Serving Country Not a Gender Issue

I agreed recently to meet with a Times reporter to discuss my plans for attending the dedication of a memorial honoring Women in the Military Service for America at Arlington National Cemetery on Oct. 18. I also supplied names of others attending, as requested.

On the date of our interview, I sensed trouble ahead when grumbling began as we came together before the reporter arrived.

As it turned out, we heard in one afternoon more griping, rancorous complaints, sour grapes and charges of discrimination than I heard in 32 months in the Marine Corps. Most objectionable were several comments degrading the moral integrity of women in the military.

Topping it all off was the statement, “All mothers were embarrassed when their daughters went into the military.”

My mother, had she lived, would have been outraged by that remark, as was I. But this was not the proper time to debate the matter nor lose one’s temper. It was a time to sit back, listen and take long mental notes for use at a more strategic time.

That time is now.

The spectacular dedication has now come and gone and was covered on the front pages of newspapers across the nation. At times it seemed incongruous that I could find myself at such an event. I had never, ever expected any recognition of any kind for doing what I considered my duty to defend my country.

My personal view is that life at its best is not without problems, and that those encountered by women in the military are not that much different or more difficult than those encountered by civilian women. In time of war, neither role was a bed of roses.

Along with many other men and women, I simply felt that “we saw what needed to be done--and we did it,” and as the war ended, we turned our efforts toward our families, finding jobs, returning to school, generally hoping to pick up where we had left off.

I have always appreciated the training I received in the Marine Corps, where the standards of faith, loyalty and allegiance to our country and the corps were considered essential to the character of its men and women.

On Oct. 18, after a full day of star-spangled programs, pageantry and eloquent speeches, it was the words of one speaker that stood out from the rest. The speaker was Frieda Greene Hardin, age 102, a Navy veteran of World War I, who had served in the Navy before women were allowed to vote! Her urging young women considering joining the military to “Go for it,” especially at this time, certainly caught my attention.

Omitting any mention of recent improper conduct charges made by military women, she went on to indicate a clear understanding of the value of women in the military, the need for leadership and the rich rewards for those who took her advice. Quite a contrast to the remarks reported after our local interviews.

Comparing today’s culture with that of 50 years ago, when we were a nation united in purpose with families intact, strong and stable, we find many changes. Today’s problems, such as integrating women into the military, are difficult and complex. But they are not unsolvable. With good faith, mutual respect, education, public support and patience, we can do it. We must, because the love of country, freedom, justice and democracy knows no gender.