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Customer Reviews (11)

Women in the Line of Fire
Good book on womens roll in military history. Book arrived sooner then expected and was well packaged. Book in very good condition.Recommend the book and seller.

The First Book I've Ever Returned to Amazon
I was really hoping to enjoy this book. As a disabled combat veteran (female) who served in Iraq for the first year of the war, I've experienced firsthand the tribulations and triumphs of women in combat. After Kayla Williams' "Love my Rifle More than You", I was hoping that a professional journalist could offer a more mature and well-reasoned overview of women in the military. I'll let you know when I find such a professional, as Solaro is certainly not one.

To be honest, I never finished reading the whole book. In fact, I could only stomach about 25 pages of the pompous, bombastic nonsense and ended up quickly skimming the rest before returning the book to Amazon. The author's conclusions were not supported by her data (what little there was), and checking her primary sources revealed that she frequently distorted, misinterpreted, or just plain invented new information. Unfortunately, I don't have the book for specific examples.

What I found especially annoying was the attitude that women are by nature saints being sullied by the evil men around them, who just want to harass and assault them. Far from empowering female soldiers, this attitude is counterproductive and leads to bias in interpreting data.

Finally, Solaro's public behavior here on Amazon has been the antithesis of professional. Attacking negative reviewers with insults suggesting they cannot read, reviewing her partner's book without revealing her relationship to him, and attacking people who use a pen name as "cowards" is behavior that would strike her off my list even were her books worth reading.

A view from inside the foxhole
I was thoroughly intrigued with the book "Women in the Line of Fire."It
made me think hard about my experience and how it fit into the grand
scheme.

I am a lieutenant colonel in the Army on my second combat tour to
Iraq in the last 16 months.I'm a mother and a wife (to another Army
officer and combat vet) and can tell you that all of those things I
bring as a women to the table only enhance my leadership skills not
detract from them.I really related to the many things you spoke of
in the book.I will have 19 years in "this man's Army" this June and
it's been one wild ride.From the cat calls and inappropriate comments
made to me as a young lieutenant, to briefing 3-and 4-star generals
today, I have seen my Army make strides towards a more perfect union
where both genders no only co-exist but thrive.Few understand that
while we do make up 15% of the force, there are still many who do not
like the fact that we are here at all.It also frustrates these few
uneducated "neocons" as Erin refers to them, that with even greater
veracity we are rising to ranks that can actually influences things on
a strategic scale.

I really appreciate that Erin really stuck to the essence of what's
at stake here.The discussion about women in combat is really OBE.
We are here, we've been here, and we make a remarkable and valuable
part of the combined arms team.Bullets, IEDs, and mortars don't have
gender discriminators built in.

Yes, there are neanderthals that believe we shouldn't be in combat but
the nature of warfare as we have seen in this current conflict is
anything but linear.While many senior leaders believe after we get
done with this war we need to get back to basics (the old
force-on-force pitched battle stuff), I would have to disagree I think
future wars will be as unpredictable and chaotic as this one is and
will require our best and brightest minds (male AND female) to develop
new and inventive ways of sustaining peace in our time.

I have spent the better part of my career as Soldier and leader
proving I should be at the table.And every time I PCS (though less
in recent years because a good rep can go a long way) there are some
that I must re-prove my relevancy to in each new assignment.For the
most part though as soon as my counterparts see that a) I am not
afraid to break a nail; b) can outrun most of them; and c) have just
as agile and competent a military mind as them, I am embraced and
employed just as vigorously as my male counterparts.

But what we could learn better as a force is that the cookie cutter
Airborne Ranger mentality is not the only validation criteria for a
good military leader.Women bring just as many relational skills to
the table that can give this organization depth and staying power.
It's just different and squishy and some men are uncomfortable with
that.

Many of my female peers and I are on a crusade to show what we call
"the softer side of Sears" (stolen from the Sears jingle) is actually
an asset to a fighting force.We have to get past the Spartan
definition of strong.I have watched my male Soldiers cry just as
much as my female.You cut us, we all bleed.We need to be reminded
often that there is no shame in being human.Pain is the body's way
of telling you, you are still alive (borrowed from Clint Eastwood's
"Heartbreak Ridge").

Anyway, I applaud Erin's efforts to bring attention to the inequities
that still exist for women and I promise you there are many of us X
dominant chromosome warriors who work daily to authenticate that
hypothesis that we are here and here to stay.

