In all of these branches, women were required to be in the front lines and serve in leadership positions. Throughout the history of the military, our leadership has always sought ways in how to integrate without upsetting the general public if our females were captured as a POW, rape, discriminated or even (blown up in combat). Today we face female sexual assault within garrison and combat operations. Congress is left with the thought of how long has this been happening and why has the leadership looked the other way. My paper will discuss three situations pertaining to the first female submariner, fighter pilot and infantry graduate.
Because they were not equal and did not have enough rights like the men did. But women still managed to serve as nurses, cooks, and other jobs. Women were enrolled as nurses because the Union needed people to aid hurt soldiers (Righthand). The main reason to why women became nurses and cooks were that one of their male family members were sent to war so the women needed a way to support themselves (B... ... middle of paper ... ...During this war, a British woman named Flora Sandes joined the army and wanted to be treated and called a male while in the army. She wanted to be on the battlefield helping her fellow male soldiers instead of staying in and hospitalizing the injured soldier.
Women's Roles in the Military Before World War I, women assisted the military during wartime mainly as nurses and helpers. Some women, however, did become involved in battles. Molly Pitcher, a Revolutionary War water carrier, singlehandedly kept a cannon in action after a artillery crew had been disabled. During the Revolutionary and the Civil War, a few women disguised themselves as men and took part in hand-to-hand combat. The first enlisted women served in World War I as telephone and radio operators, translators, and clerks.
In medieval times a women was expected to defend her home if her husband was not there. Noble women could even lead armies on to the battlefield both in local conflicts and on expeditions such as crusades. Presnell states in her book that, “Throughout history women have played a varied and vital role in warfare, despite the supposed limits of their gender” (301). Some of the most well documented and best known accounts of women fighting in... ... middle of paper ... ...to begin to work in a few positions on the front lines. Even though some people have their doubts, women are now able to serve in combat positions.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 April 2014. Myers, Sarah Parry. “Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP).” An Encyclopedia of American Women at War: From the Home Front to the Battlefields.
Keenan posits “women have served with distinction in … the Revolutionary War…as volunteer nurses and were only occasionally in the direct line of fire…four nurses evacuating 42 patients while the Germans bombed their field hospital…” (the DoD Combat Exclusion Policy) pg. 21. The most recent debate questions a women’s engagement in combat. What distinguishes some positions as being acceptable while others are not? Who has the authority to approve exceptions, and what exceptions have been made?
Web. 8 May 2014. Stamberg, Susan. "Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls." NPR.
Women now comprise 14 percent of the active-duty Armed Forces of the United States. That figure is up from 1.6 percent 25 years ago (Christian Science Monitor 1998:20). In 1948, President Truman signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act which formalized the role of women in the military. Under the law, each branch of the service was allowed to appoint one woman Colonel (Byfield, 1998:02). Now, there are numerous women who serve as Generals and Admirals.
Today women make up eleven percent of the military and are serving in almost all aspects. And it all started eighty-three years ago during World War I. REFERENCES http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/awards/witnesstowar/witness1.html. WW I left its enduring mark. http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/awards/witnesstowar/guide.html. Background on Women in World War I. http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/awards/witnesstowar/womenatwar.html.
Now women are found on the fronts lines. Also, during World War II, women who were nurses at Pearl Harbor came into a combat situation in which they were to engage and kill the enemy (Manilla Bulletin). An increase of women in the military has impacted the military by having different job roles, expanding military positions, and increasing more sexual assaults. The first reason women affect the military is their roles. Women in combat have served as long as men have and for many years have not been treated as equally as the men.