It's odd to think that as recently as 1979 (only a few years before my birth and well within my parents' lifetime), the language used to speak of women in the military was overwhelmingly protectionist and, at times, downright condescending. The most clear instances of this attitude were provided by Congressman G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery, a Democrat from Mississippi. One of his first contentions was the likelihood of men to neglect their duty because they would be "overly protective" of women. Later in the hearings, he pokes fun at a M. Kathleen Carpenter, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Equal Employment Opportunity. While Ms. Carpenter testified about the problem of harassment in the military, the congressman interjected, "I was just going to tease the gentlelady. I was going to ask who was harassing who in the military? It has been my experience with women, I usually get harassed" (24).
Jim Webb, a journalist and former Marine, authored a controversial article in the Washingtonian entitled, "Women Can't Fight." He asserts that the entrance of women into military academies had weakened the morale of the army and that introducing women into combat zones would all but destroy the ability of the American military to win a war. His most memorable statement is:
"The Hall, which houses 4,000 males and 300 females, is a horny woman's dream... While this is a natural human phenomenon, it gets in the way of military indoctrination, and creates a very real resentment among males due to the evolution of a double standard of discipline."
This article was referenced heavily in the subcommittee hearings on women in the military. Retired Colonel Phelps Jones calls the article "memorable" and "honest," stating that, "[Webb's] judgment of the deterioration of the plebe system and the whole sense of élan and internal morale at Annapolis is painful" (272-274). Colonel Jones continues to advise the committee to make the following statement to women entering into the Academy:
"Look, for most of you, you cannot aspire to be a general of the Army, or an admiral of the fleet, or something like this; there is a point beyond which, in total candor, we must tell you most of you can't go." (274).
The extent of the influence of Webb's article has been publicly debated since he published it. Webb (now an incumbent senator from Virginia) has been, time and time again, called to task for his condescending view of women and his controversial article may have cost him the opportunity to be Obama's vice presidential candidate in the 2008 election. Here is a clip from 2006, in which Jim Webb is asked about how his opinions have changed since he published his now infamous article:
The and general attitude and comments from 1979 could, perhaps, be attributed to our slightly less evolved social structure. It is easy to read these transcripts and feel superior to our collective former selves. In fact, I'd like to take a moment and and raise a glass to the opportunity of being a 21st century woman, living in a society which respects my dignity and abilities as both a woman and a human; a society when people like Senator Jim Webb are compelled to take back their out-dated comments in order to continue on a path of public service. It's true that we still live in an imperfect world, but the sure signs of progress can't help but leave me feeling optimistic.
What do you think? Do the unique issues that surround women in the military impact our national security or the ability of our military to function in the most effective or efficient way? How has your experience (personal or otherwise) with the military shaped your view of women's contributions? How far have we really come since 1979?
[The parenthetical citations come from: "Women in the Military Hearings before the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the Committee on Armed Services House of Representatives Ninety-Sixth Congress First and Second Sessions," November 13, 14, 15, 16, 1979 and February 11, 1980. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington: 1981.]
