes, who recall the highs and lows of their trailblazing experiences.
These are only a few of the remarkable women who tell their own inspiring stories in Changing the Rules of Engagement. Representative of a widely diverse group of enlisted women and officers from different races and cultures, they have succeeded since the mid-1970s at combating prejudices and aiding change in the military with intelligence, passion, and honor while serving on the front lines.

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Changing the Rules of Engagement brings to life the authentic, vivid stories of leadership from inspiring and adventurous women who achieved the extraordinary by serving their country in the U.S. military. These women shattered the glass ceiling and performed extraordinary feats by refusing to take “no” for an answer and learning how to lead in traditionally male-dominated environments. Martha LaGuardia-Kotite skillfully captures their leadership lessons, struggles, and successes—showing how courageous and tenacious women can achieve their goals and help change policy, insights also applicable to today’s leaders in corporate and business boardrooms. Whether soaring into outer space with the second woman to command a space shuttle or plunging to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean with a combat veteran special operations diver, these profiles in leadership highlight a range of powerful examples: from Vivien Crea, a vice commandant of the Coast Guard, who rose to the highest position of any woman in the history of the U.S. military, to Tammy Duckworth, who demonstrated her resilience after being shot down while piloting a helicopter in Iraq and went on to serve as a U.S. senator. Also included are the inspirational stories of women Marines and the first women members of the military service academies’ gender-integrated classes, who recall the highs and lows of their trailblazing journey. Representative of a widely diverse group of enlisted women and officers of different races and cultures, these women have succeeded since the mid-1970s at combating prejudices and aiding change in the military culture with grit, intelligence, leadership, and honor.