Women in the Military

[Caroline Lamb]

Does anyone know what, if any differences there are in training women and men in the military? What sort of capacities are women allowed to serve in, and what are they barred from?


Any thoughts on the subject would be appreciated as well.

Thanks,

CL

 

[Caroline Lamb]

Anyone?

 

[HeavyStick]

Ish was a nurse in the War of 1812.... Ask him and see if things have improved since then.

 

[catfish]

In the Army women are not allowed in the traditional combat arms (artillery, armor and infantry), They can serve in various support roles.

 

[Caroline Lamb]

What are the actual duties of those positions? How are women engaged in the military, what are they acutally doing. Obviously with the Jessica Lynch situation, women are not out of danger, even when they are not serving in combat, but what exactly can they do and how are they trained?


I'm reading up on the Supreme Court Case on the Virginia Military Institute and wanted more background info.

 

[Purple Haze]

I did basic training with a company that had a platoon of female recruits.

I'll elaborate more later, I've got to take care of a client.

 

[catfish]

Originally posted by Caroline Lamb
What are the actual duties of those positions? How are women engaged in the military, what are they acutally doing. Obviously with the Jessica Lynch situation, women are not out of danger, even when they are not serving in combat, but what exactly can they do and how are they trained?


I'm reading up on the Supreme Court Case on the Virginia Military Institute and wanted more background info.

Actually, you could probably go to the Army's website to see what MOS's (military occupational specialty) are available to women. Anything is available from truck driver to nurse to computer specialist, just not combat arms....and just because you are not in combat arms, does not mean you can't get shot at. I was in the artillery, so I did not train with women in basic or Advanced Individual Training.

 

[Bad_Bad_LB]

<-----was hoping for pics of women in, or out of uniform.

When I was in the Service Playboy took pictures of Women in the Military. I remember there was a female Marine who said she was a bit rotund before joining the service, and joined the Marines just to take off the extra weight and improve her figure.

From what I recall of the Playboy Pics, it worked fabously.

 

[Bob_Bytchin]

My kids' mom is in Baghdad right now...and she's carrying a loaded M-16 everywhere with her. She's received OPFOR training...as well as POW training. Women may not be allowed in combat arms, but that doesn't mean they can't and won't shoot back.

 

[Alphasarge]

Wow. I'm speechless.

 

[someplace]

In the early 90s I served as a volunteer to help bring to fruition a memorial for the women who had and do serve in America's military. Their stories are amazing and incredible. In 1997, the beautiful Women in Military Service for America Memorial opened at the front of Arlington National Cemetery. What is so appealing to me, as a history nut, is that the memorial is not just another monument or statue, but a living testament to the women it honors. The heart of this memorial is an ongoing database where all women who served in America's military are listed. Instead of just a dry name, rank, date sort of thing, there are photos and stories told in their own words. Literally. If the woman is still living and able and willing, she can record her comments for posterity in the memorial. These first hand accounts are so helpful to bring the past to life and help make us realize the full extent of their contributions and sacrifices. I believe there are over 250,000 individuals registered with the Memorial, only a drop in the bucket, but the project is ongoing.

If you follow the History link in the Memorial's website, you might find some helpful information for your project.

http://www.womensmemorial.org/

 

[someplace]

Here is an interesting (sorry for the length) capsulated history of women in the military:

Women Veterans - A Proud Heritage


From the days of the American Revolution to the conflict in the Persian Gulf and today, throughout the World, American women have and are honorably serving in defense of our Nation. In times of war and peace, women have willingly responded to their country's call. Their contributions are characterized by individual and collective acts of self-sacrifice, patriotism, dedication and personal heroism. Yet, how many of us are familiar with their contributions, adversities and struggles? How many of us are aware that women were present on the battlefields of the Great War, in the mud at Anzio and at the fall of Bataan? Women served in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Bosnia and other places our Armed Forces have gone.

Not all-military service takes place in the arena of war; however, a majority of military personnel both men and women, has performed military service during peacetime. Although their role is often perceived as less glamorous than those who are associated with wartime service, their contribution is no less important. Unfortunately, women who have served in the military are rarely acknowledged in paintings, statues and memorials commemorating America's military history and the word "veteran" is rarely associated with women.

The 1980 Census was the first to ask American women if they had served in the Armed Forces... and more than 1.2 million said, "Yes." These women represented 4.6% of the veteran population, more than half of whom served during a period of war.

So, why is it that women veterans are invisible? Why is their military service and sometime heroic actions seldom recognized or honored? It is, in large part, because of preconceived social stereotypes and cultural mores. Throughout history, military service has been recognized as a synonym for "combat or war." And "war" has always been considered as a masculine activity. Yet, if we seriously looked at the characteristics so valued in war: steady nerves, sound judgment, courage, tenacity, patriotism and sacrifice, we will find that they are traits found and exhibited by members of both sexes. A review of the history of women in the military demonstrates this fact very clearly.

