NPR

For A Black Woman In The Military, Harassment Was Its Own Battle

At StoryCorps, retired Col. Denise Baken says the challenges she faced as both a woman and an African American in the Army weighed her down over time, mentally and physically.
At StoryCorps in Baltimore last month, retired Col. Denise Baken (center) told her children, Christian Yingling and Richard Yingling, about the discrimination she faced as a black woman in the Army.

Inspired by her father's passion for military service, Denise Baken joined the Army in 1975 at age 24, looking to follow in his footsteps.

But the retired colonel didn't realize how closely her father's experience in the military mirrored her own until she faced challenges — both as a

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