Women in The Military Myths

1) Women are too emotionally fragile for combat.

This myth is based on cultural stereotypes and Hollywood hype. There is no concrete evidence to suggest that women are any more susceptible to combat stress than their male counterparts.

Women in the Marine Corps, for example, go through training identical to what men get. While boot camp is segregated by gender, subsequent training is integrated, and women train for combat the same way as men do. Gender-integrated units don't exclude women from any activity. Women shoot, exercise, plan battles and conduct military maneuvers the same way as the men do. They become mentally conditioned the same way as their male counterparts and develop the same combat mindset. Several studies, including one in 2009 by the Defense Department's Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, have found that gender integration in noncombat units has no effect on overall unit cohesion.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is an unfortunate consequence of war, especially for those who have served multiple deployments and sadly, no gender is immune to it.

2) Women are too physically weak for the battlefield.

While it is obvious that the average man has more upper-body strength than the average woman, women have different physical abilities that enable them to offer unique capabilities in combat.

Distance running is one such arena, and it's relevant because combat can be as much about physical endurance (sustaining activity over time) as physical strength. According to a study analyzing track-and-field records and published in the journal Nature in 1992, the gaps between male and female performance narrow as the distance is extended, and some studies show that at ultramarathon distances (100 miles or more), women with equal training as their male counterparts outperform men. Women tolerate hot and humid racing conditions better than men because of their smaller body size, according to a 1999 article in the European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology.

Foot patrols involve carrying 50 to 100 pounds of equipment for miles at a time, and I've seen male Marines who can bench-press 300 pounds but struggle to walk 2 miles with 50 pounds of gear. And you don't have to bench-press 300 pounds to pull a trigger. If a woman passes the physical requirements, why shouldn't she get the chance to fight?

3) The presence of women causes sexual tension in training and battle.

This notion insults men as much as women. For nearly 10 years, the U.S. military has been fighting two wars with a majority of units that include both men and women. Why hasn't supposed "sexual tension" undermined the stellar performance of gender-integrated units?

Women work in close proximity to men in all sorts of occupations; whether dancers or astronauts or war correspondents. If anything, the presence of women might improve rather than detract from the service of men. 

4) Male troops will become distracted from their missions in order to protect female comrades.

This myth conjures an image of a heroic soldier, attacking the enemy and about to win, until catastrophe strikes: He spots a wounded woman on the battlefield and abandons his assault to save her life, costing his side the battle. It's the "women and children first" argument translated to the battlefield (Weinstien).

This reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be a warrior. In battle, saving a comrade is one of the highest and noblest things one can do. If men  or women have the  gut to save a fellow soldier's life in battle, it's because that is what we are trained to do. It's no drawback; it is part of our greatest strength as a fighting force. And if a woman, or a man for that matter, can't carry the wounded, the corpsman or another soldier will be close behind to help.

5) Women can't lead men in combat effectively.

Why not? Across the planet, women have proven their worth as leaders as diplomats, heads of state and corporate titans. This is no less true in the military and in combat. In history as well as ancient mythology, women have often emerged as heroic leaders of men and women in battle, like Joan of Arc is just a notable example. In the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, there have been countless women who, often unrecognized, have served as leaders of military men and women. Women just need the opportunity.

"If women are expected to do the same work as men," Plato wrote, "we must teach them the same things." If we trained women to be leaders in combat as we train men to be leaders in combat, why wouldn't they perform just as well? But women do not receive intensive infantry training because they are excluded not just from combat roles, but from serving in combat units at all. This is the same discrimination that kept women from voting; the idea that they were not qualified to do so.