Although not officially recognized as members of the Armed Forces until 1901, the involvement of women in military-related activities and matters in this country dates back at least to the Revolutionary War. It was then that Mary Hayes McCauly earned her nickname, Molly Pitcher, by carrying water in a grog to her husband and other American artillerymen. Her fame however, is credited to when her husband collapsed in battle and she immediately took his place firing a cannon until the Battle was over. Mad Ann Bailey, an expert shot and skilled horsewoman, served as a scout, spy and messenger and Sarah Fulton delivered dispatches through enemy lines. Deborah Sampson, disguised as a man, enlisted in the Revolutionary Army and fought in several engagements for three years. Injured twice, she treated her own wounds to avoid detection, but after being rendered unconscious and near death by a musket ball, the treating doctor discovered her true identity and she was quietly discharged from the Army. Like the women who would follow her, Deborah Sampson served bravely and returned home quietly. Little did she know that she was setting a standard of behavior that would persist for close to two centuries.

During the Civil War, women like Clara Barton contributed their energy and demonstrated their commitment to country and honor on both sides of the war effort. Although most women served as cooks and nurses, other women became scouts and spies in their effort to support their side.

Clara Barton contributed significantly to the establishment of a level of care for wounded soldiers that paralleled the contributions of Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War. She provided this care at some of the most famous battles of the Civil War. Including Second Bull Run, Antietam and Fredericksburg. She was as committed to healing their spirits as she was to healing their bodies. After the War, Clara Barton established the first National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, and went on to found the American Red Cross.

Sarah Edmonds, in disguise, served as a male nurse, but later became a spy in the Union's secret service. A master of disguise, she was able to pass as a man or woman, as black or white and crossed Confederate lines on numerous occasions. Other women heroes of the Civil War included Dr. Mary Walker, who gave up her medical practice to go with the Union Army as a nurse because women could not be Doctors. She did not need to be "labeled" a doctor to provide the medical help she knew her countrymen needed. She later volunteered to be a spy was captured by the Confederacy and held prisoner for four months. Dr. Walker was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for her actions, although it was later rescinded. She refused to return the medal and wore it proudly until her death. In 1976, the U.S. Congress restored this honor and Dr. Mary Walker became the only woman in our Nation's history to be awarded the highest military award for Valor in War.

In 1898, during the Spanish American War, 1,500 nurses, under civilian contract, provided outstanding care in the field, and on what may have been the first hospital ship, the Relief. One of the nurses, Clara Maas, assisted with the research into yellow fever transmission. In volunteering to be bitten by an infected mosquito, she was the last human subject to be used in these experiments and the only one to die. These studies paved the way to the development of a vaccine that later saved thousands of lives.

The outstanding care provided by the nurses during the Spanish American War resulted in the formulation of the Army Nurse Corp in 1901, followed by the Navy Nurse Corp in 1908. Many of these women saw duty during World War I, served close to the front lines and were wounded or gassed. World War I also saw women serving outside the Nurse Corp for the first time. Volunteers were recruited to assume some of the clerical duties routinely done by men. This call for volunteers resulted in over 12,000 volunteers for the Navy and others for the Marines. 10,000 of these women were assigned overseas. They had no rank, no benefits and no entitlements. Still, they volunteered, they served and at the end of the War, when they were no longer needed, they returned quietly to civilian life.

Women's role in the military faded once again and although the Army and Navy Nurse Corps continued to exist, women who served still did not receive the rank, pay or benefits as the men did. Then, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

As America confronted the need to mobilize all of its resources for war, once again the need for women in the military became apparent and the Women's Army Auxiliary Corp (WAAC) was established. Within a year, the WAACs would be fully incorporated into the Army and become the Women's Army Corp with its members receiving rank, pay and appropriate benefits. Women served throughout the theaters of war-operation. As secretaries, interpreters, intelligence operatives they willingly served wherever they were assigned. Nurses once again were on or near the battles and front lines. Their dedicated service and untold sacrifices were present at Anzio, Normandy, in France, Germany and in the South Pacific.

Over 200 military nurses were killed by hostile fire, including 6 Army Nurses who remain buried at the beachhead on Anzio. Several hundred received military decorations for heroism and bravery, including the Silver Star and Bronze Star,

In a seldom-told story of heroism, 81 military women remained on the islands of Bataan and Corregidor to care for the wounded during the fall of the Philippines. Captured by the Japanese, they were to spend 37 months in prisoner of war camps. During captivity, they spent untold hours performing heroic deeds that ultimately resulted in many lives being saved.

No story of women's military service during World War II would be complete without acknowledging the 900 women who voluntarily joined the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPS). Organized in 1942, at the request of General Hap Arnold, these women logged more than 60 million air miles. They served as flight instructors for men; ferried airplanes from the US to Europe, including high-speed fighters, bombers and P-47 thunderbolts and also had the dubious privilege of towing targets for male fighter pilots so that they could practice on a moving object while using live ammunition. In an unbelievable example of discrimination based on gender, these women received no support from the military, except for their pay, and were not even eligible for medical care or insurance in the case of an on the job injury. Thirty-eight WASPS were killed in airplane crashes and many more injured, but these women received no benefits and, upon their death, could not have a US flag draped over their casket. In 1977, the Us Congress granted the surviving WASPS veteran status.