Women in the Line of Fire Review
I really enjoyed reading this book. I recommend it to everyone.I did not go to the Middle East so I like to keep informed about what is happening with the troops over there and other various duty assignments.

A Book Both Political and Military
Women in the Line of Fire is as much a political as a military book. This isn't meant to be derogatory, it's just a statement of fact. Erin Solaro argues for the full integrationof women into every branch of the military, including ground combat arms. Others have argued for this in the past, indeed the role of women in the military has been controversial for a very long time. What makes this book unusual is that Ms Solaro actually finds something new to say on the topic.

Many feminists have argued for integrating women into combat arms for reasons that don't bear a moment's serious examination. In some cases they argue that women, by being excluded from combat arms are denied career opportunities, or in some cases they obviously hope that full integration of women into the military will make it less, well...military. Ms Solaro recognizes these sorts of arguments for the nonsense they are. Unlike many far too many feminists, Ms Solaro genuinely cares about the nation's defense and the military as a whole, she doesn't simply view servicewomen as some sort of aggrieved minority group.

Women in the Line of Fire includes a history of the women in combat issue, including how the Pentagon began, after Vietnam, to integrate women into critically important positions which, although technically not combat positions, put women at serious risk in the event of war, without considering where it all could lead. She also shows how present policy has evolved into a kind of officially approved charade, with the Pentagon seeking to deploy women alongside small infantry units at the sharp end while officially denying boththat it does so, and that this is the result of harsh military necessity.

Solaro argues that women, as citizens, should be considered part of the organized militia, and she favors a kind of universal military service that would include women in all ranks. Here is where the book is as much political as military, both because the decision about who may serve in what capacity is ultimately political, and because her notion of militia service is part of a larger political program that she calls an "enabling civic triad". This includes education, gainful employment, and taking part in the nation's defense as key components of citizenship. Ms Solaro calls her ideas "civic feminism".

Not everyone will agree with Erin Solaro's ideas about women in the military, or civic feminism. Some will object to her politics, others to the inclusion of politics in a book arguing what military policy should be. The debate is no longer over whether or not women will serve in combat. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have settled that. Solaro's arguments are original, interesting, and rooted in a genuine belief that America is worth defending, and that all its citizens have a role to play in its defense. ... Read more

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"The first comprehensive historical survey of women in the American armed forces....Eloquent, inspiring and richly informative." --Publishers Weekly ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Truly wonderful book.
I'm going to keep this short:

I read this book when I was 16 years old and it changed my life and the way that I saw myself. I am forever grateful that this book was written and that I found it.

This book has many facts in it that it appears that many are still unable to accept. It's sad, considering our long history in the military and the number of times that we've proven ourselves that so many still think us incapable.

If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it.

Feminist nonsense
This liberal tirade recounts the slow and insidious inroads made by radical feminism into our nation's military.As someone who has served in the military, I can personally testify to the damage women have caused by serving in combat-related positions.Unprecedented levels of divorce and adultery are two sad results of women working in a close environment with men under intense conditions.The author clearly has an immoral value system that places no regard for the families that have been ruined by mothers sent overseas, emasculated husbands, and the adultery/divorce that skyrocketed after women entered the service.Conservatives should save their money and read the much better book on the subject by Stephanie Gutmann, "A Kinder, Gentler, Military".

From a Air Force Airmans point of view.
I first purchased this book when I was serving in the Air Force overseas. I found it to be a clear and accurate account of what it is like to be a woman in the military. I was profoundly grateful that I was serving in a time where it was mainly whether or not I had the physical and mental qualifications to perform the job I was doing. I was (and in some ways still are) a avionics specialist, a job where I had to be tops in electronics yets still be able to lift avionics parts that weighed over 50 lbs over my head. I salute the women that came before me, paving the way, making advances so that I would consider it a matter of fact that I would be judged by my learned behaviors and not my sex. I think that if someone can do the job, physically and mentally, it should be allowed to them. It is sad to say that I still encountered those "women should be at home and not mucking about" in and out of the military but they did not bother me much, I set them straight using info from this book and my own personal experiance. This is a must read for any woman who wants to experiance our lives and way to push for true equality, judged only on capability and not blind religious dogma. Thank you General Holm (Ret.).

