Former Birmingham-Southern standout goal keeper Ruth Hanks, recently earned as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge while serving at Arlington National Cemetery. A Sergeant in the U.S. Army, Hanks is the fourth woman in history to earn the badge, and the first since 1998.
A native of Texas, Hanks played for the Panthers women’s soccer team from 2007-2010, appearing in 39 games with 95 saves and an impressive 0.86 goals against average. She joined the Army in October 2011 and trained as military police, and joined the Honor Guard in 2013. She finished her training in 10 months, and is now an Assistant Commander of the Relief, beginning her duty at 5 a.m. and until 7 a.m. the next morning.
“For me, it’s one of the highest honors I could think about doing,” said Hanks. “It’s a role model for other females to look up to, but at the same time, from my point of view, I’m just a Sergeant in the United States Army who wants to do a job.”
