Women In The Military
Posted by Louisa Kinoshi and Joanna Pucci on July 30, 2007 at 03:29 PM
At the 2007 National NOW Conference held in Detroit earlier this month, a Resolution was passed to form an "ad hoc" committee to study the health issues of women in the military. This committee plans to work with other organizations to find solutions to the many problems facing women in the armed forces. (The full resolution can be found by going to the 2007 National Now Conference site at http://now.org).
Women have served in every military conflict in U.S. history, whether through troop support, nurses providing aid to injured troops, or in other capacities. The first group of women to formally enlist joined the Navy and Marines in World War I. In World War II, more than 400,000 women served as nurses, pilots and other "non-combat" roles. Women were also a substantial presence in the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf War.
Today, there are approximately 350,000 women serving in the armed forces, composing about 15% of active U.S. military forces. In Iraq and Afghanistan, women are taking more active roles as bomber pilots, navigators, tanker pilots and weapons officers. In Iraq alone, one out of seven troops is a woman. The high percentage of women serving in the Iraq war reflects both an increased role for women as well as an increased demand for soldiers. It is an absurdity to think that women cannot or should not serve in combat positions when the reality is precisely the opposite.
Women in the military make the same sacrifices as men, such as leaving behind families, friends, and jobs, and suffer similar rates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as other psychological and emotional conditions. However, women also have to deal with problems their male counterparts typically do not confront, such as sexual harassment and abuse. In 2005, there were 37 reports of sexual assault suffered by female troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet the response to their victimization has been negligible.
President Bush has, and continues to put our servicemen and servicewomen in harms way in Iraq, without any foreseeable plan to bring our troops home. What's more, his policies regarding addressing military women's health needs are harmful to servicewomen and place them at additional risk. Military women deserve full and complete access to all abortion and contraception services currently available to non-military women. Health screenings such as pap tests and mammograms must be made a routine part of the health care military women receive. It is a disgrace that the women risking their lives for our country are denied basic health care treatment.
In addition to bringing our troops home from Iraq, the problems faced by women in the military must be immediately addressed. The "ad hoc" group being created by the National Organization For Women is a great place to strategize and create ways to end the discrimination our servicewomen face, and the Women's Leadership Forum stands ready to assist in finding solutions. Hopefully WLF's work in electing a Democratic president and increasing the number of Democratic members in Congress will serve that purpose. It is certainly the best way to bring home our troops.
Written by Louisa Kinoshi and Joanna Pucci, WLF interns, with the assistance of Sharon Grosfeld, WLF Executive Director.
