Women Warriors: The Invisible Soldiers

Whenever I pass through a bookstore, I have developed the habit of perusing the "military" section. My reactions to the books on the shelves (I am sure) have amused, confused and even perhaps frightened other passers-by. These outbursts are characterized most frequently by a comedic anger in which I usually correct civilian misconceptions aloud to myself. Other times, I read something nostalgic or poignant–this usually brings me to the brink of tears. Whatever else I may feel when I go through the bookshelves, the thing that disturbs me the most is the categorical silencing of a topic very near to my heart–the story of the female soldier.

At a time when women now form approximately 15% of our ranks and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs expects the number of female veterans of foreign wars to increase nearly fivefold, it seems ridiculous that the majority of coverage women warriors get in the media is sensational. Extraordinary and unusual cases of sexual assault, rape, and murders make up the majority of civilian media stories and are used as prime examples of why women should not serve in the military. Of course nay-sayers are not exactly volunteering to join the ranks in replacement of the 200,941 women serving in the 1,406,121 person strong active duty military nor are they generating constructive solutions to the complexities of having an inter-gender military. It is not surprising then, that movies about contemporary military life (such as the recent film Stop-Loss) do not portray any female soldiers. In fact, the majority of the women depicted are either victim to their returning husband’s PTSD problems or are scantily clad cowgirls there to pour shots of whiskey down "returned heroes" throats. Common misconceptions of military life not withstanding, introducing women into the ranks has its own, often surprising, problem sets. These emerging economies are not as stereotypical as dealing with menstruation or as unfounded as the perception that women are physically incapable of performing standard military duties.

Service branch wide, the Military's ranks have begun to swell with female service members. As a result, those ranks have become home to married couples and families. A mother-daughter team recently enlisted and completed the Army’s basic training course together. At a time when commanders are hard pressed to keep the number of boots standing in formation to mission acceptable heights, there is little else to do but react to the challenges and realities of integrating female soldiers. Roughly 10% of Army soldiers are in "dual-military" relationships. With deployments occurring back to back, a lot of these married soldiers are finding themselves together in the combat zone. Among military personnel and within military communities, married soldiers, like the couple pictured to the right, are a common and widely accepted fact of day-to-day life. Posters of the military family line the walls and hallways of every Post Exchange (even in combat zones). Though these images and lifestyles are everyday realities to service members, they may seem surprising to civilians who have learned to think of military service in terms of Hollywood glamour. Though I am sure there are a few Bruce Willis or Lara Croft "wanna-bes" in the ranks, that fantasy is moot. If married soldiers serving together come as a shock, then a recent and experimental policy change by the Army might even be inconceivable. A member of the Associated Press remarks, "in May 2006, Army commanders in Iraq, with little fanfare, decided that it is in the military's interest to promote wedded bliss. In other words: What God has joined together, let no manual put asunder." The new policy creates living quarters for married soldiers serving together in the combat zone. This is a perfect example of a true reality of integration.

The truth of the situation is that we need our female soldiers. All political and social arguing aside, the bottom line up front is that our deployment tempos are too high and our numbers are too low. Female service members are exponentially increasing intra-branch wide. In fact, Military.Com reports that West Point had, “the highest number of female cadets in a single class since women first came to the U.S. Military Academy in 1976.” We have passed the point of no return in regards to social, cultural, and administrative changes already made to facilitate women within the ranks. What needs to happen now is a radical change of culture both within the military and in the civilian world. The military is getting there slowly but surely. Equal opportunity programs, sexual harassment policies, and language policies are slowly but surely being integrated. Additionally, Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester recently received the Silver Star (which is awarded for valorous acts in combat). According to the Washington Post, she, "fought her way through an enemy ambush south of Baghdad, killing three insurgents with her M-4 rifle to save fellow soldiers' lives."

There is no earthly reason then, that our female heroes should come home and find themselves faceless. No female combat veteran should have to read the news, watch movies, and pass through bookstores without seeing herself portrayed somewhere. Unlike the fragile and comedic depictions of female soldiers in movies such as, Private Benjamin, or the over-exaggerated point of view in G.I. Jane, real women are fighting, living, and dying in the same conditions as male soldiers. Like it or not, women are out there carrying rucksacks, flying fighter jets, manning machine guns at checkpoints and repairing heavy equipment. It is disrespectful to all soldiers, marines, airmen, and seamen that this side of the story is silenced. It is all that I can do every time I stare at those books in the bookstore to keep from shouting to the masses, “Here I am! I was there and I fought too and I will not be invisible!”