Women in The Military Love Letter

April 2012

My Dearest Johnny,

Well, sir, how about a date with you tonight? Yes, I know it is now 10:15, but if I remember correctly you arrived about this time for our first date and you did not think it was too late to come over then. So you will not give me a date tonight? That being the case I shall write to my beloved and then go straight to bed. This has been the most pleasant day for me, I got a letter from the man I love at each mail call. The one in the morning's mail was written Tuesday night and the one in the evening's mail was written Friday night. So I am as happy as I can be away from him. Letters do marvelous things to my morale so tonight I fee that happiness is really for us and not so far away. Do you feel that way too?

Darling, you can say the sweetest things when you are in the mood. The idea of your saying "if everyone was like you, this world sure would be a swell world to live in," is just the grandest thing anyone could say to a person. Especially coming from one's hearts desire makes it a memorable compliment. Of course you will live up to my expectations, I know your possibilities, that is one reason I am so utterly in love with you.

I sent my letter last night ordinary mail, I was out of stamps, so do let me know if you get my letters any quicker if I send them air mail.

Johnny dear, the practical, sensible side of my nature does not think you have neglected me with someone else. did you ever want to hear from someone you think of constantly and mail time comes around daily for two or three days and no letters? Each time the earth seems to drop from under my feet and I sink a little further down in the mire of loneliness and despair, well, that is how I feel when I do not hear from you and yet I know I can't always hear from you every time I want to or even think I should. Can you understand what I am trying to say? I do try to understand that there are times when you will not be able to write but that doesn't keep me from wanting to hear from you.

Yes, I can imagine our being together soon, and I can imagine and do imagine you being affectionate and loving, but I can not imagine not liking it. It just so happens that you are the one I love and in order to be happy myself I'd want to make you happy. I'd have to make you happy or I could not be where you were. I hope you feel as sure of my love as I do.

Yours always, Janet 

Women in the Military Meme

Many people feel strongly that women should not be allowed in the military, as it is a major debate in our era.  Since it is the military, vulgar words such as the "f word" are used so often it is embedded in the vocabulary of these people. So overall, it seemed appropriate.

Research Log 5 Women in the Military

 "Debate: Women in the Military?." Conservapedia. N.p., May 25, 2011. Web. 27 Mar 2012. <http://www.conservapedia.com/Debate:Women_in_the_Military?>.





Summary:  Women in the Military is currently a major issue being debated in politics every year.  It is estimated that it takes eight people in supply to keep one man out in combat. Also, there are some jobs that by their nature are better suited to the female's mind, such as Air Traffic Controlman. I suppose it's pretty obvious where I come down on this issue.  Women should not be in combat or combat support, where there at risk of being captured or killed by the enemy. Male soldiers will, by nature, want to rescue them from danger, even at the cost of neglected strategically more important missions.  For women being in the military however, the other side can be seen to it as well.  Men will and have the tendency to pull the trigger on a women or leave a women behind because they are seen as less important than the superior man in that situation.  No one wants a mission compromised because the men felt more obligated to save a woman than to complete the mission.  To mention, one of the objections is that women don't have the upper body strength to lug an overloaded pack into combat. Well, this is the 21st Century, and no one should be lugging the kinds of packs they've made them lug around since World War One. Someone's got to lay that misguided tradition to rest. We've got Stryker brigades and armored humvees, you live in your vehicle and get out now and then lay some hurt on the enemy.  You get women ready for that part by making the same physical test requirements for both genders because everyone is considered at an equal playing field.


Response:  To tell you the truth I don't care who is in the military as long as they get the job done. But if they can't, man or woman, they should not be there. Fact is women are in the military. They just aren't specifically put in positions where they might see offensive combat. However, without front lines and with terrorists hitting support troops, women are in units more likely to be attacked. Personally, I have never heard of a task that women could not accomplish. My opinion is about the draft is if women are going to be in the military (and even run for president) they should be registered for the draft just like every man between 18 and 45. We haven't used it in 40 years and more than half of all 18 year old males would not be fit right if we did, but women should be registered just like men. I don't think it will ever happen though because there's no political benefit to it.

