<P> Nurses served aboard the hospital ship USS Sanctuary . Nine non-nurse navy women served in country; however no enlisted navy women were authorized . </P> <P> Major changes occurred for navy women in the 1970s . Alene Duerk became the first female admiral in the navy in 1972 . In 1976 RADM Fran McKee became the first female unrestricted line officer appointed to flag rank . In 1978, Judge John Sirica ruled the law banning navy women from ships to be unconstitutional in the case Owens v. Brown . That year, Congress approved a change to Title 10 USC Section 6015 to permit the navy to assign women to fill sea duty billets on support and noncombatant ships . During the 1970s, women began to enter the surface warfare and aviation fields, gained access to officer accession programs previously open only to men, and started to screen for command opportunities ashore . </P> <P> In December 2015, Defense Secretary Ash Carter stated that starting in 2016 all combat jobs would open to women . In March 2016 Ash Carter approved final plans from military service branches and the U.S. Special Operations Command to open all combat jobs to women, and authorized the military to begin integrating female combat soldiers "right away ." </P> <P> In 1972, Roseann Roberts became the first female helicopter plane captain in the navy . </P>

Who were the first african american navy officers promoted to flag rank