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Therese Agnes Hughes / Tactical 16 Over the course of seven years, Therese Agnes Hughes photographed and interviewed 800 women who served throughout the U.S. military. By documenting them,

her goal was to raise awareness of the commitment and sacrifice women bring to the service. Hughes became interested in helping female veterans during her career in public service when she

noticed that many were not treated the same as their male counterparts. "They needed help with things like their medals, their flags, getting into appropriate health care at the VA

[U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs],” she said. “I created this project to interview women veterans and take photographs of them to raise awareness with other agencies in the United

States.” ------------------------- VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY SAVE UP TO 30% ON AARP MEMBERSHIP. Get instant access to discounts, programs, services, and the information you need to

benefit every area of your life. ------------------------- After Hughes completed her first 60 interviews, she noticed many of the women said they would join the service again “in a

heartbeat.” "I thought, ‘Oh this is what the military teaches them to say. But it's not,'” she said. “What that spoke to me was a commitment to our freedoms, our democracy,

our flag and our nation that said something about women that I didn't hear before.” A PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT TURNS INTO A BOOK In August 2014, Brig. Gen. Wilma Vaught, the first women to

deploy with an Air Force bomber unit, asked Hughes if she could create something out of her portraits. That Veterans Day, _In a Heartbeat_ debuted as an exhibition at the Military

Women's Memorial located at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The exhibition featured black-and-white portraits of military women, each paired with a quote summarizing her

service. "The reason I chose a quote was because in the interview with the veteran … something they said stuck with me and I felt that was what represented them,” Hughes said. “So, I

could represent to other people why they chose military service." The exhibit would travel to several other locations, but many of the women and their families were unable to visit the

venues honoring them. That inspired Hughes to create a book based on the exhibition, featuring 113 female veterans from all branches of the U.S. military. In addition to further honoring the

women she interviewed, Hughes hopes that young women of today can look at the portraits and “see someone who looks like them and say, ‘I can do military service.' ” These six women are

among those featured in the upcoming book _In a Heartbeat_, due out on March 25, 2021, from publisher Tactical 16: * LIST * | * SLIDESHOW * Photos * * * 1 of * PHOTO BY: Therese Agnes

Hughes Brig. Gen. Tammy Smith, US Army (left) and Brig. Gen. Wilma L. Vaught, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) BRIG. GEN. TAMMY SMITH, U.S. ARMY SERVICE: 1980–Present THEATER: Afghanistan, Iraq

"Exposure to different jobs helped develop a great background for me. It came in handy on 09/11. My boss said. ‘This is it MAJ Smith. Go stand up our Emergency Center.’ I told myself,

‘You need to figure it out because others need you to do it.’ I made it work one step at a time." BRIG. GEN. WILMA L. VAUGHT, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.) SERVICE: 1957–1985 THEATER: Vietnam

"I loved serving. I liked my work and when I retired, I had the opportunity to do the most significant work of my life. Look at this. [Gesturing and brightly smiling, Gen. Vaught lifts

her arms, hands upwards and gathers in the interior of the Military Women's Memorial.] This is my most important work!” * * * 2 of * PHOTO BY: Therese Agnes Hughes ALYCE DIXON,

WOMEN'S ARMY CORPS SERVICE: 1943–1946 THEATER: England, France (World War II) "I was in the 6888th for mailing. We had 500 Negro Girls for that big job. We were given a short

timeline and we completed the mission in less time than they thought possible.” * * * 3 of * PHOTO BY: Therese Agnes Hughes PFC. ANGELA MADSEN, U.S. MARINE CORPS SERVICE: 1979–1981 "I

was selected to play on USMC Women's Basketball Team. I was injured during the game and received a medical discharge. I am a single mom. Medical care was sporadic. I spent time

homeless. I was introduced to rowing. It was one of the things I could do as a paraplegic. I've won four World Championship Gold Medals rowing on the U.S. Rowing Team. I have six

Guinness World Records too." * * * 4 of * PHOTO BY: Therese Agnes Hughes TECH SGT. CAROLYN MORGAN, AIR NATIONAL GUARD SERVICE: 1980–1996 THEATER: Iraq "I learned so much about each

job. Recruiting was the best! The Air Force sold itself and I believed so much in it. If I could do it all over again, I would stay the whole 20 years." * * * 5 of * PHOTO BY: Therese

Agnes Hughes CAPT. PAZ GOMEZ, U.S. NAVY (RET.) SERVICE: 1983–2012 "My father encouraged me to study engineering in school and this created a path for me to follow. I joined ROTC to pay

for college." MORE ON VETERANS * 59-year-old survives boot camp after reenlisting in Army * Celebrate Veterans Day with 5 inspiring stories about military heroes * 97-year-old Tuskegee

airman gets wish to help dyslexic students