History is a constantly evolving reality that is being shaped by the experiences of the present time. This is so in every aspect of our lives, and so it is with the history of women serving in the military. This video will give you some insight into how history is changing for women in the military today.
The video you will see here deals with several women soldiers who have been training with the unit that has been deployed more times than any other unit in the U.S. Army since 9/11, the 10th Mountain Division out of Ft. Drum, NY.
The women you will meet here in this video were training to be the Female Engagement Team unit for their 10th Mountain Division company that was about to be deployed to Afghanistan last March. This includes being trained in all of the elements of infantry-level warfighting. Listen to them tell about their experiences in that training, why they joined the service, and how they feel about being able to deploy with their male 10th Mountain Division unit.
In case you didn’t know, the DOD opened all combat positions to women in 2015 after long studies to determine the feasibility of doing this. While this is a huge cultural shift for the Army and military and for the American public, it is clear that women have proven themselves to be as capable on the battlefield as their male counterparts. Their desire to serve the nation in that capacity is just as sincere and purposeful. These women express that desire and speak their own minds about being able to serve and to make a clear contribution to the mission of their unit.
Yes, there are questions that people still have in their minds about women in combat, but there is no question that women want to serve fully in all of the realities of military service. In a sense, it comes down to the same realities that their male counterparts face. They have to meet the same skill levels, and, in the end, the only thing that really counts is having the right person for the job, whether that happens to be a male or a female.
Women have been proving their courage and skill in combat for several years now. Many have given their lives and many have been awarded medals of valor in combat in the post-9/11 period. The patriotic impetus is shared equally by all Americans, both men and women. And all Americans share the same rights enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. Rights are made real by their corresponding duties. Some women, just like some men, want to honor those universal rights by signing up and taking on the duties necessary to defend them by serving in our Armed Service.
Not all men can do it, and not all women can, but those few who have the dedication to duty and the courage and the ability to undertake those duties are both men and women. We can be legitimately proud of those who have those skills, and we should thank them all and take up our own duties as citizens to support them and to care for them both as active-duty servicemembers and as veterans. They are among the less than 1% of our nation who have the will to take on the role of protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States in our military services. For that reason alone, they deserve our eternal thanks.