They wouldn't make it, the men said; the math and science wouldn't interest them, the physical routine would be too tough and the opposition would drive them out. On May 28, 1980 the men behind those words were proven wrong as dozens of women tossed their caps alongside men at America's prestigious military academies.
Photo: Andrea Hollen receives her diploma from West Point in 1980, becoming the academy's first female graduate
The Class of 1980 broke ground as the first to have women graduate from the U.S. Military Academy (USMA), the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, and the Coast Guard Academy. Among those pioneering women was Andrea Hollen, the first female graduate from West Point. Click here to watch the video.
"This is a symbolic day, but it's also a day for, I'd say, very careful consideration for exactly what we've done," said Hollen in a 1980 interview with correspondent Ike Pappas that aired on the "CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite." Full Story »