The Korean War, though often overlooked in history, once again saw women serving, both in the hospitals and in support roles. The development of the Air Evacuation System for combat casualties and the expansion of the roles of the flight nurse were pioneered during Korea and ultimately this system would make a significant difference in the casualty care system during Vietnam.

Vietnam was our Country's longest war. The perception that women, if there at all, were assigned to "safe" places demonstrates our ignorance of women's contributions once again. From the rice paddies in the Delta to the jungles of the DMZ, women served in hospitals, MASH units and support areas across the country. Eight women were killed in action. Towns such as Pleiku, Da Nang, Chu Lai and Phu Bai became and remain as much a part of the memories and stories of the women who served in Vietnam as they are of the men that served with them. So were the experiences of death, disease and disillusionment. Vietnam redefined war; there were no front lines. No safe places

The Vietnam War, exposure to enemy fire, primitive living conditions and streams of casualties took an emotional toll on both men and women alike.

The close proximity of the hospitals and the staff doctors and nurses to the physical location of the battle zones contributed to and resulted in record numbers of lives saved. In Vietnam, less than two-percent of treated casualties died from their wounds.

The Vietnam War changed many things in this Country, but perhaps the organization it most changed was the US Military. The advent of the all-volunteer Army and the increasing demand for technologically skilled soldiers, the feminist movement and the successful service of women, contributed to the change of the military structure of the early 1970's. It became apparent that women were not just on active duty serving in insignificant supporting roles during wartime, their ongoing contributions were recognized as essential. By 1991, and the War in the Persian Gulf, over 11 percent of the active duty military and 13 percent of the reserve forces were women.

But change was still underway. Although women had participated in the invasion of Grenada, and in "Operation Just Cause" in Panama, they did not receive the public and media attention they did during "Operation Desert Storm." The War in the Persian Gulf was a true tuning point for women in the military. For the first time, they were called upon to demonstrate their effectiveness and serve in positions previously reserved for men. Positions such as: manning patriot missile placements, flying helicopters on reconnaissance and search and rescue missions and driving convoys over the desert close to enemy positions. Women were called upon to do all of these jobs and more. Women were exposed to the same dangers as men. Close to 35,000 women served in the Persian Gulf, and they served well. The success of their service can probably be best measured by the fact that many new positions and career specialties have been opened to women in recent years.

The history of women in the military is a history of love of country, service, commitment, dedication and courage and it includes sacrifices that have largely gone unrecognized. But perhaps, that is changing.

On Veterans Day in 1993, a bronze statue of three women and a wounded soldier was dedicated on the Mall in Washington, DC. This statue, in close proximity to the Vietnam Wall, was placed there in honor of the 265,000 women who served during the Vietnam era. It was a historic moment in time; for it was the first time our country has bestowed National recognition upon women who answered their country's call.

Then in October 1997, The Women in Service to America's Memorial was officially dedicated at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. This grand and gracious memorial was 11 years in the making and recognizes the honorable military service of women throughout history.

From the Revolutionary War to the present, America’s women veterans have been invisible heroines. They are true examples for future generations that securing our country’s liberty and freedom are everyone's responsibility. As a Nation, we must pay tribute to the American women; our grandmothers, mothers, and sisters, aunts and friends, who have served their country through military service; for indeed theirs is a proud and honorable heritage. They must be recognized for their contributions to the freedoms we so enjoy today.

By
Joan A. Furey
Director Center for Women Veterans

May 1995 - May 2001
http://www1.va.gov/womenvet/page.cfm?pg=16

 

[Master Nerd]

The physical requirements are a bit more lax for women. For example, to qualify, a man has to be able to do 30 push-ups in a minute, but a woman only has to be able to do 17 (this figure is from a few years ago, so it may have changed, but somehow I doubt it). I sure there are dozens of other examples.

Beyond that, I don't know of any differences (I'm sure there are, I'm just not aware of them).

 

[someplace]

I remember that during the first Gulf War, there were more American women deployed (35,000) than the total number of combatants from the 2nd largest allied country (Great Britain). I don't know what the numbers are now, I'd be interested to know, but I suspect it's an even higher percentage of women today.

 

[someplace]

This might help answer some of your questions.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,111029,00.html

Wednesday, February 11, 2004
By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos

WASHINGTON — As thousands of U.S. troops return home in the first wave of rotations out of Iraq, Department of Veterans Affairs facilities, military hospitals and private assistance programs are gearing up to provide services to the largest pool of women veterans ever to serve simultaneously in a combat zone.

About 60,000 female troops have been serving, or have already returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense. That number represents about 10 percent of the total U.S. forces to have been deployed in those theaters.

Beginning in January, the approximately 130,000 U.S. troops serving in Iraq since the beginning of the war started returning home. Over the coming months, they will be replaced by a more mobile, less heavily armed force of about 110,000.

Advocates preparing for the unprecedented influx of female soldiers say many of them will carry their own set of physical and emotional scars from heavy combat situations.

“We have yet to really appreciate the types of gender-specific health care issues these women have been subjected to during this campaign,” said Carole L. Turner, an Air Force veteran and director of the VA Women Veteran’s Health Program. “We have a lot to learn.”

Although women have been serving in the military throughout the history of this country, the numbers of women serving in combat-related areas has never been matched. In addition to active duty servicewomen, women in National Guard and Reserve units have been called to serve.

And while they are not allowed to serve in combat, many have been serving as military police in urban hotbeds like Baghdad, which experts say is as close to combat as one can get.

“They’ve been doing a great job,” said Elaine Donnelly, director of the Center for Military Readiness. “I’ve been really impressed with how well the women have been doing over there — how patriotic they are, and how strong.”

According to defense sources, at least 13 women have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since the start of operations. The DoD does not have statistics on the number of women wounded, though it reports 3,015 hostile and non-hostile U.S. casualties in Iraq as of Tuesday.

The United States currently has about 1.6 million women veterans, most of whom served during the period around the Persian Gulf War. The number does not reflect women deployed in recent campaigns.

Lory Manning, a retired U.S. Navy captain and project director for the Women in the Military project with the Women’s Research and Education Institute, said women have faced trauma in combat situations before, especially those serving as nurses in Vietnam and World War II. The big difference now, though, is the greater numbers.

“I don’t think what the women are doing as MPs is any more stressful than what some of these combat nurses went through, but I think there are a lot more women going through it right now,” she said.

“I’m sure there will be more women with combat stress than in earlier wars,” Manning said.

The American public was first alerted to the intensity under which women were serving with the news of Jessica Lynch, Lori Piestewa and Shoshana Johnson, three female soldiers who were captured by enemy forces when their convoy was ambushed in March. Lynch and Johnson, both severely wounded, were eventually rescued and made it home; Piestewa died after the attack.

Further news reports indicate women are returning with wounds similar to their male counterparts, including lost limbs from mortar attacks and suicide bombings. Others have conditions unique to their sex — unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and sexual trauma, resulting from assault.

According to Christine Hansen at the Miles Foundation in Connecticut, several women veterans have sought out their sexual assault crisis services since the war began.

“We have provided information, counseling — a gamut of services — to about 38 women who have been deployed overseas — mostly in Iraq and Kuwait” who have been assaulted by fellow soldiers, said Hansen, who added that some women reported the crimes to military authorities, but most had not.

“We have colleagues in rape crisis centers across the country who have seen women soldiers come through their doors,” she added. “That number by no means represents the whole.”

The DoD has launched a probe into the treatment of servicewomen in the Iraq war zone who have reported sexual assaults by their male comrades-in-arms, the Pentagon announced Friday. It also will review the availability of ways for victims to report assaults.

"I am concerned about recent reports regarding allegations of sexual assaults on service members deployed to Iraq and Kuwait," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wrote in a memo to David Chu, the Pentagon's undersecretary for personnel and readiness, who is conducting the review.

Women veterans and health officials at Veterans Affairs say sexual assault is an unfortunate fact of life in wartime. A study done by VA researchers found that 7 percent of the 40,782 women deployed in the Persian Gulf War said they were sexually assaulted while deployed.

Veterans’ advocates say the VA has been on top of the issue, and has incorporated services for returning soldiers who leave active duty with a range of physical and mental health needs.

Turner said VA hospitals and clinics will be providing services for pregnancies, gynecological health issues and sexual trauma. Female soldiers will also receive counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder as well as separation anxiety and problems re-entering the society.

Colleen Adams Mussolino, a Vietnam veteran and vice-commander of the Women Veterans of America, said she is impressed with the improvements made to services for women over the years.

“With more and more women coming in, the VA has expanded over the years in realizing the needs of women veterans — thank God for that,” she said. “When any soldier comes home, they need to be treated with respect and get all of the support they can get because no one knows what they went through.”

 

[HeavyStick]

My kids' mom is in Baghdad right now...and she's carrying a loaded M-16 everywhere with her. She's received OPFOR training...as well as POW training. Women may not be allowed in combat arms, but that doesn't mean they can't and won't shoot back.

True.... Best of luck to your Babies' momma over there.

 

[someplace]

I can't tell the date of this original report, but it may be from before this latest war.

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/women030114_military.html

Girl Power
Women Join the Boys in Combat, But Not Without a Fight

By Leela Jacinto

Jan. 14 — A few days before her Chinook helicopter crashed in Saudi Arabia, Maj. Marie Rossi cheerfully told a news team there was really no need to make a song and dance about her job on the battlefront.

"What I am doing is no greater or less than the man who is flying next to me," the 32-year-old U.S. Army pilot told a CNN team in the scorching Saudi Arabian desert during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

But a day after the cease-fire agreement that ended the war, the Oradell, N.J., native was killed when her helicopter hit an unlit microwave tower, and suddenly her job did indeed capture the attention of a nation flush with the victory of Operation Desert Storm.

Like 12 other fellow servicewomen who died during the 1991 Gulf War, Rossi came home in a body bag to a grieving family, somber military ceremonies and commemorations. In death, the 13 women turned into bittersweet symbols of the long journey women in the U.S. military have made.

In many ways, the Persian Gulf War of 1991 was a watershed for women in the U.S. military. More than 40,000 servicewomen went to war and one out of every five women in uniform was deployed in direct support to the Gulf War, according to the Department of Defense.

Of the 13 U.S. servicewomen killed in the 1991 Gulf War, four of them were from enemy fire, including three servicewomen who were killed by an Iraqi Scud missile attack. Twenty-one women were wounded in action, and two were taken prisoners of war.

It was, according to Capt. Lory Manning (U.S. Navy retired) and current director of the Center for Women in Uniform at the Women's Research and Education Institute, "the largest deployment of women to a combat theater." The number was a steep climb from the approximately 7,000 servicewomen — mostly nurses — who served during the Vietnam War.

Twelve years since the launch of Desert Storm, as hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops head to the Persian Gulf region, experts predict that if there is a war with Iraq this year, the number of U.S. women serving in the combat theater would exceed the 40,000-odd Desert Storm figure.

And with it, it would also increase the likelihood of U.S. women in uniform being wounded, killed, or taken prisoners of war while in the line of service.

Storming the Military Glass Ceiling

By all accounts, women in the military have come a long way, but it's been a slow, hotly contested fight to gain the right to die in combat.

Following their distinguished service in the 1991 Gulf War, there was a concerted initiative to expand combat assignments for women in uniform. In 1994, an order signed by then-President Bill Clinton permitted women on combat ships and fighter planes.

Today, about 200,000 women make up 15 percent of the military and experts say that in the event of a war in Iraq, women are likely to serve in many more job positions and occupations than the 1991 Gulf War, with the 1994 order making women eligible to apply for approximately 92 percent of the jobs in the U.S. military.

But some experts warn that beneath the impressive array of figures, American women in the military are still fighting a pitched battle for gender equality and the bugle call marking the end of a gender war in the U.S. military is a long time coming.

A 1997 study on women in the military by RAND's National Defense Research Institute found that only 815 of the 47,544 military jobs opened to women in 1994 were occupied by women. And in an interview with the Washington Post in October, 1997, Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, called "allegations that commanders have been allowed to stonewall decisions made by the Department of Defense" with regard to the assignment of women in combat-related positions "particularly troubling."

The Fight Over Fighting Women

Even more contentious than the failure to fill available military positions, has been the issue of combat positions denied to women. Although the Air Force and the Navy have opened up virtually all combat jobs to women, servicewomen are still officially forbidden from serving in combat on the ground.

The exclusion bars women from infantry, armored and most field artillery units as well as special forces units among others. And according to many experts, it imposes a limitation on potential promotions and on how far women in the military can rise.

It's a prohibition that Robin Gerber, senior scholar at the Academy of Leadership, University of Maryland, calls an effort aimed at "moving women back to the mess hall."

While some reports have cited opposition among top Army brass to fully embrace the spirit of the 1994 order, Gerber says the main assault came when "the Pentagon leveled its big guns" at DACOWITS (Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services), a volunteer civilian agency within the Defense Department that was founded in 1951 to fight for equal opportunity for women and to keep top Pentagon officials apprised of the realities faced by women in the military.

Sisters at War

But the move to allow women in combat has met with vociferous opposition from a number of organizations — such as the Washington-based Center for Military Readiness (CMR) and the Virginia-based Independent Women's Forum (IWF) — that have denounced DACOWITS' initiatives to allow women to serve in combat units.

Citing a number of reasons, including the "power of the sex drive when young women and men, under considerable stress, are mixed together in close quarters," the IWF, for instance, calls for a "commonsense" approach to the issue of women in combat.

"The concept of equality does not fit in combat environments," said Elaine Donnelly, CMR president. "I think the priority has to be military efficiency in accomplishing the mission quickly and effectively with minimal casualties. Women in combat units endanger male morale and military performance."

Couching Real Fears

But while the primary fear among those who oppose women's participation in combat rests, to a large extent, on the horror of women being killed or captured in war, David Segal, a sociology professor and director of the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland, says that several conservative groups use the issue of military efficiency to "couch their opposition to women's participation in the military."

Experts say that before the 1991 Gulf War, the Pentagon itself fretted about a public opinion backlash if American women were captured or killed in the war.

But many say it was a fear that largely proved unfounded. Across the board, the grieving families of the 13 servicewomen killed during the Gulf War expressed pride over their loved ones' heroic service.

And of the two women taken prisoner, Army Specialist Melissa Rathburn-Nealy of the 233rd Transportation Company testified that she was treated well by the Iraqis. The second female POW, Maj. Rhonda Cornum, an Army flight surgeon, testified before a presidential commission on women in the military that the Iraqis had sexually molested her.

Cornum went on to serve as a colonel commanding an Army medical unit in Tuzla during the U.S. operation in Bosnia in the mid-1990s. And in a report in the New York Times, she explained her delay in publicly declaring her molestation and the very brief mention the incident received in her book She Went to War: The Rhonda Cornum Story as a "concern" that her mistreatment would be "blown out of proportion and would be used by those who want to keep women out of combat."

Women in Men’s Clothing

Until fairly recently, war was considered men's business, with most generals keen to keep the horror of it away from women.

But throughout history, they have not been entirely successful. Across the world and through the centuries, women warriors have gone into battle with their menfolk through fair means and foul for the love of the land, tribe or adventure.

