First woman to enlist in the U.S. Navy

On 17 March 1917, at age twenty, Loretta Perfectus Walsh enlisted for a four‑year term in the U.S. Naval Reserve at a recruiting office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2][3] This action made her the first woman to enlist in the U.S. Navy and, by extension, the first woman to serve in any branch of the United States armed forces in a non‑nursing role.

Walsh’s enlistment occurred just weeks before the United States formally entered World War I. Navy leaders, seeking to free male sailors for sea duty, had begun exploring a loophole in the Naval Reserve Act that did not explicitly bar women from service. When Walsh stepped forward, she tested and effectively validated that legal opening, demonstrating that women could be enrolled as Yeoman (F) with the same pay and responsibilities as men.[2][4][11]

Historically, this moment broke a gender barrier that had confined women’s military participation to nursing and unofficial roles. Walsh’s enlistment opened the door for thousands of women to follow; more than 11,000 women would serve as Yeoman (F) during the war, performing crucial clerical and administrative work that supported naval operations at home and abroad.[2][9][11] Her decision challenged contemporary assumptions about women’s capabilities and laid foundations for the broader integration of women into the U.S. armed forces throughout the twentieth century.