[Vision2020] A salute to women in the military

[Tom Hansen]

It wasn't long ago that an openly gay female soldier could not stay in the Army, let alone enter the infantry.  But now, as the saying goes . . . "You've come a long way, baby."

Courtesy of today's (November 13, 2014) Moscow-Pullman Daily News with a very special thanks to Nick Gier.

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His View: A salute to women in the military
Nick Gier
In August 1972, then Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, instructed his officers to "eliminate any disadvantage to women resulting from either legal or attitudinal restrictions." This led to female sailors being assigned to ships, trained as fighter pilots and given submarine duty.
The Army started training female helicopter pilots in 1974 and, in 1976, the Air Force allowed women to enter pilot training programs. Still, female military pilots were barred from combat until 1993.
Maj. Nicole Malachowski was the first female pilot to join the Air Force's premier Thunderbirds in 2006, and in 2008, then Cmdr. Sara Joyner was the first woman to head up a Navy F-18 squadron. She was in charge of a dozen Tom Cat fighters as well as 245 pilots and support crew.
In Iraq and Afghanistan, Army patrols routinely included women soldiers, primarily because they were needed to calm, frisk and provide medical care to the Muslim women in the houses that were searched. In one instance a Special Forces unit needed an experienced .50 caliber machine gunner and the best available recruit was a woman.
Strong sexual harassment policies have been in place since 1980, but an anonymous survey done in 2013 by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found 23 percent of female soldiers and sailors experienced "unwanted sexual contact." Between 2012 and 2013 the Pentagon measured a 50 percent increase in actual reports of sexual assaults, which may be partially a good sign that more men and women are willing to report abuse.
Just one of thousands assaulted was Suzanne Rich, who was court-martialed for refusing to re-deploy to Iraq. Interviewed on NPR, her mother, Sarah Rich, said her daughter described her situation as one of prey being hunted down by predators. The alleged rape by her own sergeant was never prosecuted.
In two cases, there's a twisted irony. Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, the officer who ran the Air Force's sexual assault prevention programs, was acquitted of charges of assaulting a woman at a bar. Army Lt. Col. Darin Haas, assigned to investigate harassment at Fort Campbell, Ky., was removed from these duties because he violated a protection order filed by his ex-wife.
Until "Don't Ask Don't Tell" was rescinded, the armed forces lost many highly qualified personnel. Marine Corps Capt. Julie Sohn, after having served seven months in Iraq's hot-spot Falluja, was fired after criticizing Pentagon policy on gays and lesbians. She said she simply got tired of questions about why she did not have a boyfriend.
On Sept. 25, 2010, former flight nurse and lesbian Margaret Witt won reinstatement from a district court judge. Witt's colleagues testified that rather than hinder unit morale and cohesion - a common charge by those opposed to homosexuals in the military - her presence enhanced it.
It is still illegal for transgendered people to serve in the U.S. armed forces, even though they are welcome in the military of 18 other nations. Former U.S. Navy Petty Officer Landon Wilson served with distinction in Afghanistan as lead liaison between the British and Australian armed forces. Even though she had been promoted and given a Flag Letter of Commendation, she, without notice or due process, suddenly found herself on a C-130 on her way back to the U.S. She had been honorably discharged for being transgendered.
I'll conclude with the story of Trista Matascastillo, who said that when she first put on her uniform, she felt that she was in her "superwoman suit." Nonetheless, she was raped and impregnated by her commanding officer, who was never prosecuted. She kept the baby and now is happily married to an Army sergeant. They are raising their young son together. Hear the heart-tugging story at http://storycorps.org.
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Nick Gier taught philosophy and religion at the University of Idaho for 31 years and is president of the Idaho Federation of Teachers.
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(Thanks, Nick.)

Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares"
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"...[W]omen will continue to serve with distinction throughout our armed forces, in and out of combat, on land and at sea and in the air.  We all wear the same uniform, and we all fire the same weapons.  And most importantly, we all take the same oath." 

- Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 
  
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