Women & The Military

category: News

Published May 25, 2009 @ 04:08PM PT

In honor of Memorial Day today, we honor those who serve in the United States Military and highlight the females in uniform.

Being a female in the military is not always easy, however, and the support for emotional and physical wounds is not always present. Take a look at this piece by Marcia Yerman, which highlights how political leadership is (or is not) dealing with increasing sexual assault against women in the military:

While the media parses the ongoing debate between Obama and Cheney on patriotism, terrorism and torture, there is another story that begs for attention this Memorial Day weekend. It is the narrative of service to our country by women, which too often goes unacknowledged.

Enmeshed in the stories of women who have served in the military, are the accounts of sexual harassment and abuse that are starting to see the light of day. The issue of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) has consistently been swept under the rug...

The Pentagon confirmed that one in three women serving her country has been the victim of a sexual assault. There were 3,000 sexual assaults "reported" in 2008 (as opposed to those that went unreported for fear of ostracism or repercussion). It is clear that the problems of our service women need to be heard and addressed.

Voices about the inequities are starting to enter into the mainstream conversation.
Col. (Ret.) Ann Wright has lectured tirelessly about the injustices endured by women in the military. Most recently Helen Benedict wrote The Lonely Soldier -- The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq.

Hopefully, in between the barbecues and the parades, our citizens will reflect on both the physical and emotional challenges that our service women have -- and continue -- to face.

I hope Congress finds the ability to pass legislation such as H.R. 840: 111th Congress 2009-2010 Military Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Act and change these damaging statistics.

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Comments (2)

I enlisted in the Navy in 1978 and was honorably discharged in 1981. Without going into detail - as I have a pending claim with the Veterans' Administration - I can tell you that the military has LONG been sweeping sexual assault under the carpet. And there are more ways than one to do it. I was told if I said anything that I would be considered a **expletive**, etc. so I kept my mouth shut. So, I kept my mouth shut, but still somehow felt like it was my fault! It's about damned time people wake up and realize this is a reality for way too many females in the military!

Posted by Monica Morton on 05/26/2009 @ 07:34PM PT
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Do you think it's a matter of education?

I may be biased, but I'd think that many of the men who join the army, navy, etc. are not as educated or intellectual as people who pursue other careers. A lack of education could promote problems like this.

And when I say education, I mean teaching men about tolerance, equality, etc.

Posted by Juan Portillo on 05/29/2009 @ 02:46PM PT
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Author

Jen Nedeau is a social media consultant, progressive activist, feminist speaker and writer. She currently lives in New York City, where she works full-time as the Director of Digital Strategy at Air America Media. In August 2008, Nedeau was selected to be the Editor of the WomensRights.Change.Org where she facilitates daily discussion about the feminist movement. Additionally, Nedeau volunteers as the Chief Technology Officer for New Leaders Council, a non-profit that offers exclusive training for young leaders. You can follow her on Twitter @HumanFolly or learn more here: www.jennedeau.com.