Women in the Military is Comprehensive and an Easy Read!
As the title of my review indicates, this book was extremely thorough inits history of women in the military.It recounts the evolution of womenserving in the military as early as the Civil War (by disquising themselvesas men); through the World Wars, where women became increasingly recognizedas a crucial asset, serving as aviators and nearly every other specialtyoutside of direct combat.The book continues through the 1960s and 1970sas legislation made women a permanent component of the US Armed Forces andconcludes with the most recent demonstration of "womanpower" inthe Persian Gulf.Throughout the book Maj Gen (ret) Holm offers first handexperience and detailed facts and statistics of this difficult and excitingevolution. This combination makes it an enjoyable book, reading more like anovel than a history book.This is a history not often retold, butcritical to understanding "Women in the Military." ... Read more

Product Description
"Looks at how women in the armed forces deal with perceived conflicts between femininity and being a good soldier through active strategies that accentuate or play down perceptions of masculinityand femininity. . . . Goes a long way toward showing how this distorting pressure impedesthe true integration of women and men."
--Choice

"Working with interview data and with 285 surveys completed by veterans andactive-duty personnel, Herbert shows how military women often adjust their language, dress, hairstyles, comportment, activities, and other characteristics in an effort to shape how they are perceived."
--The Chronicle of Higher EducationDrawing on surveys and interviews with almost 300 female military personnel, Melissa Herbert explores how women's everyday actions, such as choice of uniform, hobby, or social activity, involve the creation and re-creation of what it means to be a woman, and particularly a woman soldier.Do women feel pressured to be "more masculine," to convey that they are not a threat to men's jobs or status and to avoid being perceived as lesbians? She also examines the role of gender and sexuality in the maintenance of the male-defined military institution, proposing that, more than sexual harassment or individual discrimination, it is the military's masculine ideology--which views military service as the domain of men and as a mechanism for the achievement of manhood--which serves to limit women's participation in the military has increased dramatically.In the wake of armed conflict involving female military personnel and several sexual misconduct scandals, much attention has focused on what life is like for women in the armed services.Few, however, have examined how these women negotiate an environment that has been structured and defined as masculine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A revelation!
I purchased this book a couple of years after leaving the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army.Being a female in the 82nd was one of the most difficult, yet rewarding experiences of my life; the comradery that many think are characteristic of the military just isn't there for female soldiers.This book helped me understand my own thoughts a lot better and put some personal conflicts in my love/hate relationship with the boy's club of the military to rest.Thanks for writing this book...It is so on the money!!! ... Read more

Product Description
This book is about the women who serve the military as wives and those who serve as soldiers, sailors, and flyers. Comparing wives and warriors in the U.S. and Canada, it examines how the military in both countries constructs gender to exclude women from being respected as equals to men. Written by a wide range of scholars and military personnel, the book covers such contemporary issues as the opening of military academies to women, the opening of combat posts to women, the experience of being a wife in the two-person career of an officer-husband, sexual harassment, turnover of women in the armed services, and U.S. and Canadian policies allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military. Part of an emerging feminist scholarship in eilitary studies, this work also explores how gender has been constructed to maintain the status quo and women's narrowly defined roles as the dependent helpmates of men. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Count on Us: American Women in the Military
Another outstanding book on the history of women in the military.Book is in excellent shape and arrived quickly.Great seller that I would highly recommend. Thank You.

Count on Us
A very well written and illustrated story describing the significance of womens' contributions to the military services throughout the history of our country. ... Read more

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This is the first comparative, cross-national study of the participation of women in the armed forces of NATO countries. Along side an analysis of this key topic stands a critique of existing theoretical models and the proposal of a revised analytical framework.

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Following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s declaration of war on Japan, the U.S. War Department allowed up to five hundred second-generation, or "Nisei," Japanese American women to enlist in the Women’s Army Corps and, in smaller numbers, in the Army Medical Corps.

Through in-depth interviews with surviving Nisei women who served, Brenda L. Moore provides fascinating firsthand accounts of their experiences. Interested primarily in shedding light on the experiences of Nisei women during the war, the author argues for the relevance of these experiences to larger questions of American race relations and views on gender and their intersections, particularly in the country’s highly charged wartime atmosphere. Uncovering a page in American history that has been obscured, Moore adds nuance to our understanding of the situation of Japanese Americans during the war. ... Read more

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The debate about the role of women in war, violent conflict and the military is not only a long and ongoing one; it is also a heated and controversial one. The contributions to this anthology come from experts in the field who approach the topic from various angles thus offering different and, at times, diverging perspectives. The reader will therefore gain in-depth insight into the most importat aspects and positions in the debate. ... Read more

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From today's sex-scandal headlines to tomorrow's battlefield disaters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

Very informative book
It takes a great deal of courage to address such a politically sensitive issue as Women in the Military, but that is exactly what Brian Mitchell does in this book.