Next Steps:  I chose to end my paper about the debate for and against women in combat because it is a major issue that is being debated as we speak.  Nothing however, has been done stating that women cannot be allowed in the military anymore.  I do not believe anything will ever happen regarding that, but many people debate against women in the military.  From here, I will conclude my paper referring to the central topic of women in the military pro and cons.  

Research Log 4 Women in the Military

Weinstein, Laurie. Gender Camouflage . New York: New 

           York University, 19

Summary:  Women are constantly affecting the military as to how it is ran.  Women not only involved in the military, but are wives of their husbands enlisted. This can cause major problems as to how men operate emotionally due to the length of time away from a loved one.  Rape rises and sexual assaults are through the roof when this detachment is happening.  One of the most important actions to focus attention on military wives' issues was the advent in 1980.  The FAC group and its actions brought military-family issues to the attention of the military.  Their slogan was, "We recruit soldiers; but we retain families."  As a result of emphasis on the families, the different services established 218 centers designed to alleviate the stresses of military life (Weinstein 122).  The centers offer financial, relocation, career, mental health, outreach, and education services at no charge.  By the mid 80's, military spouses created the Military Spouses and Professional Association to help women find jobs when they relocated.  Moving on however, Cynthia Enloe contends that "without women to objectify, men's military service would be less confirming of their manhood, perhaps even of their citizenship, and militarized masculinity depends in large measure on esteem derived from men's sense of manliness."  With the increase in the number women entering the military, the myth of male superiority is hard to maintain when military men are forced to work alongside, or for military females.  Even though incidents of domestic violence are prevalent throughout all branches of services, they receive little attention inside or outside the military community.  Military wives also include in this, where their homes are as dangerous as the battlefield of domestic violence.  For instance, "A soldier in Washington state killed his wife, packed her body into a suitcase, and threw it off a bridge. (Weinstein 123).  So overall, we can find good and bad about military wives for what they have done as apart of the military inside and outside the military.

Response:  The publics lack of knowledge about military culture allowed the military to maintain the traditional role of the military wife well beyond the time when women in the larger society were expanding their professional horizons.  Through the 90's, civilian sisters were renegotiating their volunteer labor for the benefit of the military, usually against their will.  The military wives though, continued to raise considerable funds to benefit the military community.  I believe military wives are not dependents, but women able to jump outside the system and speak military requirements that control their lives.  I like how women were and are able to create these systems to help military wives and husbands involved.  The services seem to have helped thousands of families over the years and will hopefully continue to grow in a positive direction.  

Next Steps:  I chose this particular topic about military wives because I feel that it reflects what is a major issue in the military.  That issue is something citizens of the U.S are not aware of as far as the families that are involved with the military.  Problems are constantly arising for families involved and help in any form is always a necessity.  Whether it be other families helping each other in the military or your average family with no involvement at all, everyone and anyone can reach out to support or families of service.  From here, I will conclude with the major concernment of women in the military as of issues pertaining too right now.  This will top off the paper from start to finish.  

Research Log 3 Women in the Military

Weinstein, Laurie. Gender Camouflage . New York: New 
           York University, 1999.


Summary:  Physical training has proven most perplexing and the most difficult for gender integration.  The service academies have learned to accommodate the physiological differences of men and women, but this has not led to women's acceptance by male cadets.  When women first came to service, there was little data on what women athletes in top shape should be able to do.  Even today, with much higher standards demanded on women, female cadets develop their physical abilities to a greater extent than do the males during training.  The physical education instructors set a lower standard, which would allow more women to pass the initial tests and then gain confidence as the standard would increase each year.  However, all the academies failed to convince the male cadets that the standards set for women required the same effort/ability by women that the standards set for men required of men.  So, the concept of equal effort is still not accepted by most male cadets, because physical prowess is given great weight in the formula for success as a leader.  That means even outstanding women with high physical ability will never rank higher than men as leaders and will remain inferior.  


