Women and the Military, War, and Peace

Facilitation: Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa-Rey. “Women and the Military, War, and Peace,” Women’s Lives Multicultural Perspectives Fourth Edition, New York: McGraw – Hill, 2007, 483-500.
Key - Words: Military, human security, racism, militarism, opposition, violence, crime
Key – Phrases: Responsibility to protect, “Don’t ask, don’t tell”, see reality in oppositional categories, “specific policy prohibiting sexual harassment”
Key – Names: President Bush, Francine D’Amico, Laurie Weinstein, Guenter-Schlesinger, Kristin Henderson, Betty Burkes, Scharnberg
Key Ideas: There are always two sides to every story. In this chapter the side for military and the side against military are discussed. What is focused on is the woman’s point of view of the military and their jobs through support, active duty, reserves, and contributions. For some women the military is an opportunity for employment with better pay, benefits, education, travel, and escape from crisis-torn inner cities in the United States.
While the military has taken giant leaps in the past few decades towards rights for women within the institution, there have also been reports of crime, harassment, racism, and a stigma held over many women soldiers. Even those women not contracted with the military are finding faults with militarism believing that it is not providing human security.
Questions:
1. Do you believe genuine security is created by militarism?
2. Why has the issue of gays in the military become an issue in mainstream U.S. politics?
3. Do you believe women should be allowed to perform any duty or position in the military no matter the physical requirements, added stress, and danger the position entails?
Quotes:
A young soldier jumped into the gunner’s turret of an armored Humvee and took control of the menacing .50-caliber machine gun. She was 19 years old, weighed barely 100 pounds and had a blond ponytail hanging out from under her Kevlar helmet.
“This is what is different about this war,” Lt. Col. Richard Rael, commander of the 515th Corps Support Battalion, said of the scene at the time.” “Women are fighting it. Women under my command have confirmed kills. These little wisps of things are stronger than anyone could ever imagine and taking on more than most Americans could ever know.”
(Scharnberg 2005)