Veteran's Day

I figured it was about time I start posting more frequently than once a month, so here's a little Veteran's Day post, all about: Women in the Armed Forces. Yes, there are women in the Armed Forces, so stop asking me, when I wear a Navy T-shirt to school, if my uncle or brother or father served.

Veterans are brave, they're tough, they're patriotic, they love their country. They deserve respect and gratitude, and better treatment than they get. They have earned the right to sit back in retired bliss, sleep in, drink beer, and watch TV all day if they feel like it (at least, I imagine that's what I'll be doing years from now, when I'm all done with four A.M. wake-up calls and drill instructors.) I don't care that a lot of them were drafted, or that a lot of them just signed up because they wanted the military to pay for their college or they jsut needed a job. They still served, and that's a lost more than millions of Americans can say.

Now, how in the hell does that have anything to do with feminism?

You read the news articles from today, and you see servicemen hugging their relatives, saluting the flag, leading ceremonies all across America. The women? You see them in the background, smiling at their husbands. the captions of their photos say "A veteran's wife applauds in such and such city..." A veteran's wife. A veteran's sister, or niece, or cousin. 'Scuse me? Where the fuck are the ladies?

But, wait! you say. Veterans' Day is for celebrating the veterans of WWI and WWII, right?

Get your history right, ladies and gentlemen.

Woodrow Wilson, waaaay back in 1919, declared Nov. 11th to be Armistice Day, when Americans would remember WWI veterans. But then came 1954. After both WWII and the Korean War, Armistice Day became a day to commemmorate ALL American veterans of ALL wars.

So, where are the ladies? We're honoring all vets, right? Women today make up about 14% of America's military, and about fifteen percent of the reserve and guard. So why aren't we seeing them in the headlines? Why are women background photos, supporting roles to husbands and sons, or only present when someone adds "and women" to "servicemen." Why are women an afterthought? I know it's not because we're quiet and easily forgotten. It's simply because people still aren't quite used to the concept of "women" and "military" in the same sentence. It just seems odd to a lot of people. I heard on NPR in the car a story from a woman who said she'd earned a Purple Heart. People would see her Purple Heart license plate, though, and jump straight to the "obvious" line of reasoning: "Oh, did your husband serve?"

The defense to this is obvious. "Well, most people are honoring the older veterans, you know, the ones from WWI and the Korean War and such. Women weren't allowed to serve then!" (not that I heard this from several people at school today or anything). Well, that makes it all better, then, you're not being sexist, you're just ignoring millions of people's contributions to their country! Carry on!

Shut the fuck up, folks. Women have served in militaries for thousands of years, and in America, they've been serving since before this country was even a country. If you would direct your attention here for a moment, and over here, and over here, hither and maybe a little bit of yonder... Why, looky there! Women! Serving! Since the freaking seventeen hundreds, folks! And those are the ones who've served openly. The number of women who disguised themselves as men and fought can't even be estimated.

I'll save the "Sexism in the Military" bit for another day; that's not the point today. The point is, don't forget the chicks. 'Cause they know how to use guns.

Happy Veteran's Day!