Shannon Faulkner made history in 1995 as the first female cadet at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, following a court battle amid heated public debate. She lasted only about a week, but cracked open the door for other women, including South Carolina State Rep. Nancy Mace, a former Atlanta resident and the first woman to graduate from The Citadel.

In a 1995 interview on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, Faulkner sounded shaken. A woman who identified herself as a military wife shouted angrily at Faulkner for leaving as quickly as she did. “I think I handled it just as good as I could have,” Faulkner responded.