“Title IX Changed My Life”: A Pioneering Woman In The West Point Class Of 1980

Lillian Pfluke was born in 1959 and grew up in San Francisco, California, before graduating from high school in Palo Alto. Her father met her mother while serving in the Air Force in Germany and later earned his PhD in geophysics, spending a career working for the USGS (United States Geological Survey). Her mother, one of eight children, survived World War II and was teaching English at a school in Germany when she met her husband. Lillian is the oldest of five, three girls and two boys, and was very active during her childhood. Before Title IX was passed, she was limited to swimming, but after, she was a four-sport varsity athlete. In addition to sports, Lillian enjoyed playing the piano and trumpet, and was active in Girl Scouts. She had planned to attend UC Davis, but a recruiter visited her high school looking for “smart, athletic women” to join the USMA Class of 1980, the first class to include women. Earlier, she had heard of West Point while on an swim team trip to Hawaii, where the CINCPAC Commander had mentioned that in 1976, the service academies were going to start admitting women. Reporting for R-Day, she “sailed through” the process, already having short hair and broken-in shoes. She loved all the military training (the reason she chose West Point over UC Davis) during Beast and Buckner. She completed CTLT at Ft. Bragg and the Jungle Training Course before serving on the Recondo committee the next summer. She was in the top third of her class academically and took as many Engineering electives as she could (academic majors were not yet an option). She did well militarily, but occasionally ruffled feathers because “I didn’t take shit.” Physically, she was the #1 woman in her class. She remained very active as a Cadet, competing on the swim, ski, softball, and lacrosse teams. She was in both D-1 and G-1, and remarks that 10% were helpful, 10% were hateful, and 80% could have made the difference in how the women of ’80 were treated had they chosen to do so, but too many looked “the other way.” She recalls being called every name in the book, and felt that no matter what the women did to conform, they were always wrong. One regret she has is not being more supportive of the younger women at the Academy, but she notes that the West Point Women group is now very strong. At one point, a faculty member recommended reporting the discrimination, bullying, and harassment the women were facing to Superintendent Goodpaster. Lillian and Anne Schwartz reported what they were experiencing, and felt that that interaction was positive. She branched ordnance, but wanted to branch Infantry and go to Ranger school. In fact, the Women’s Rights Project was intending to sue the government on her behalf, but a suit against the Carter administration’s male-only draft law proved to be a higher profile case, and when that failed, her case was dropped. After Airborne school and the basic course, she reported to V Corps in Germany in 1980, where she oversaw a maintenance facility before serving as a Platoon Leader and a Battalion S4. In Germany, her focus was facing the Soviet threat. She was also able to connect with her mother’s side of the family and join in their yearly family reunion. Her Platoon Sergeant was wonderful and really mentored her. She felt that her platoon was good and worked hard. Returning to the United States in 1984, she was assigned to HQ DARCOM, the Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command in Arlington, Virginia. In 1986, she took command of D Company, a Heavy Maintenance Company in 9th Infantry Division, at Ft. Lewis, Washington. She describes it as “the best job.” In 1990, she earned her Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from George Washington University and worked in the U.S. space program for three years, calling it “secret, well-funded, innovative, and cutting edge.” In 1993, she attended the Marine Command and Staff College and appreciated the powerful organizational culture of the Marine Corps. In 1994, she was assigned to SARDA HQ DA (Secretary of the Army for Research, Development, and Acquisition). Following the Gulf War, where service women accomplished incredible things, Lillian was “utterly disappointed” that more opportunities did not open up for women, and she took an early retirement from the Army as a Major in 1995, moved to Paris, and began a decade of service with the American Battle Monuments Commission. Initially, she served as a facility engineer, and then became the Private Memorials Administrator. The ABMC is a strategic presence in Europe and France, serving an important role for the U.S. government. In 2008, based on her experiences with private memorials, she started a non-profit organization, American War Memorials Overseas, which supports 3000 sites of personal memorials and is very fulfilling to her. She also is an educator, initially working as a substitute at the American School of Paris, where she taught math, physics, and physical education while also coaching volleyball, basketball, and softball. In 2015, she began working as a math professor for the University of Maryland global satellite campus. She also works with blind skiers and bikers. For the skiers, she has to constantly call directions over a loudspeaker in French as she is guiding them down the slopes. Lillian is also a world-class athlete, having won 12 masters world champion titles in a variety of cycling events. In 2024, she volunteered at the mountain bike venue for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. Lillian is proud of the evolution of women’s service in the Army, and attended the first graduation of women from Ranger school. Reflecting on service, she states, “It is an important part of my life.” She still experiences very strong emotions at West Point particularly regarding how she and her classmates were treated, but she is extremely proud of what they have accomplished. She appreciates her 6000+ sisters who are West Point Women, calling them “a joy” to her.