Women Soldiers

When I started out in the Military, there were few women soldiers in the Army.  They were relegated to jobs like nurses and clerks.  The kind of jobs that the stereotypical males thought they could do.  In the field units, you seldom saw woman down range except for the days we went to the rifle ranges for annual qualification.   Only the areas regularly used had latrines.  Most of the rest of the time you went where you were and most of us had entrenching tools to dig small cat holes.  With the advent of Women's Rights, that all changed.  Life got a lot more interesting and in some ways fun.  I remember the first time I had to assign the Porta Potty detail to a young officer.  Keeping track of them became almost a full time job.

There are several women that I grew to respect for their job as soldiers.   Most of them made it all the way to Sergeant Major and rightfully so.   Jana Harrison, Becky McCrory and Sallie Easily were soldiers that did their job and did it well.  Sallie went to OCS and when she had trouble finding a field slot reverted to Warrant Officer and was a darn fine one.  I for one think it was a good idea to have women in most of the Army.

I am still a little torn over the idea of women in Special Operation Units but if they want to go there, more power to them.  It is mostly the idea that I would hate to see them in the direct line of fire.   It is bad enough to lose our young men  but the idea that we would lose the very people capable of reproducing for the next generation just leaves me with mixed feelings.

When I was a supervisor of women, one of the first things I would do is give them my "Dutch Uncle Denny" speech.  I didn't fool around and I would not let anyone pressure the soldiers to do anything they didn't want to do.  Sexual Harassment was just verboten in my sections and units. 

One day I met another old retired Warrant Officer while at Wal*Mart.  I said hi and he did stop to talk but didn't have the usual smile we shared.  He told me that he was mad at me.  I asked why.  He said that I had tried to get him fired.  I asked him how?   He said that at one time a female had accused him of sexual harassment and I had it investigated.  I had been overheard to say that he was guilty of it, he would be fired.   I asked him what he would have done if he was the supervisor and a female put a complaint in writing?    I asked him if he knew that it would have been dereliction of my duty if I had not assigned an investigating officer?  Further, what would have he done if it was found to be true?  Firing a person is the only answer I could find in my heart if it was true.  I asked him what happened as the outcome of the investigation?  It was not true and he did not get fired.  My only sin was that I shared the punishment for such an offense with another subordinate.  He then understood and we shook hands and I hope he went on his way with a better understanding of where I had come from in that ordeal.  The other sin for me was that that I would think that he would do anything as stupid as to sexually harass a female with an old curmudgeon like me as his boss.  I guess I had worked with Recruiters too long and lost my trust in people.

Oh well, move on smartly.  Or in my case as well as I can.

MUD - Leaning slightly to the right because of my back, and other reasons.