Changing the Rules the Engagement: Inspiring Stories of Courage and Leadership from Women in the Military

Changing the Rules of Engagement documents the lives of women who have shattered the glass ceiling and performed extraordinary feats while serving their country. By telling their stories about their remarkable careers in traditionally male-dominated environments, Martha LaGuardia-Kotite demonstrates how tenacious and courageous women can achieve the unimaginable.

Among the pioneering women profiled are Vice Adm. Vivien Crea, who as vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard held the highest-ranking position of any woman in the history of the U.S. military; Capt. Tammy Duckworth, USA (Ret.), a Purple Heart recipient and triple amputee who was shot down in Iraq while piloting a Black Hawk helicopter; and Heather Wilson, an Air Force Academy graduate, Rhodes scholar, and the country’s only female veteran in Congress. Included are the inspirational stories of women Marines, one of the three female Shuttle commanders in the history of the NASA program, and the first female members of the military service academies’ gender-integrated classes, who recall the highs and lows of their trailblazing experiences.

These are only a few of the remarkable women who tell their own inspiring stories in Changing the Rules of Engagement. Representative of a widely diverse group of enlisted women and officers from different races and cultures, they have succeeded since the mid-1970s at combating prejudices and aiding change in the military with intelligence, passion, and honor while serving on the front lines.