A senior defense official said Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was not notified until Thursday that Austin had been hospitalized since Jan. 1.
Thirty years ago, Congress repealed laws barring women from serving on combatant ships and aircraft, paving the way for a new generation of female leaders.
While the settlement can never restore the hearing loss suffered by the plaintiffs, it is a victory for the veterans who had the tenacity to file the suit.