Gayle Mason was a Grantville miner and a soldier after the Ring of Fire. As a woman, Mason faced some hostility when she initially went to work in the mine. After Mike Stearns became president of the UMWA, that changed. Likewise, Mason ran into some resistance to the idea of women serving in Grantville's nascient military when the town was shifted back in time. The de facto Chief of Staff, Frank Jackson, was particularly vocal against having women in the army. He was ultimately overruled, but he still remained against the idea. Mason passed Jackson's rigorous physical tests with ease. Mason first saw combat at the Battle of Jena.