For female veterans in Congress, it's a small club

When Rep. Chrissy Houlahan sits down to question witnesses at a House Armed Services Committee hearing, it can feel like a time machine back to her own military service. For one thing, the officers seated across from her are often mostly male. "When you're sitting across from a row of general officers, and the vast majority of them are men, and the person behind them is a woman, that was kind of what it was like 30 years ago," the Pennsylvania Democrat said.

- Nina Heller, Tribune News Service

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) speaks during a House hearing in Washington, D.C.

At a tense moment for women in the military, Houlahan is part of a small yet growing group of female members of Congress who are also veterans. The two roles have some things in common.

"When I was standing watch at the National Military Command Center, you didn't get to choose the person sitting to your left and your right. You figure out how to make it work with them," said freshman Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-NH. Military service has shaped Congress since its inception, but things look a little different now. Of the nearly 100 veterans in the 119th Congress, nine are women. Two of those are in the Senate-Sens. Joni Ernst, R-lowa, and Tammy Duckworth, D-III. - with the others in the House. It may be a small club, but that's the most female veterans to ever serve in Congress at one time. In the years since 2000, just 13 female lawmakers overall have identified themselves that way, according to data collected by CQ Roll Call.

Some predict those numbers will continue to rise in the midterm election, even if at least one familiar face in the House won't be returning - Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill won her bid for New Jersey governor last week, with her military record front and center in her campaign. Sherrill was a pilot in the Navy, much like Virginia Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans. That isn’t a coincidence, said Duckworth, a former helicopter pilot herself. "Somebody asked me not too long ago, how come there's so many female helicopter pilots running for office?" Duckworth said. "The first combat job open to women was flying." Candidates this cycle include retired Marine JoAnna Mendoza, a Democrat who is hoping to unseat Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona's 6th District, and Air Force veteran Alea Nadeem, a Republican challenging Rep. Marcy Kaptur in Ohio's 9th.