Linda Cox - Veteran and EOD Trailbrazer

Forty-five years ago, America was a much different place than it is today. Sexism and discrimination were not only rampant in society, they were relied upon. One woman, Linda Cox, defied this trend, and set about becoming the military's first female bomb technician.

Linda Cox, or Linda Crawford as she was then known as, was born in a small town in Oklahoma called Chickasha. Born into a military family, Linda wanted to continue her family's military legacy. Her father had served in World War II, her mother was working as a Navy code breaker, and even her older brother had been in the Vietnam War. It was these footsteps that Linda was following when she applied to the Air Force in 1971.

The Air Force application consisted of two parts for female applicants at that time, an academic test and a physical examination. Linda passed the first with flying colors, excelling particularly in the mechanical part of the examination; Linda had spent many summers dirt biking with her brothers, and as such knew all about fixing engines. The second exam, however, was a bit more worrisome. The recruiter measured her bust, hips, waist and asked for a photo of her where she had to adjust her skirt for a better view of her legs. However, at the end of the day, Linda and one other woman were accepted into the Women's Air Force (WAF).

Linda was a bit of a standout in the WAF. While most women accepted there went on to become nurses or fill clerical positions, Linda's mechanical knowledge stood out. Thus, she was assigned a simple job running a printing press. This position wouldn't last long, however, as one of her friends, Peggy McCormick, handed her an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) flyer and dared her to sign up. Never one to back down from a challenge, Linda applied for EOD school immediately.

Her application to EOD school was returned to her twice, the school not believing that a woman would apply bomb disposal. The third time, forced to accept her application, the school responded that she needed to pass additional tests, ones that men were not required to do. These "tests" consisted of proving that she could lift 100 pounds of rocks placed in a bucket. However, she muddled through and eventually was able to attend the school.

In school, Linda continued to face discrimination because of her sex. Fellow students, and even teachers, would ridicule her daily as she attempted to graduate. Around this time, journalists began to catch word of her accomplishments. Rather than discourage her bullies, these journalists only seemed to egg her aggressors on. This was further intensified when Linda became the target of the National Organization for Women (NOW), as they harassed her about becoming a feminist role model. Linda put these distractions aside however, and focused on just being "one of the EOD guys."

With all these things holding her back, Linda defied all expectations put upon her. Not only did she graduate from EOD school, she went on to be a leading practitioner in the EOD field. She reached the pinnacle of her military career in 1994, when she was promoted to Chief Master Sergeant. Today, Linda works as a consultant for C2HM Hill, an environmental and engineering firm. Though her work has slowed down some since her youth, she still looks at each project she undertakes with excitement and fascination.