In it he narrates, among other things, the true story behind the sensational Tailhook Scandal and how Paula Coughlin was anything but innocent. And also the tragic death of Kara Hultgreen (the first women F-14 Pilot) which could have been prevented if those in charge would have just recognized her inability to safely handle such an aircraft.

The most frustrating part of the book are the stories of some good men who were pure and simply sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. Men such as Maj. Jeffrey Ecker, a Top Gun Navy flight instructor, who was "removed from flight status and reassigned to nonexistent maintenance jobs," merely because he told the truth about the poor flight performance of one Jacquelyn S. Parker; a performance so pathetic that she nearly got herself killed.

Even more appalling was the story of Admiral Stan Arthur. In spite of the fact that he had flown over 500 combat missions in Vietnam and "commanded the largest naval armada since World War II", during the Gulf War, he was forced into early retirement. Why? Because he simply "approved a report upholding a decision to wash out a female officer (Rebecca Hansen) from flight school."

This is an excellent book for those wanting to know the disastrous consequences of allowing women in the military.
Norman Fulkerson
Author An American Knight: The Life of Colonel John W. Ripley, USMC

Women in the Military: Flirting with Disaster
Good book, but many things stated in the book have been proving in correct.Women are doing the job that the author felt they couldn't do. Book arrived in great shape and within the stated time period.I would recommend the book and seller. Just another view on military women in combat. Thank You.

The Whole Truth
Brian Mitchell knows his subject.He's an Airborne Ranger qualified Infantry officer, which is something that none of the detractors on here can say.When I read this book, I was a young man headed off to West Point.I had vague notions about women in the military and was not in favor of women serving in combat.But I felt that the government couldn't restrict women's access to public institutions (this was just after the Citadel and VMI were forcibly opened).This book exploded those notions in my mind and drastically changed how I viewed the feminization of our Armed Forces.My subsequent experiences as a cadet and as an officer in both all-male and mixed gender units (in combat in Iraq and in garrison) underscored the basic truths of this book.All-male units are superior in every way to mixed gender units, which are absolute disasters of sexual tension and misconduct, poor discipline and wretched physical fitness.Many of us also mourn the loss of the great honor and traditions that were destroyed at the nation's Service Academies, leaving them a politically correct farce far from their glorious past.

Mitchell's book is a bit dated now.Many of his vignettes from the 1970's - 1980's are long forgotten or footnotes to the fact that women are serving overseas in the War on Terror.Regardless, this is an excellent primer for someone wanting the non-politically correct truth of how 35 years of feminist policies have had ruinous and pernicious effects on the military's cohesion, fitness, morale and readiness.

factual errors abound
The majority of the arguments presented by the author, while backed up by statistics and numbers in the text, are skewed to represent the authors opinion.the author writes about womens motivations, not based upon interviews with women in service, but based on his own opinion.

Two Thumbs Down
Disguised as a scholarly effort, this book reeks of chauvinism. Mitchell distorts the truth (something he ironically accuses feminists of doing) and makes claims for which he has no basis. For a more accurate look at women's role in the military, see D'Ann Campbell's "Combating the Gender Gulf" (about women's military service in the first Gulf War) or Judith Hick's Stiehm's Arms and the Enlisted Woman. Both works bring to light the complexity of women's roles in the military and give a much more balanced assessment of their history and future in the Armed Forces. ... Read more

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Foreword by Gordon R. Sullivan, General, U.S. Army (Ret); President, Association of the United States Army. Introduction by Wilma L. Vaught, Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force (Ret) President, Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation

From the legendary Molly Pitcher, who loaded cannons during the American Revolution, to Rhonda Cornum, an army doctor held prisoner of war during Operation Desert Storm, millions of American women have served beside men on the world's battlefields. Women have fired muskets and Scud missiles, and they've performed countless vital tasks in all branches of the armed forces. There are some 1.5 million women veterans alive today, and 333,000 women currently serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.

A powerful collection of poignant, rarely seen photographs and personal narratives, Side-By-Side pays long-awaited tribute to the strength and courage of women in military service-and, in doing so, offers a fresh perspective on American history. Thanks to the author, readers gain unprecedented access to the archives of The Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, along with numerous public and private repositories. The text draws on hundred of personal interviews and historical journal entries, allowing many women's stories to be told in their own words.