In the 7th century, Nusaybah bint Kaab was one of the most celebrated women warriors, who fought in many of the early Muslim battles, including the gruesome battle of Uhud, when she helped save the Prophet Muhammad's life. In India, Rani (queen) Laxmibai's epic battle against the British in 1858 is widely believed to have sown the seeds for the country's successful anti-colonial struggle.

And if Joan of Arc was France's most celebrated female warrior, the annals of British history are crowded with the exploits of brave women who disguised themselves as men to fight on the battlefront.

It was a pattern duplicated in America during and after the War of Independence, when Margaret Corbin replaced her slain husband in an artillery unit in 1776 and when Lucy Brewer — disguised as George Baker — served in the War of 1812 aboard the USS Constitution. Brewer is acknowledged as the first female Marine.

But it was World War I that posed the greatest challenge to the military male bastion. With war moving from the battlefields into civilian zones, women gradually worked their way into medical units and by World War II, their position in the military was enhanced, although women in the United States' armed services did not serve in direct combat.

Nearly a million women served in the Soviet Armed Forces during World War II, including several decorated women snipers, such as Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who was invited by Eleanor Roosevelt to tour the United States.

Changing Times

Many experts believe that conservative opposition to women in combat notwithstanding, history is on the side of fighting women. With a growing international move to include women in combat missions — Canada, South Africa and a number of Scandinavian countries allow women on ground combat missions — the times, they say, will simply catch up with the U.S. armed forces.

On his part, Segal dismisses arguments that the pressures of women in the military put a greater burden on military families than those with male military members.

"This view seems to think it's OK for men who are fathers to leave their children," said Segal. "Military families adapt whether male or female members are in the military. And if they can't adapt, they get out. Family commitments are one of the major reasons for men getting out of the military."

Many sociologists such as Segal maintain that the American public, for the most, is supportive of women playing an enhanced role in the military. And by all accounts, American military families appear to support the idea of their female members in combat.

On a blustery afternoon on March 11, 1991, as hundreds of military men and women gathered at the Arlington National Cemetery, Maj. Rossi's husband, John Cayton — then a Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army — paid a deceptively simple tribute that acknowledged the complex polarities of Rossi's personal and professional lives.

"I prayed that guidance be given to her so that she could command the company, so she could lead her troops in battle," he told a somber gathering of hundreds of military men and women. "And I prayed to the Lord to take care of my sweet little wife."

Guns Aimed at DACOWITS?

When it was founded in 1951 by then Secretary of Defense, George Marshall, DACOWITS' was seen as a key body of civilian women and men appointed by the Defense Secretary to fight for equal opportunity for women and provide recommendations on a variety of issues facing women in the U.S. military. But in recent years, DACOWITS has come under attack from several organizations opposed to women in combat and many experts, as well as servicemen and women who support women in combat units, fear that the conservative lobby has the eyes and ears of the current administration.

Their concerns were enhanced last year, when the Bush Administration — for the first time in the organization's history — refused to automatically renew DACOWITS' charter.

Although the Defense Department instituted a new charter after all the existing committee members were dismissed, critics charge that the new charter serves to "water down" the organization's original focus.

"The Bush Administration, I believe, is trying to neuter DACOWITS although it has stopped short of dismantling it," said Robin Gerber, senior scholar at the Academy of Leadership, University of Maryland. "I don't honestly think that (Defense Secretary Donald) Rumsfeld feels terribly strongly about this, but if a bone can be thrown at the right wing, this administration will throw it."

On her part however, retired Lieutenant General Carol Mutter, the newly appointed chairwoman of DACOWITS, says the committee remains committed to "go out and talk to the men and women in the armed forces to find out their concerns and to provide advice and recommendations to the Department of Defense and if policies may need to be changed, then so be it."

— Leela Jacinto

 

[someplace]

I don't know what kind of project you're working on, but it looks like this history teacher in Alexandria Virgina might be of help. PBS has published her lesson plan on this topic:

MILITARY WOMEN
Critical Analysis
By Lara Maupin, a social studies teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia

Overview:
This lesson should take 15 -20 minutes and may be used to discuss the following with your students:

the recent rescue of Private Jessica Lynch by coalition forces

the history of women in the U.S. military (handout HTML PDF)

the current status of women in the military and their roles in the war in Iraq

Students will understand that women have always served in military conflicts but that military women will play a larger role in this conflict than ever before. Students will explore their feelings about women in combat. This lesson may be used in any social studies class.

Materials:
Students will need printed copies of the NewsHour Extra article cited below or computers with internet access.

Correlations to National Standards

Procedure:

Give your students some background on the history of women in the U.S. military. (handout HTML PDF)

· Women have served in every military conflict in U.S. history. We do not know how many served prior to the Spanish-American War in 1898 but we do know that they supported the troops on the battlefield and behind the lines in a variety of ways, served as nurses and spies, and sometimes disguised themselves as men in order to serve.

· 1,500 nurses were assigned to Army hospitals during the Spanish-American War. As a result of their performance, the Army Nurse Corps was established in 1901.

· In World War I 33,000 women served not only as nurses but in other support roles as well. More than 400 nurses died in the line of duty.

· During World War II more than 400,000 women served at home and abroad - as nurses, pilots, and in other non-combat roles. Eighty-eight women were captured and held as POWs.

· The Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 granted women permanent status in the military.

· During the Korean War women in the Reserves were recalled. Over 50,000 women served at home and abroad.

· In the Vietnam War, 7,000 women were deployed. Most of them were nurses.

· In 1967 the 2% legal cap on the number of women allowed in the military was repealed.

· In 1973 the draft is ended and an all-volunteer force formed - creating opportunities for women.

· In 1975 pregnant servicewomen may elect to remain on active duty.

· In 1976 women are first admitted to the service academies.

· In 1978 women are allowed to serve on non-combat ships.

· In the Persian Gulf War, 41,000 women are deployed. Two are taken captive.

· In 1991 Congress allows women to fly in combat missions.

· In 1993 Congress permits women to serve on combat ships.

· In 1998 a female fighter pilot flies combat missions in Operation Desert Fox.

source: http://www.womensmemorial.org/Highlights.html

Explain that women currently make up 15% of U.S. military forces - a larger percentage than ever before. According to a 2002 Gallup Poll, a majority of Americans support women being allowed to serve in the military. Women are still barred from ground combat duty, as well as submarine duty.

However, the women serving in Iraq have been deployed to a combat theater (a large geographic area in which military operations are coordinated) and thus face the same dangers and hardships as male troops. Note that the issue of women in the military has once again come to the forefront during this latest conflict in Iraq - most recently with the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch of the 507th Maintenance Company attacked near Nasiriya.

Give your students the following NewsHour Extra story on the rescue of Private Lynch.

Allow your students to comment on the story. Debate the issue of women in the military using any or all of the following questions.

· Young women are currently not required to register with the selective service are young men are - they have always served on a volunteer basis. Should they be eligible for a draft? Why or why not? What are your feelings about the draft?

· Should all jobs in the military be open to women? Should they be allowed to participate in ground combat and serve on submarines? Why or why not? What are the concerns of those who would continue to bar women from these roles - or other jobs that they are currently permitted to do? Are these valid concerns? What opportunities does military service open to women (college funding, military officer, astronaut, commercial pilot, etc.)? Analyze.

· What should the military do about the impact of deployment on military families? What do you think about the issues raised by the following being deployed: both parents of young children, single parents, pregnant women? (Parents are deployed while pregnant women are not.) How should the U.S. support those left behind during a time of war?

· Young women are currently not required to register with the selective service as young men are - they have always served on a volunteer basis. Should they be eligible for a draft? Why or why not? What are your feelings about the draft?

Extension Ideas:

Research civilian or military women who made important contributions to the U.S. during wartime. What barriers did they overcome? What motivated them? What did they accomplish? Ideas include:

· camp followers during the Revolutionary War
· nurses during Civil War
· Dr. Mary Walker (Medal of Honor, Civil War)
· Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee (Spanish-American War)
· nurses captured by Japanese during WWII
· WASP pilots (WWII)
· Anna Mae Hays (first Brigadier General)
· Eileen Collins (first Space Shuttle commander)

Additional Resource: Military Women Take 200-Year Trek Toward Respect, Parity
By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Aug1998/n08121998_9808123.html

Select one of the following arguments sometimes made to explain why women should not be in combat, or even in the military. Research and analyze the statement. Who makes this argument and what evidence do they offer to support it? Who offers evidence to the contrary? Is it a good argument? Why or why not?

· Women are not as strong as men. The military should not have to lower its standards.

· Women may not be able to perform as well as men or survive difficult conditions.

· Having women in a military force can weaken the group's effectiveness and cohesion.

· Women have special needs and can get pregnant.

Examine the issue of sexual harassment or that of domestic abuse in the military. Look at recent cases. What responsibility does the military have to protect women in the military or the spouses of military men from abuse? What steps are being taken? How does the military differ from the larger society in terms of the numbers of reported cases and in how these cases are dealt with?

National Standards:
National Council for the Social Studies Thematic Strands:

II. Time, Continuity, and Change
V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
VIII. Science, Technology, and Society
X. Civic Ideals and Practice

[Author Lara Maupin teaches social studies at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. She is on leave during the 2002-2003 school year. She has a Master’s Degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from George Washington University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and Philosophy from Mount Holyoke College.]

 

[someplace]

,,,The Armed Forces Integration Act of 1948 authorized regular and reserve status to women in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps; imposed a 2 percent ceiling on the number of women in each service; and established a female promotion ceiling at the grade of lieutenant colonel or commander.

The promotion cap and 2 percent strength ceiling were eliminated in 1967.

"The number of women in the military began to increase during the 1970s as a result of societal views on the role of women in America and the transition of the military to an all-volunteer force," the Department of Defense reports.

Women can be assigned to all positions, except those in units whose primary mission is to engage in direct ground combat. Still closed to women are armor, infantry and field artillery battalions in the Army and Marines; Navy submarines; and Special Operations positions in all branches.

