Medina County Women of the Military

09/21/2026

For years, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that women couldn't keep up. Women "cannot physically meet the same standards as men," he wrote in his book -- and last fall he made the military's fitness test for combat troops tougher, scrapping the scoring scale for women so they'd have to clear the men's bar. Now the results are in -- and to Hegseth's likely chagrin, more than 9 in 10 female Marines have met or exceeded the new physical fitness standard. Kris Fuhr, co-founder of the Women in the Service Coalition, wasn't surprised: "The women prepare and they train and they're ready."

Hegseth manufactured a problem that didn't exist. Women in combat roles had been meeting the same standards as men all along -- he simply refused to believe it. For a decade, every woman in the infantry, artillery, or armor has had to meet the identical job requirements as the men beside her -- more than 5,000 have, and 174 have earned the Army's brutal Ranger tab under the same rules as their male peers. What Hegseth changed wasn't the combat standard. It was the annual fitness test, long graded on separate curves for men and women, which he ordered scored against the men's alone. The women are clearing that, too, at 91% -- nearly matching the men's 97%.

He has never been coy about what he thinks. "I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles," he said on a podcast weeks before his confirmation. His own military's numbers now undercut the very claim he built his case on: that women can't meet the men's standard. Undeterred in his quest to prove women inadequate, he has commissioned a formal review of women in combat that is currently ongoing -- one critics say was designed to reach its conclusion before it began, on a timeline too short to do the work honestly.

The Marine data reaffirms what women have already been proving in these roles for years: leading infantry platoons, flying combat missions, earning Ranger tabs and Green Beret qualifications that wash out most of the men who attempt them. The fitness numbers are simply the latest confirmation of what those women already knew.

"If you tell a woman what the standard is," Fuhr said, "she will do the work to not only meet it, but often exceed it."

For an inspiring children's book that gives groundbreaking women in the military, past and present, the respect they deserve, we highly recommend "Heroism Begins With Her: Inspiring Stories of Bold, Brave, and Gutsy Women in the U.S. Military" for ages 9 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/heroism-begins-with-her

For more books for young readers that honor the service of women in the military, visit our blog post "The Price of Peace: A Mighty Girl Recognizes Veterans" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12356

For books for children and teens about the importance of standing up for truth, decency, and justice, even in dark times, visit our blog post, "Dissent Is Patriotic: 50 Books About Women Who Fought for Change," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364

To stay connected with A Mighty Girl, you can sign-up for our free email newsletter at https://www.amightygirl.com/forms/newsletter

To read more about female Marines and the fitness test results on the War Horse, visit https://thewarhorse.org/hegseth-marine-women-combat-fitness-test/

09/21/2026

Hester was 23 and serving as a sergeant with the Kentucky National Guard when her convoy came under attack southeast of Baghdad.
Insurgents opened fire with rifles, machine g*ns, and rocket-propelled grenades, striking vehicles at the front and rear of the convoy.
The column was trapped.
Hester and Staff Sergeant Timothy Nein maneuvered their Humvee around the attackers, creating an opening for their soldiers to respond.
Hester then moved toward a trench where insurgents were firing at the convoy.
She engaged the attackers at close range while her unit fought to regain control of the situation.
The battle lasted only minutes, but the consequences were enormous.
Hester and her fellow soldiers helped defeat the ambush, and the convoy escaped the kill zone.
For her actions, Hester received the Silver Star.
She became the first woman since World War II to receive the decoration and the first woman to earn the Silver Star for direct ground combat.
But Hester did not describe herself as a trailblazer.
She described herself as a soldier doing her job.
That may be the simplest part of the story—and perhaps the most revealing.
She was not thinking about history when the ambush began.
She was thinking about the soldiers around her.
The roadway was filled with g*nfire.
The convoy was trapped.
And Hester moved.
Years later, the Silver Star remained a permanent record of what happened that day.
But the medal tells only the ending.
The real story happened in those few minutes when a 23-year-old soldier faced an ambush and chose to move toward the danger instead of waiting for it to reach everyone behind her.
Leigh Ann Hester did not ask history for permission to become a symbol.
She simply did her job when it mattered.

09/21/2026

They weren't supposed to be combat troops.
Then the war put them in the line of fire anyway.
In 2003, American forces in Iraq faced a problem that military planners had not fully anticipated.
Male Marines could not search Iraqi women because of cultural and religious restrictions.
Insurgents understood that.
Women could conceal weapons, explosives and other materials that male troops could not safely search for.
So the military turned to women already serving in support roles.
Mechanics.
Clerks.
Radio operators.
Women who had never expected to be walking alongside infantry.
They became part of what became known as Team Lioness.
Suddenly, these women were accompanying Marines on dangerous patrols.
They searched homes.
Worked checkpoints.
Entered hostile neighborhoods.
And faced the possibility of ambushes and gunfire.
They also provided something male troops couldn't.
They could speak with Iraqi women directly, search them and build relationships that helped American forces gather information.
Their role was officially complicated.
They were still considered support personnel.
But their missions were anything but safe.
They were stepping into the same streets.
Facing the same uncertainty.
And sometimes walking directly into the same gunfire.
Years later, the military's combat exclusion policy was removed in 2013, opening combat roles to women.
But women like those in Team Lioness had already demonstrated something long before the policy changed.
They didn't need a new title to prove their courage.
They were already there.
Already serving.
Already taking risks.
Already protecting the people beside them.
And today, many people have never heard their names.
**The system called them support.
The battlefield called them sisters in the fight.
History should remember both.

09/21/2026

📍Northeast Ohio Veterans: Important changes are coming to your medical records as VA transitions to the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR) on October 24. During the transition, Veterans may experience reduced appointment availability and temporary pauses to online scheduling, secure messaging, prescription renewals and prescription refills. Some disruptions begin before Oct. 24 and continue for varying periods, so please review the dates on the flyer and plan for your health care needs.

📲You can handle prescription refills and renewals in person or by calling the pharmacy number on your prescription label. To schedule or cancel an appointment when online options are unavailable, call 216-791-3800, Option 2.

Thank you for your patience as VA implements the Federal EHR to coordinate better and support your care.

09/21/2026

🏥Veteran flu shots are available at VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System from Sept. 21 through Oct. 22, Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
🚗Saturday flu clinics will be held Sept. 19 and Oct. 3, from 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
👨‍⚕️After Oct. 22, Veterans can receive a flu shot at their next scheduled appointment.

09/19/2026

Having dinner at Sweet Mango in Medina. Linda, Lisa and Sue. Be sure to join us on Oct. 10 when we grab lunch at Brunswick Family Restaurant at 11 a.m.

09/18/2026