All over the world, amazing women are serving in the United States Armed Forces, having enlisted in the military to protect and fight for freedom back here at home for all Americans. It is a tradition as old as America itself, and while women’s roles serving in the military have changed and evolved over time, women have been a vital part of the Armed Forces since the Revolutionary War.

Today, women serve in all branches of the military, in nearly all capacities and in all ranks — from a private to a general. Women have served as nurses, secretaries, support staff, and even airplane builders during World War II. Over time, women’s roles in the Armed Forces became more active, and doors to all positions in the military opened. Gen. Anna May Hays, U.S. Army, was the first woman to reach the rank of general in 1970.

The remarkable, honorable women serving in the branches of the military today have and continue to prove themselves as patriots, warriors, and protectors of American freedom at home and abroad.

As featured in the U.S. military branches’ official Flickr pages, the dedication, service, and sacrifice of these brave women in the Armed Forces can be seen in these amazing photographs.

U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Morgan K. Nall — Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Hannah E. Hinton boards the Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88).

U.S. Coast Guard/Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse — Lt. Jillian Harner, an HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane pilot at Coast Guard Air Station Miami, punches though the clouds during a Hurricane Maria assessment near Puerto Rico.

U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Ryan Callaghan — Senior Airman Felicia Anderson, 74th Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief, cleans cockpit glass on an A-10C Thunderbolt II.