<p>I just finished a great book: First Class: Women Join the Ranks at the Naval Academy, by Sharon Hanley Disher. It's about the first women who went to USNA, the Class of 1980. The author was one of those women, and the book follows two fictional girls who are based on the actual women who were part of this class. I found it really interesting. Has anyone else read it? Has it changed your perspective on the Academy, and on women there? I'd never heard of it before I came across it online, so I was just wondering if anyone else had any thoughts on it. GO NAVY!</p>
<p>Both my daughter and I read it a few months ago--it was quite good. We'd both finished it right before her B&GO interview, so spoke about it for a minute. He was a bit before that era and was honest that he thought women would pull the level of the place down. But he felt women had proved that they belonged there, and that most of the folks now believed that too. I was amazed at the guts of that first class!</p>
<p>I read it for the first time in fourth grade - first swear words I ever saw! - and then my parents read it and realized it was probably too "mature" for me at the time. They gave it to a nurse of my dad's whose daughter was at USNA at the time. Now that I'm interested in the Naval Academy again, I asked my parents about it this summer. They'd all but forgotten about it, and retrieved it in time for my eighteenth birthday! The best present I got.</p>
<p>I thought it was a fabulous book - didn't go quite as much into the academics as it did the military training and social life, but certainly presented some of the hurdles that females had to overcome. It didn't deter me in the least!</p>
<p>If you liked that and just want to know more about Academy life, there's a book by Amy Efaw that's about a female at Beast Barracks at West Point, it's called "Battle Dress," and is fabulous as well.</p>
<p>Let's hope that in four years we can write books about our Academy experiences in a couple of years!</p>
<p>Thanks for the idea, I'll definitely get this book for my daughter Navy_Hornet. I believe Wendy Lawrence, who was a naval Helicopter Pilot and is an Astronaut, was part of that first class.</p>
<p>Battle Dress is about a female cadet's experience during Beast. Although it's fiction, it actually gives a good description of the 6 weeks and the activities. I have to admit that I really enjoyed it. Here's a link to the author's blog. I can't imagine how she has time to keep it up.</p>
<p>On the subject of Wendy Lawrence - her brother and I are long time neighbors and friends. Our kids went to school together. I remember meeting Wendy as about a 13 year old - who told me she was planning on going to the Naval Academy and becoming an astronaut. I was really unaware of any military stuff back in those days ( late 70's early 80's) and I recall thinking: "wow that's a lofty goal for a girl." In the summer of 2000 when my husband and I visited his alma matre there in the USNA gift store area was an astronaut uniform Wendy wore. </p>
<p>Dreams really do come true- to those who plan and work diligently towards their goals.</p>
<p>All of you out there, females and males who are aspiring to a military officer career - hang in there. We need your skills, talents and intellectual gifts.</p>
<p>And who knows, maybe one of you will have an astronaut uniform on display someday ( or the like) at the USNA gift store as well!</p>
<p>I'm so jealous that you actually know Wendy Lawrence. She and Eileen Collins, the only woman Shuttle Commander (so far), are both heroes to my daughter and I.</p>
<p>I looked up her Astronaut Bio, and she actually graduated in 1981. She has been a Mission Specialist on four flights, including the most recent Return to Flight. Her father is also an Academy graduate, class of '51 and was a POW in Vietnam and was the Academy Superintendent from '78 to '81.</p>
<p>Our kids are following in very large footsteps.</p>