Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 2

dailyut ahchro nicle .

co m

http://www.dailyutahchro nicle.co m/?p=2585180

Panel of female veterans reflect on their experiences


So lveig Rundquist

by: Solveig Rundquist on March 1, 2013 inShare1 According to veteran and librarian f or the Marriott Library Sarah LeMire, women make up about 8 percent of the veteran population and 21 percent of veteran students at the U, but their stories are rarely heard. Women are now allowed to be combat soldiers, yet in Hollywood f ilms such as T he Hurt Locker and Jarheads we still hear about the military experience f rom a primarily male perspective. While women are def initely not missing in action, their stories are. T he panel, along with the subsequent f ilm viewing, aimed to address this issue and to give several f emale veterans the opportunity to talk about their experiences. T he panelists included f our f emale veterans af f iliated with the U. Kim Adamson joined the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and was f inally mobilized in 2001. Jennif er Jing Marcos enlisted in 2002 and is now a drill sergeant studying biochemistry. Janean Smith studies medicine and public health and serves with the Air Force Medical Corps. Audra T hompson enlisted in 2007 and plans on returning to active duty as soon as she f inishes her degree. A large part of the discussion f ocused on how the roles of women in the military have changed. When Adamson enlisted there were 2,400 women in the entire Marine Corps, and their training included balancing books on their heads and learning place settings at the dinner table. She also had to write a three-page paper explaining why she should be granted the privilege of enlisting in the Marine Corps as a woman. Women were treated like a dif f erent species, she said. In my job, I have the same risk and level of death as the males, Adamson said. We share the same values. Were all wearing the unif orm of our country. But when we arrived at a military base we would watch the sergeant screaming at the men, and then hed get on the bus and say, Ladies, if youll please f ollow me. No rif les or navigation f or us. It was a dif f erent world when T hompson joined the Army three decades later. Instead of being asked to write an essay, she was awarded a signing bonus. T he military paid f or her schooling, which includes geoscience but not book balancing. T hey also matched her dollar f or dollar on a retirement plan, and the training was rigorous. T hompson said she used her rif le every day in training, and that every soldier women included was an inf antry person bef ore anything else. T here is still inequality within the military, they said. Women may be permitted in combat units, but that changes the whole dynamic. Back in World War II and the Philippines War, women werent in the war, they were what you were f ighting f or, said Matthew Basso, a prof essor in history. Women were the symbol of the homeland to be def ended. Basso, who teaches a Gender and War course at the U, thinks it will take some time bef ore male soldiers adjust to f ighting side-by-side with women. LeMire said the real issue is that women simply arent recognized f or their service once theyve f inished.

Once you take your hair out of that obligatory bun, you blend right in with civilians, she said. No one asks you f or your story. T hats why you retire so you can say whatever you want with no retribution, Adamson quipped at one point during the panel. T he comment was met with laughter and applause f rom the audience. In the meantime, f ilmmakers such as Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers are doing their part to spread awareness. T heir award-winning f ilm Lioness was screened af ter the panel, providing additional insight into the lives of f emale combat soldiers in Iraq. Contact Solveig Rundquist at s.rundquist@chronicle.utah.edu
Sho rt URL: http://www.dailyutahchro nicle.co m/?p=2585180

Posted by Solveig Rundquist on Mar 1 2013. Filed under Campus, News. You can f ollow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi