The Strong Ones

""An important story...No pedestal for these young American lionesses! Cheers and accolades instead."" --Pat Schroeder, former Congresswoman and member of the House Armed Services Committee ""The Strong Ones provides an inspirational message for our times: Service to our country should be based solely on one important qualification--the ability to fight. As the book makes clear, women have the ability to fight and that is why they are in combat today. The Strong Ones tells the story of how a group of strong women fought for equal rights in the army. As Secretary of Defense, I was proud to open up combat roles to women for the first time. Their outstanding service makes clear that ""The Strong Ones"" fought for what is right for them and the nation."" --Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta ""From jogging 2 miles through the woods with 75-pound backpacks and squatting dozens of times under the pressure of a 100-pound barbell on their shoulders, the women exceeded...expectations."" --USA TODAY Network ""This memoir covers one of the most foundational military studies addressing combat integration and the physicality of women in combat. Through these personal and relatable stories, Sara's book shows that not only are women physically able to compete and contribute to some of the most physically-demanding jobs in the military, but that the diversity of women also brings compassion, humanity, and resilience to a male-dominated career field."" --Martina Chesonis, Captain, US Air Force Reserve and Director of Communications, The Service Women's Action Network (SWAN) ""This kind of uplifting story is exactly what I needed right now."" --Goodreads reviewer ""This story of women triumphing over the expectations and sexist standards of conservative critics is a sprawling narrative over decades, which humanizes the participants of the study while tracking the changes it brought to be."" --The BookLife Prize ""5 STARS. Author Sara Hammel has crafted a truly inspiring account of her experiences, and those of her sisters-in-arms, with plenty of history, policy, grit, and motivational moments to offer readers. One of the features which I found particularly impressive about this piece was its attention to the individual as well as the group, outlining the specific and diverse fields from which these amazing women came. When you begin to piece together the different reasons why each brave and powerful woman came to the study, the tapestry of lives, strengths, and struggles is all the grander to behold. I also felt that the author gave a raw and honest account of the genuine difficulties, as well as the triumphs, which shows the realism and heroism of how hard it was to change minds in such a male-dominated field. Overall, I would highly recommend The Strong Ones to fans of inspirational non-fiction and recent history, and for military families everywhere."" --Readers' Favorite