The images of women prisoners of war have been of particular interest to the American public during the conflict with Iraq. Private Jessica Lynch’s story has been followed nearly as closely as were the opening blasts of fire seen over Baghdad in mid-March. Her story, like those of many POWs, is certainly a harrowing one, and it has brought about more discussion of women’s roles in combat.
According to The Washington Post’s recent report, more than 200,000 women serve in the United States armed forces. Women in the military are no longer anomalies. So how is it that the U.S. military has such trouble treating women equally in all situations?
The current scandal at the United States Air Force Academy has revealed that, within its own ranks, the U.S. military has mishandled reports of sexual assaults. This is an example of how the military is still acclimating as a coeducational, unbiased work place.
War is not a man’s game, but rather a human affliction. All people can be affected by war, though sometimes it’s easy to focus on “our boys” overseas, and forget the faceless “women and children” casualties that are mentioned in news briefs. The truth is, however, that all people are at risk whenever war is waged. The reason why many men and women join our military is to make the world a safer place for humankind. To tell a woman that she cannot fight alongside her male counterparts, in order to risk her own life equally beside his, compromises her equality. This is why it was a victory in 1994 when President Bill Clinton repealed the “risk rule,” which had placed women in less dangerous positions than men on the battlefield.
Others argue that men will make extra efforts to protect women on the battlefield. As long as women are encouraged to stay a little bit behind the danger zone, to not exert themselves too much and to hide in the protective shadow of a man, women will remain oppressed. Our culture should not claim that women are being treated equally until they are given equal opportunities with men to work, live and die.
Some argue, still, that women weigh men down in the battlefield. A woman might not have the strength to pump as much iron as a man, but if she’s in the military, she can carry her own weight. It’s the military’s job to treat all of its soldiers equally, and if a male soldier doesn’t have the sense to step aside and let his female counterpart fight with all her heart’s desire, he is cheating our country with his patronizing behavior.
Women POWs being sexually assaulted is one of the main concerns that is frequently addressed by critics. Certainly, some would say, rape is far more atrocious than virtually any other form of torture. Not to underestimate the impact of a sexual assault on a woman (or a man, for that matter), but the level of violence that accompanies a rape may also unleash itself on a man with equal force, if not consequence, in some form or another. Torture of prisoners of war is one of the sickening realities that only resurface in harrowing memoirs (a la John McCain), occasional court cases and murmurs in the media. It is real, and the citizens of the United States ought to quit dwelling on the tedium of “what might happen” and take a look at what does happen.
It is true, unfortunately, that even women in the armed forces don’t always consider the risk of being raped, either by the enemy or a fellow soldier. Women in the armed forces certainly should be made aware of this risk, and empowered to prevent and stop it.
In our culture, it is easy to invoke arguments about rape to support several different platforms–but infrequently is the platform about ending rape itself. Many women walk down dark streets of America alone at night because it is their right and (some would say) duty to do so. They know that it is a possibility that they could be mugged or raped. In war, where women enter combat, there is certainly the potential for her to be imprisoned, and very likely, if she is, she will be raped. Is this a reason not to walk down a street?
The culture of fear strikes again, as women are told to stay far away from enemy lines, because they are targets for sexual assault. Isn’t a world safe from sexual assault at least partially what we should be fighting for? Why exclude women from this task of liberation, when it is equally theirs. Let’s fight for a world not only free from Saddam, but a world where a woman can walk down a dark street at night without fear.
Women in the military should expect to be treated equally, both in and out of combat; in fact, they should demand it. Time and time again, the argument that “women just can’t do certain things” has been discarded with the passing of time and the wisdom of persevering women and men.
Krissy Claes is a junior studying English.