Response:  If the military would reexamine its requirements and recognize that running, push-ups, and sit-ups are not the best measures of an overall physically fit person, then perhaps this major barrier to gender integration can start to be eroded.  If fitness and wellness is a goal, then aerobic and anaerobic tests should be added to the strength tests; this will level the playing field for men and women.  For example, when male cadets came to the female aerobics they were dying before the class was officially over for the day (Weinstein 72).  Deciding what equal effort is and educating all cadets on the differences between strength and fitness/wellness and job requirements remains a major challenge at all the academies and in the military in general.  Until women can be seen as competitive in the physical arena, they will never be seen as equals.  Because women enter the military with varsity athletic experiences, the minimum standards for women will continue to climb. However, there will always be a marked difference between men's and women's physical abilities in the tests as they are currently constructed (Weinstein 72). 


Next Steps:  I chose this particular section in the book because it really shows the true grit of differences between men and women in the military.  A lot of physical ability is tested in combat everyday and that is where women tend to be seen as inferior as opposed to men.  Leaders and combatants should be seen as strong and physically fit in order to get what needs to be done, done. From here, I will progress into the military and how they deal with the wives in and out of service and how that reflects on the aspect of the debate for women in combat. 

Research Blog 2 Women in the Military

DeBatto, David. "The Young and the Restless." CI 
            Advisor. (2004): 1. Print.


Summary:  This article portrays the deep truth inside the military lives of men and women.  Most men and women are in their late teens to early twenties and are "hormone-charged." Sexual assaults are among the most common problem when these two genders are living together 24/7.  The men and women of the military share living situations at the end of the day.  Showers, bathrooms, and sleeping are all done in a gender-neutral formality, so privacy is basically non existent. Rape is a violent, angry crime that is very consistent. Numerous situations come about where young, physically strong male service members are serving in high-stress environments, day in and day out. They are away from home, possibly for the first time. Some of them are also scared, lonely, depressed and exhibiting other mental health issues. Many of them are also extremely immature. This calls for prime sexual assault cases which are most likely  happening everyday.  

Response:  I have a cousin that was in the military deployed to Afghanistan in 2005.  He however is 30 years old.  When he came home, he actually noted that their were major difficulties with the young men of the military because they are not use to the fact that they can't go around having sex like they did at home.  Also, many of these men have girlfriends and boyfriends and they are not use to the long separation.  This in turn, resorts to the many violent rape cases found over seas. I believe it is just human nature and there really is nothing you can do when your hormones are raging. So overall I personally think the military should strengthen its programs that advise military recruits of the consequences of their sexual assault when they enter service, and it would be well-advised to consider some form of in-theater refresher briefings for deployed troops. The military should, and hopefully will, aggressively investigate and prosecute all allegations of rape and sexual assault that surface. 

Next Steps:  I chose this source because I figured I needed a more recent source from my last one.  This particular source is six years newer than that of my last one.  Also, this source was an article rather than information from a book which gave it a different approach.  I liked how this was about just one particular topic rather than an introduction to many different topics, as you would find in a book.  My first blog was more of an introduction to my research topic, stating basically what my topic is and why it is relevant to our world today.   This topic however, allows me to begin with a serious problem allowing women in the military and the serious reality that is present.  From here, I could begin to talk about the psychological factors of women in the military and how they differ from that of men.  This will begin the juicy part as to conflict of why women should be placed in combat.

Research Log 1 Women in Military

Francine, D'Amico. Gender Camouflage. New York: New
            York University Press, 1999. Print.


Summary:  Our nation continues to debate whether women should be in war, whether their presence inhibits men from carrying out their mission, whether the American public can withstand women's return in body bags and whether women can handle lack of privacy, being surrounded by violent deaths, or being prisoners of war. People aren't paying attention to history, or history is paying attention to itself, because these issues and questions have been answered by the experiences of thousands of women who have once served as those first military nurses starting with the Revolutionary War.  


