It's Our Military Too: Women and the U.S Military

Preface

Preface Militaries are traditional institutions. When outsiders ask them to change, for example, by permitting openly gay men and lesbian women to serve in uniform, they are capable of energetic resistance. A phrase frequently used by opponents of change is "Not in my military/Army/Navy/ Air Force/Marine Corps!" as though because they are in the military they own it. In fact, civilians, including the Supreme Court, often do defer to the military . But the military's commander in chief is an elected official, and a majority of voters are women. Thus, it would not be incorrect for women collectively to respond to a traditionalist: "Well, you realize it's actually my military"--or at least, "It's my military, too'" Women have never constituted more than 13 percent ofthe U.S. armed forces, and even the most nontraditional and the most patriotic seem more wary ofthan enthusiastic about joining the military. But it is our military, and we have responsibility for what it is and what it does. The purpose ofthis book is to encourage civilians, especially women civilians , to accept and exercise that responsibility. The first section provides basic information about the military, such as the rank structure. It also offers narratives by three active-duty women officers, each very successful but each with a different story and set of beliefs. Two of the three have chosen to use pseudonymns. The second section provides perspectives on specific groups of women who have chosen to serve--in particular, nurses and African Americans. This section also discusses issues related to physical differences between women and men, the combat exclusion, and the changing nature of the military's mission. The essays in the last section are written by civilian feminist intellectuals. None has had military experience, but all have worked for an extended period on the subject of war or the military. Their essays are intended as catalysts. So is the book. Copyrighted Material x Preface Four conferences, acknowledged below, provided a forum for the development of many of these essays. The importance of such gatherings cannot be overestimated. Indeed, some of their organizers too are contributors to this volume: "Women and the Military" was held as a Quail Roost Conference and hosted by Richard Kohn of the Triangle Universities Security Seminar in April 1993. "Gender and War" was held at the Rockefeller Foundation 's Bellagio Study and Conference Center and hosted by Miriam Cooke and Alex Roland in August 1993. "Institutional Change and the U.S. Military : The Changing Role of Women" was held at Cornell University and hosted by Mary Katzenstein and Judith Reppy in November 1993. "Peacekeeping : A New Role for Women and Men" was held in Washington, D.C., and hosted by Georgia Sadler for the Women's Education and Research Institute in December 1994. In addition, Chapter 8, by Lucinda Peach, was developed with the assistance of the Indiana Center on Global Change and World Peace at Indiana University; an earlier version of the essay was published in the HamJine Journal of Law and Public Policy. Copyrighted Material ...