The roles of women in the military have changed significantly over the years. Women are now permitted to join in the military occupations that were at one time only open to men.
Initially women had their own core called the WAC, the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp. The bill was proposed on May 28, 1941 but was ripped apart and not passed until May 14, 1942. These women served in roles as medical staff and nursing.
Women comprise about 20% of today’s military and are in about every job possible with an exception of a few, such as in the infantry and artillery units, these are still dominated by male soldiers. However, women play an important role in support of these units, from tank and truck mechanics, ammunition and explosives, weapons and gunnery repair and many other positions that these units need to stay functioning on the battle field.
Women have pulled their weight in today’s military around the globe. Over 40,000 women served in the gulf war, 16 lost their lives and 2 were held as prisoners of war. Over 1000 women served in Somalia from 1992 through 1994, 1200 in Haiti for peacekeeping missions and 5000 served in Bosnia.
I am a Gulf war veteran; I served proudly along side my male counterparts and served as a squad leader of ten men. My platoon was the rowdy bunch, the mechanics, weapon repairers and communication equipment repairers. We had forward support teams that female soldiers were not allowed to belong to. We stayed on the back lines providing support and repair to the battalions that we served.
The mixed feelings of the American people of having females in a war zone was troubling to me. Long gone are the days of the male being the sole breadwinner in a household. Long gone are the days where we man the traditional female jobs. We were told that the American public did not want to see their young women come back from war with life altering injuries. I question, is it easier to look at a male soldier with these same injuries. Amputations disable males the same as they disable a female soldier, how is it any easy to accept with a male soldier, I never quite understood that school of thought. Maybe we are still seen as moms and daughters verses soldiers.
When you see the survivors, male or female, of today’s war, you see the same pride, the same determination and the same will to want to recuperate and return to complete the mission.
With the changing roles of women in the military and the propensity of war, I believe the female soldier will forever be an important part. Her role will continue to expand, she will continue to excel and provide our country with ongoing patriotism and valor , that would be expected of any soldier, male or female.