Response:  When the Revolutionary War began, General George Washington asked that one female nurse be employed for every ten patients to relieve men for battle.  Surgeon's mates whom were usually men, performed skilled nursing tasks, and female nurses emptied chamber pots and cleaned wards and patients, although they occasionally gave medication or assisted with healthy diets for the soldiers.  Americans believed the appropriate role for women was domestic, and this is reflected in author Fanny Kemble’s journal entry in the late 1830s: “Maids must be wives and mothers to fulfill the entire and holiest end of woman’s being.”  I completely agree with the role women use to have in the military.  People adapt to what society perceives them, where this specific example is demonstrating exactly what society thinks women should do. Society also prepares women to become these caregiving phenom's with propaganda and even forceful action pertaining to the law.  There is nothing women can really do, but obey and become, so that is how their place in the military was first originated.  


Next Step:  I chose this specific source out of three different books.  I thought this particular source was laid out much more clearly with headings rather than run on text. It guided me through an introduction of the section and laid out what it was going to pin point which helped me gather information much quicker.  Also, it really demonstrates and proves where women first started out in the military and why women began this way.  After reading this source, I would really like to get into the how the shift went from women being allowed in the military as nurses to women in combat and where and when this switch took place.  This will hopefully better my understanding as to why women are in combat today and what issues we have with them in combat today.  This will then set the basis for my research allowing me to branch off for other issues with women in combat.  

Anything Blog

I would like to blog about life and my personal view of why human beings and all types of life are on this planet.  If you look at our planet as a whole, it is a surface that is meant for things to grow on it just like any other planet.  Not every planet has the same physical properties that allow certain things to grow on it, but every planet has its own form of life. Life is the physical growth of something. Even a rock is considered life whether we think it or not.  Life is a complete mystery to most of us, but if you break it down there is quite a different reason for our earth’s view of why we are here and actual human beings views of why we are here.  Here is what I think.  I believe all life is just a form of bacteria.  Even this computer is its own form of bacteria.  Now, when I mean bacteria, I mean we are a very complex form of bacteria in which we actually realize that we are other things like we were created by a god or something.  That is all bullshit.  Everything on this earth is wired in a certain way to keep it moving forward, to keep it alive and going.  Yes we think people are beautiful, babies are cute, and there are great things within us, but when you see past that, these are all just biological tricks that allow us to keep our bacteria going.  Look at the world from a birds eye view.  Don’t tell me we aren’t bacteria.  What does bacteria do? It grows just like we are constantly growing everyday. New bacteria (humans) constantly becomes a new presence to this world. When you dig deep into everything on this planet it has its own biological tricks to keep whatever it is moving along or growing.  All technology for instance is constantly growing gaining new things to keep it moving forward.  Humans see beauty money, government and world order in order to keep us going as a species.  Shit, we can’t even be alone for an amount of time from other humans or we will get sad and kill ourselves.  We need each other so badly or our disease will die off.  This overall thirst for innovation is only to keep our specific disease moving forward.  Much like how yeast makes bread rise and mold takes over a sandwhich. We are just a very complicated form.  We are one collective pile of fucking mold and we think we are individuals. That thought that we are individuals is just another biological trick to keep us moving forward in life.  Overall, I believe our sleeping consciousness is more real than our waking consciousness and that is what we are about.  The waking consciousness is there just to keep our bacteria growing, to keep perpetuating more people and more animals and more everything to this giant disease on our earth.  Everything we do is too keep us going no matter what it is. Think about it.  Everything you do is in the bacterias benefit to keep it satisfied and going in one way or another and even if you personally don't like it.  

