Fort Lee in Prince George County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm
Women In War
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, June 28, 2025
1. Women In War - Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm Marker
Approximately 24,000 Army women served in the Persian Gulf, along with 4,000 women in other service branches. Never before had women served on such a large scale nor played such an integral part. Army women participated in the initial invasion into Kuwait and Iraq. Fourteen women were killed and two taken prisoner of war by Iraqi forces. Two women commanded battalions for the first time in war and 270 served with Patriot Missile battalions in Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey. Their action in various unit formations made a lasting impression on those who served with them. Shortly after the war Congress passed legislation allowing women to serve aboard military vessels and fly aircraft engaged in combat missions.
Captions:]
Hospital corpsmen set up a communications station at a field hospital, 1991.
Members of the 16th Military Police Brigade prepare to deploy, 1991.
Two soldiers load a vehicle in Saudi Arabia, 1991.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, 1st Iraq & Desert Storm • Women.
Location. 37° 14.593′ N, 77° 20.719′ W. Marker
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Global War On Terror (here, next to this marker); Operation JUST CAUSEPanama (here, next to this marker); Operation Urgent Fury - Grenada (a few steps from this marker); Vietnam War (a few steps from this marker); Korean War (within shouting distance of this marker); 14th Army WAC Band (within
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, June 28, 2025
2. Women In War 'trail'
This marker is the 2nd to last of a series along a walkway east of the U.S. Army Women's Museum.
More about this marker. In 2025 the garrison opened the old 19th Street gate as a public access route to the Museum Enclave - which includes this marker and the Army Women's and Quartermaster Museums as well as the limited-access Ordnance Training Support Facility (housing parts of the Aberdeen Proving Ground collection) - by changing the security perimeter to exclude the museums and enable direct public access.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 2, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 63 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 2, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
