I am an Army, woman veteran. I was a paralegal specialist who was attached to an artillery unit. I have been part of the training, zero my weapon, and used it. I know that women aren't allowed on the "front line" but in Operation Iraq Freedom, it didn't have a "front line." Every time you went off of the military base, you were ready for action to take place. I didn't even know about the Combat Exclusion Policy until I came to school. I have friends and myself who received combat fire. To know that we weren't suppose to be on the "front line" confused me. So we weren't suppose to leave the base then. That's odd because we were out there. Female soldiers are double amputees, lost hearing, are Prisoners of War and suffer from PTSD. How is this possible if we aren't suppose to be on the "front line"? What saddens me more is that it's hard for women to claim these service-connected disabilities as combat related. It's usually falls under some fancy wording that means you know your job is going to put you in harms way and you should've done a better job protecting yourself.
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| SGT Veronica - Military Police (My Bestie) |
Women are already in combat. I have women who are military police, medics, and cooks, who go off of the base and has to defend themselves and there battle buddies because they are on the "front line"! So even though the law is removed, which is great for the women who are trying to claim benefits for their combat related disabilities. I still don't see the difference. One way or another, women have been on the "front line" and we have been doing a great damn job!
Thanks for sharing your experiences . . . here and in class last week. You are, of course, right that women have been on the front lines for a long time now and have done a "great damn job." I think the difference that would come with a change in policy, as the article you read for class suggested, would be the opening up of certain positions for women, allowing them to advance their careers.
ReplyDeleteYour point-of-view is so insightful; I've found it very interesting. I was especially interested when you said "It's usually falls under some fancy wording that means you know your job is going to put you in harms way and you should've done a better job protecting yourself." in regards to women being injured on the front lines. This immediately made me think of language used when discussing rape victims and rape education. We focus so much on what the women were wearing or how they should be protecting themselves. Again, I really appreciate your perspective. Thanks for sharing!
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