Reading Response Raina Kelley

Raina Kelley writes about a topic I feel is very prompt in our society today.  Raina explains how our generation which is the early 90's kids generation, has become narcissistic completely relying on our mothers and fathers to guide us through life.  She says that our generation is greedy and that we demand only the best even if we do not work for it.  Basically, Kelley is bashing on the insecurities that our generation has presented.  If you look at where we were placed we basically had it completely different then when she was a child growing up.  New ways of living with more comfort through technology has been our greatest reason for the spoiled little brats that we are perceived as.  Imagine if Raina was put in our situation. She would completely be that kid that she writes about, just like we would be her if we were born in her time era.  So why complain about it? Life is going to keep continuing generation to generation and if we didn't have differences from each generation then we would never progress as a species on this planet and eventually we would die out.  What stood out to me is when Raina said "Perhaps, one day, we will say that the recession saved us from a parenting ethos that churns out ego-addled spoiled brats." I honestly believe this quote to be true because we would be way more spoiled if it was not for the recession.  If we did not have the money and the thought that money equaled power to a certain point then we would be just like Raina's generation.  Humans will continue to grow on this earth by the masses and there will be nothing we can do about it to choose how the next generation will act.  So why bitch and complain about something that has already happened and there is nothing you can do about it now.  Honestly I do not care nor want to hear what another little sole has to say about my generation because overall it is all biological tricks that are keeping our disease (us)  moving forward on this earth just like any other disease or mold spreads, we as well are spreading in a very similar but different way.  

The Ways We Lie Assignment

Facades: A situation in which someone uses a facade lie would be when an average joe from Florida comes to Utah thinking he is some pro skier dressed up in baggy in style ski clothes when he has never skied a day in his life.

Omission: An example that would assimilate omission would be if I came home with a black eye and told my mom that I was just playing basketball and it is no big deal, when really I had just got in a fight.

Out and Out: An example of an out and out lie would be if I were to ask someone where my shirt is and someone told me that the burglars just took it, when clearly I know their were no burglars in the room.

Delusion: An example of a delusional lie would be telling my friends that the only reason I crave cigarettes is because I am stressed. That is a lie because cigarettes are proven to be mentally addictive and I would just tell myself that so it did not seem as bad for me.

White Lie: An example of a white lie would be telling your mother you are going to your friend Brian's house when really you are going to a girls house. This just saves you the hassle of having to talk to your mother about a girl.

Deflecting: An example of a deflecting lie would be to change the subject when you are talking to a friend about cheating on your girlfriend. In this situation you would switch the conversation to anything besides cheating on your girlfriend so that it did not make the other person think you were a cheater.

Stereotype and Cliche's: An example of a stereotype would be,  that person can jump high only because they are black.  A cliche example would be like this is as light as a feather when you pick someone light up.

Groupthink:  A groupthink example would be if I was talking to my coach and he yelled at everyone saying, "Do you really care about this team?" And everyone nodded yes because they felt that the pressure of the hierarchy was so great that they could not say no when really no one cares about the team.

Dismissal: An example of a dismissal lie would be telling my mom that my teacher made me feel weird after class. Then my mom telling me to stop saying that that teacher is just really nice and I need to be nice back to her instead of feeling weird, when really the teacher is sexually harassing me.

Rant: Roommates

"Having a roommate is honestly such a horrible thing.  I feel as if everyone deep down inside themselves could choose to have a roommate...they wouldn't.  So not having a roommate usually wins. It's usually the better of the situation.  Like having your own space; your own sanctum of a place to go and chill.  Not only that but your own damn privacy! Ya know, I had a whole semester with no roommate and it was awesome let me tell you! I could do whatever I wanted; walk around naked, play my own music as loud as I wanted and even "boink" my own girlfriend whenever I pleased [cough].  Overall, I didn't have to listen to anyones opinion you know, all those things were up to me and I didn't have to base upon anybody else's beliefs or timings. Even whether or not it was convenient for them, or their sleeping habits and all that bullshit.  All I know is that when I had my room it was so much better so I do not care, I could have Jesus-Fucking-Christ as my roommate and it would suck balls as compared to not having a roommate dude! So... well... unless my roommate was the finest chick on the planet, in which case I would be totally down for a roommate!"