When the 1948 act prohibiting women from serving in combat ships and aircraft was repealed in the early 1990s, "women were almost immediately assigned to aircraft and ships," said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Wilma Vaught. She is president of the foundation for Women in Military Service For America Memorial, which was dedicated at the entrance of Arlington National Cemetery in 1997.

Much had to do with how well women performed during the Persian Gulf War, when women were in key support roles of flying supply missions, transporting troops, flying tankers that refueled other aircraft in flight, she said.

"It was the success of the women and the difficulty in telling where the front line was -- where was combat and noncombat?," she said. "And the American public had changed. Always before, the sentiment was 'We can't see women come home in body bags.' We had seen women come home in body bags and there was no great uproar. There was a greater sense among the public if that is what women want to do that is what they should be able to do it."

Vaught believes women in the military still face barriers, "primarily in selection for jobs," she said. "There is still harassment, so there is still discrimination. But as far as I'm concerned, life in the military for women is better than in other professions." ...

* * *

excerpted from: Opportunities Increasing For Enlisted Women
United States Mounts For War With Iraq With Greater Percentage Of Women

POSTED: 11:20 a.m. EST March 3, 2003

DAYTON, Ohio -- By MARGO RUTLEDGE KISSELL Cox News Service
http://www.wpxi.com/iraq/2014928/detail.html

 

[tmleadr03]

The physical standards for women are not as strict, which means as a rule the women can not keep up with the men physically. They work in roles not directly related to combat, but considering that the current world does not have any set lines of war (meaning that the attack does not have to happen at the "front lines") then even in support roles women are going to be put in danger of war.

While I have nothing but respect for women who join up and serve the country, I think it is time to re-evaluate the physical requirements of women in the military and the training they are given. Since there are no clear lines of combat anymore either women should not be deployed or they should be held to the same standards as men. As we all know, this will not happen either way. Women are have just as much right to be in the military as men and just dont have to do as much to be there. I personally think this puts more lives in danger and is a stupid thing to do.

My personal experiance is 6 years as a Marine Infantryman, 2 of which was done in a Recon unit. I have never honestly considered myself to be anything but an average Marine. I was sent to the Naval Academy, where you supposedly get the cream of the crop from both sexes, and there met ONE woman who was physically above the AVERAGE male. She was in fact superior to most of the guys there (including me, damn was she in shape max pushups, situps and run time under the qualifications for a guy). The rest would not have been kicked out of the Naval Academy if they had been held to the lowest common denominator for guys physically.

 

[Purple Haze]

We had four platoons in our company, this was Army Basic, not as hard as Marine Boot Camp but a lot more physically demanding than the Air Force, from the stories I heard. Each platoon started with about sixty people, and from what I could observe, the two other male platoons probably ended up four or five short of the original number because it was hard to quit the Army, they just wouldn't let you quit because you decided you wanted out. My platoon graduated everybody. Those that were successful in getting a discharge wanted it really bad, and ended up pulling KP Duty (Kitchen Police) until the papers were finally written up, which took as long as the two months of training. The quitters watched us all graduate, and they spent all their time scrubbing pots and pans. Boo hoo.

The women's platoon, that started with sixty people as well, became smaller and smaller as the weeks wore on. The physical demands were too much for them, and just because they had a lower bar on their qualifications, they still had to double-time (run) with the company and they had to march up Mount Motherfucker too. Other than the testing, the women were required to do everything the men had to do, and they were not treated any better than the rest of us. The eight women out of sixty that made to the end were some tough fucking people, and I would gladly serve with any of them.

This was more than twenty years ago, and peacetime basic is way different than wartime basic, which is what these kids are going through right now. One of my Drill Sergeants was wishing it was wartime, so he could kick the shit out of the slackers...

 

[sweet soft kiss]

I did my basic 30 years ago in the first wave of the "All Volunteer Army". I was in a basic training unit which was all women. The physical aspects were less, they concentrated a lot of energy on the "tidiness aspect"... everything was constantly shined, starched and folded just so... After all a big part of basic training is psychologically breaking your individuality down to make you behave as a cohesive unit...

That said when I was stationed in Germany, I was the smallest person in my mobile blood bank unit at 5'2" and a whooping 95lbs. There was one guy who was only about a inch taller and maybe 10 lbs heavier than I was. I could and did lift just as much as he did... and more than some of the other women in the unit... but I certainly at that size would not be well suited to combat duties.. Which is why i opted into a Medical MOS.

 

[His_sugar]

While I can appreciate certain women feel compelled to join the military and defend their country..

I'm certainly not one of those women. I have no desire to carry a gun, drive a tank or bury a tampon in the middle of a war zone, while having PMS and very few showers.

More power to those that do.

 

[yomamma35]

I was in the Marines from '86 to '90. Basic was the same as the men with only very slight differences. At the time women could not server in combat related fields like the infantry and artillery but I know some of that has changed. Women can fly helicopters into combat areas now and they couldn't when I was in. I'm sure there are other changes too.
We did learn to fight, shoot and kill just like the men but because of the ignorance of our government we weren't allowed to actually use it.
Trust me folks, you wanna win a war, send in a battalion of women who have been told to kill as many men as they can. The war would last about 5 minutes.

 

[Desert Amazon]