"For 21 years, I represented “the fighting spirit of the Navy and those who have gone before me” without fully understanding how accurate those words in the Sailor’s Creed are. Goguen’s From Yeomanettes to Fighter Jets changed that. It is an exceptionally well-written journey through the history of women in the Navy. Like many who joined because of 9/11, I had no illusions of what I was getting into. Service and sacrifice are universal, and we were at war. However, I had no genuine appreciation of how far women in the Navy had come or how many hard-won battles it took to allow me to continue what they started. This book captures the history of those who refused to accept the status quo, individuals who intrinsically understood that accepting things just because “that’s the way it’s always been done” are accepting mediocrity and ceding the advantage to the enemy." —Ama M. Adair, CWO, USN (Ret.) and author of the Elle Anderson Thriller Series.

“Randy Goguen brilliantly lays out the critical connection between the halting advances of women in the US Navy from World War I until today and how this followed the general advance of women in society. Goguen gives a detailed and highly readable account of the intense struggle in the cultural, legislative, and political, as well as naval, fields to move women from their early role as non-combatant shore-based typists to aviators, submariners and, now, commanders of carriers.”—Kathleen Broome Williams naval historian and author of Grace Hopper

"This is the essential honest account of the history that many of us have lived through, and before reading this amazing book, I didn’t even know the full story. Excellently researched and well written. An absolute must read for anyone who claims interest in America’s Navy. It is a testament to the service and sacrifice of so many women (and men) in the Navy and Marine Corps over the past 100 years that as of today, all jobs are open to women so that the very best people can be recruited and retained to defend the nation."—Lt. Col. Amy McGrath, USMC (Ret.) and founder of Honor Bound

"Randy Goguen presents a fascinating account of women’s efforts to integrate the U.S. Navy from World War I until the present. Goguen, a former Naval intelligence officer, applies her analytical skills to describing how the exigencies of war and culture battled notions of 'True Womanhood' in an uneven trajectory toward women’s parity. She tells an even-handed story not only of changing policies but also of the forceful personalities that have made the full integration of women in the Navy a step closer to reality."—Elizabeth Atwood, Professor, Hood College and author of The Liberation of Marguerite Harrison

"Active-duty women often give credit to their predecessors through the metaphor “standing on the shoulders of giants,” but scoping the exact size of these giants—and their unique, interconnected lineage—is impossible without a detailed history of the challenges surmounted and the subsequent progress achieved. From Yeomanettes to Fighter Jets: A Century of Women in the U.S. Navy not only serves this purpose for women, but also spells out its essentiality for all members across the naval service. In her book, Randy Carol Goguen traces four distinct phases in the history of women in the Navy: militarization through World Wars I and II, marginalization into the 1960s, transitional integration until the Defense Authorization Act of 1994, and true integration."—Lt. Cdr. Andrea Howard, USN, Proceedings Magazine

"In this well-researched and straightforward account, former Naval Office Goguen makes clear that American women's fight over the past century to serve in the US Navy was not an easy battle. With the outbreak of World War I and the rise of the women's suffrage movement, women were initially “welcome” to serve, though in very limited capacities such as clerical and health support. World War II brought an even greater need for all hands on deck, so to speak, but again, gender norms of the day limited women’s roles to technically noncombat positions, though certainly they risked their lives nonetheless. Post–WW II saw an initial return of limited options for women to serve in the Navy until the lifting of the draft in 1973 forced all branches of the US military, including the Navy, to reconsider putting women in combat. Women's increased presence generated enough sexual harassment to warrant investigation. In the end, as Goguen argues, it was 'the exigency of war in the first half of the century, and public condemnation of institutional scandals in the latter half' that brought women fully into service. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels."—Choice Magazine

"From Yeomanettes to Fighter Jets covers a century of the role of women in the U.S. Navy as author Randy Carol Goguen paints a vivid canvas of their storied advancement. Her book is divided into four phases: 1917-1947 militarization; 1948-1966 marginalization; 1967-1993 transition; and 1994 to present. Goguen’s book goes into great detail surrounding the economic and political conditions, and cultural and technological changes that both plagued and advanced their cause. This well researched and written book is a must-read and belongs in the library of every Navy person—man and woman."—Hampton Road Naval Museum