While there are many notable male celebrities who served, less focus seems to be on the women — of both today and throughout history — who have fought for their countries.
"Golden Girl" Bea Arthur was a staff sergeant for the Marines, and Gal Gadot was in the Israeli Defense Forces for two years, which actually led to her big break in Hollywood.
Keep scrolling to see other famous females who have served — and learn how it helped them succeed in the long run.
"Wonder Woman" Gal Gadot served in the Israeli Defense Forces for two years.
After Gal Gadot was crowned Miss Israel in 2004, and before she became Wonder Woman in 2017, she served her mandatory two years in the Israeli Defense Forces. During Gadot's assignment, she worked as a "physical fitness specialist," teaching things like gymnastics and calisthenics to the soldiers.
Gadot actually credits her big break in the acting world to her military service, claiming that Justin Lin, the director of "Fast Five" and "Fast & Furious 6," cast her in the role of Gisele because he was impressed with her military background, and her "knowledge of weapons."
"Golden Girl" Bea Arthur was one of the first members of the Marine Corps’ Women’s Reserve.
Before she was Dorothy Zbornak on "The Golden Girls," Emmy award-winning actress Bea Arthur was a Marine.
Arthur enlisted into the Women's Reserve when she was just 21 years old, first serving as a typist and truck driver. She worked her way up to staff sergeant and was honorably discharged in 1945.
According to The Daily Beast, official documents show that Arthur's supervisors thought she was "argumentative" — which is not a far cry from the feisty persona she became known for on both "The Golden Girls" and "Maude."
Harriet Tubman was a military leader and Union spy during the Civil War.
Most know Harriet Tubman for her groundbreaking work with the Underground Railroad and, later, as an abolitionist — but according to National Geographic, Tubman was also an integral part of the Civil War.
In 1863, Tubman and Colonel James Montgomery led a group of soldiers in freeing slaves from plantations in South Carolina, making Tubman the first woman in US history to lead a military expedition.
Her work continued as a spy and recruiter for the Union Army. This operation was so covert that only President Lincoln knew about it.
Tubman received compensation for her military contributions decades later, in 1899. Thomas B. Allen, the author of "Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent," calls Tubman "one of the great heroines of the Civil War."
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