On June 28th 1976, 157 women stepped into the all-male bastion of the United States Air Force Academy, challenging the slogan over the entrance ramp that read “Bring Me Men.” In an ironic twist, the slogan had instead brought women who inspired an upheaval of change in this tradition-bound military school. These determined women were part of a hidden chapter of America’s history. Their journey was one of survival in a male-dominated environment, where they struggled to find balance on a seesaw of ingrained gender discrimination and undesired special privileges.
This work tells the story of the first female cadets in the United States Air Force Academy, and their fight to make a permanent place for themselves within the cadet wing. Chapters explore their struggle to be accepted, the difficulties of the training environment, the camaraderie and conflict with men and the hardships and joys of those who marched in the ranks of that first co-ed class.

Kathleen Utley Kornahrens is one of only 97 women that graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy’s first co-ed class in 1980. She served in the active-duty Air Force as a Computer Systems Development Officer. She lives in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

Kathleen Utley Kornahrens
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 35 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9059-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4866-8
Imprint: McFarland