OpinionsEditorials

Recognizing gender war veterans

In January and February of 1991, the Gulf War had all of America glued to the television. Many Americans saw for the first time both male and female soldiers working together on the front lines. When it was all said and done, however, the military had to deal with some harsh realities.

According to a study done by the Tufts University Medical School, 8 percent of the 36,000 American servicewomen sent to the Persian Gulf felt they were objects of attempted or completed sexual assaults. The sexual assault was not committed by Iraqi soldiers or citizens, but their fellow servicemen.

In order to combat the abuse of women by men in the Persian Gulf and previous injustices done to women, Congress increased the Veteran’s Administration care for women veterans and those enlisted who have been sexually traumatized while on active duty.

This has led the way for many programs, including off-base counseling for women who are so traumatized that they do not want to step foot on a base. The Campus Times feels the increase in funding is an excellent administrative move by the military. Many large corporations do not support females who are abused on the job. By the military standing up for women’s rights, we hope that other corporations will follow suit.

Some persons may argue that the increase, although warranted, is not representative of the military. Why do females get special treatment? Unfortunately, the Veteran’s Administration does not treat female veterans as well as their male counterparts. The amount of medical study and funding that goes to females is far below that of males, according to the Tufts’ study. The V.A. did not begin to study women’s problems, both medical and psychological, until 1988. Likewise, it was not until Congressional hearings in 1992 that the idea of extending counseling funds for servicewomen suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome brought on by sexual abuse was considered.

Unfortunately, while the military is making waves by offering counseling for servicewomen, its policies are creating even more opportunities for sexual misconduct to occur.

The Navy instituted a new policy allowing women to participate in all aspects of active duty, including front line fighting and living on board ships. But while millions were spent on showers and separate living quarters for women, no counseling or training was provided for this radical new aspect of military life. Serviceman who had lived up to 30 years in a microcosm of society were all the leaders were male now faced the challenge of taking orders from women. Many could not handle it, but the Navy provided only for the physical and not the emotional needs of its people.

We recognize the new counseling for women to be an excellent program, but there is always room for change. The military, while being a leader in sexual harassment counseling for women, has also been the leader for sexual misconduct. Policies such as the new Navy policy does not help. Before the military starts instituting new policies, they should educate their servicemen and women on how to act while on duty. Maybe if they had done this from the beginning, the Gulf War would not have been a living nightmare for the women serving in it.

Women, both members of the military and civilians, have been the victims of widespread and shocking abuse at the hands of the military. Even before the Tailhook scandal in 1991, women in the military felt male counterparts would often prey on them for no other reason than to make them sex objects. In the Marines there still exists a tradition in which men throw a blanket over a woman in order to verbally and sometimes even sexually abuse a female soldier as a rite of initiation.

Traditions like these are an outrage. The counseling and benefits now being given to female soldiers who have been victims of such practices is hopefully just the beginning. For now, the policy stands that women who are sexually traumatized at work will receive free counseling. The traditions and order of the military need to be rethought in order to stop these injustices. However, counseling may not be needed as much as the military focusing on what it is supposed to do—protect the American way, including the rights of women willing to serve.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

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