WOMEN IN ARMS by Kathryn Merrifield

WOMEN IN ARMS by Kathryn Merrifield

The phrase refers to women in combat – the combat nurse, the prude star of M*A*S*H mocked by her colleagues and crustily loved by the only other intellectual living on the base/set but who is far more delicate. 

Year 2016 is much different. 

What we have now is the allowance for women to participate in combat to the extent that men do.  Generations have taught us that women cannot participate in war.  Perhaps it has been to offset the draft that would steal mothers away from their children. 

According to the Military Times, “At its core, the decision means that as of Jan. 2, female service members — both current and incoming recruits — will be allowed to serve in any military job for which they meet the gender-neutral performance standards and other requirements.

"They'll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars, and lead infantry soldiers into combat. They'll be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers and everything else that was previously open only to men," Carter said.

"And even more importantly, our military will be better able to harness the skills and perspectives that talented women have to offer."

Read the whole article at:  http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2015/12/03/carter-telling-military-open-all-combat-jobs-women/76720656/

This was not part of my decision.  Interesting, however, is that it is implemented at a time when the draft is an inactive component of military recruitment.  It’s also at a time when my daughter is nine years old.  I find no reason that either of us should be in combat.

Oddly, and also in the news by curious synchronicity, is this:  stories about the comfort women of World War II.  Coincidence?  I think not:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/agreement-on-comfort-women-offers-ancillary-benefit-to-us-in-asia-pacific/2016/01/09/41a03d84-b54c-11e5-a842-0feb51d1d124_story.html

“After 70 years, the Japanese and South Korean governments finally released a joint statement outlining a bilateral agreement to settle the issue of comfort women, a euphemism for girls and women forced to have sex with Japanese soldiers from the 1930s until the end of World War WII.”

This started off as an idea – to smooth out international relations or what?  It started off as a funny riff on timing, something to joke about.*  Such a thing could make life easier for both male soldiers and women soldiers.  It could ruin marriages by providing for real relationships between men and women.  American soldiers too are charged with such international sexual abuses.  But perhaps allowing for both men and women to serve would block the necessity of the draft because ranks would be voluntarily filled drawing on both gender populations.

But when I I read more into it, learning that 200,000 women had been forced into slavery from 1930 to the end of World War II, raped and abused so that most could not live normal lives due to debilitating physical and emotional scars, the topic became less a funny riff on timing and moreso a statement as to how humane women are treated here in the US, despite repeated inhuman acts of brutality. And still there are acts of brutality despite American humanity – there are always exceptions and none go unnoticed.

Perhaps it’s a story of treating badly the people you love.  Treating badly your own for the greater good of a good face to the rest of the world, those you care less about – need to prove yourself to some other land, not your own.  Maybe it’s simply an act of war – brutalizing some for the sake of many.  Rape though?  Sexual slavery?

It happens here too.

Men were off for a rape event just this last weekend until everyone found out.  And when everyone found out… well, no rape event.

Maybe people just need to find out about these things.  Maybe everyone needs to be a hall monitor and bitch out just one person.  I don’t know if that’s capitalism or democracy or just crazy.  But it worked. 

Friends find out about each other and they stop anyone who will do them harm.

So in every good deed you’ve made a friend.  And friends are salve.

So, there’s that…

And there are friends who actually do this “tattle-taling” full-time because there are so many girls out there without rights or resources to have another life. 

Women who protect girls and women are my friends that I’m proud to have in my life. Women who build each other up amid whatever war is waged against them or around them.  These are the best of friends.

The same ones who just may understand why you’d also fight with such a decision based on open water swimming and the reason that you come to one day as to why you’ve decided that you will never open water swim with women again, because you’re afraid of blood sniffing sharks and how such sharks can be compared to ISIS and both make you afraid of anything that can sniff out a lady in heat.  Does that sound too disrespectful?  Will heavy artillery also provide tampon dispensers?  And, given the flawed design of tampons that come with plastic applicators with teeth (the way I came to the conclusion about open water swim company), I’m not sure I like the idea about women in war.  Maybe if the same people who invent astronaut food will also invent better tampon applicators and in theater feminine hygiene product dispensers, that may work. 

Either way, this isn’t an ad for friends but a case of mind wrapping in on itself on a Saturday morning – also to be called, “Operation Fuck That.”

I’ll always have my cat, “Tink.” 

(*This is what happens when I wake up at 3am EVERY MID-WINTER and try to organize m thoughts around being a better friend.)