Vickie Lewis is an award-winning, Pulitzer-Prize-nominated documentary photographer whose work has appeared in such publications as People, The New York Times, National Geographic World, and Washington Post Magazine. She has won awards from, among others, the National Press Photographers Association, University of Missouri, and the Society of Newspaper Design. ... Read more

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An American girl left college to join the Women's Army Corps during WWII, and volunteered for postwar duty in Japan. Sixty years later she shares that historic period of her life, 1946 to 1948, through her personal letters, journals and photographs from a country just beginning its recovery from war. This is an engaging account of an American WAC, at work and at play, coping with the U.S. Army, marveling at Japan's people, cultures and customs, lamenting the destruction and despair of war, and falling deeply in love with the soldier she would later marry. From Japan With Love is a personal and historical treasure, a story of East meets West, rich with details and striking, evocative images. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Lots of photos and facts!
Starting with Mary (Kiddie) Ruggieri's departure from Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg, California she takes the reader on a journey across the ocean to Japan shortly after World War II and back home again. She wrote about her onboard quarters and activities on her ocean voyage as well as the family she left behind.

As a member of the 8000th WAC Detachment that arrived in Japan in October 1946, Mary saw a whole new world open to her eyes. Having a penchant for photography she certainly used her hobby to intertwine her storyline in this book. She wrote of her first sight of the Japanese people and the land that would be her home for the following months. She provided descriptions of the women's quarters compared to where the men were living and to where other WACs were living within the country itself.

From a non-travelers point of view this was a very interesting book. It included more than 485 photos and facts that accompanied each segment of the author's journals, letters and memories. Mary brought her photos to life with her entries. She wrote about the soldier she met and fell in love with along with the things they did for fun. But I was still amazed at how much sight-seeing time she seemed to have while in Japan. I was also surprised to read about and see photos of Nagasaki since Mary was there just a couple of years after the USA had dropped an atomic bomb on it.

Throughout this book Mary takes the reader to places most of us have only read about or never heard of before this. She introduces the reader to the sights, sounds and smells of Japan following the war. When her time was finally up Mary returned to the USA aboard another ship. Again she wrote of the activities aboard the ship. She was a very happy woman once she stepped foot on US soil in May 1948.

This book is well worth reading.

Offering a fascinating, informative, personal, and unique perspective of live in post-war Japan
Offering a fascinating, informative, personal, and unique perspective of live in post-war Japan through excerpts from the letters, journals and photographs of Mary A. Ruggieri, an American college girl stationed in Japan from 1946 to 1948 as a member of Women's Army Corps as part of the American military post-war occupation , "From Japan With Love" takes the reader from an army hut encampment to some of Japan's most memorable shrines and august temples. Ruggieri writes eloquently of the Japanese people and culture, her falling in love with Japan, as well as meeting the American soldier who would become her husband. Remarkable for her articulate eyewitness account which is peppered throughout with her black-and-white photography, "From Japan With Love" is as engaging as it is informed, making it very highly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in the post-war Japan reformation, mid-twentieth century Japanese culture, and the transition of Japan from a defeated nation to its nescient emergence as a western style democracy..

Transports you back to post-war Japan
Reviewed by Kam Aures for Rebeccas Reads (3/08)

"From Japan With Love" is a wonderful memoir illustrating what life was like in Post-War Japan through the eyes of Mary Ruggieri, a member of the Women's Army Corps (WAC).The story of the era is told through a composition of journal entries, personal letters to friends and family, and photographs.Throughout the book there are also boxes explaining some of the historical figures, places and events of the time period.

Tech sergeant Ruggieri's journey began in October of 1946 when she boarded the Army Transport Admiral Sims headed for Yokohama, Japan. The luxury of the trip with "maid service and swell meals" was a far cry from what was to await her and her shipmates when they arrived in the distant land.When they pulled into the harbor they saw the destruction and devastation that the country had suffered at the hands of war in the form of sunken ships and the impoverished manner in which the native people were dressed.Their living quarters for their occupation in Japan were Quonset huts which were void of any luxuries.Each woman had `8'9' of space into which to place a cot, a foot locker, and a wall locker."While the accommodations were less than welcoming, the American GIs that were stationed there made up for it by treating the women like royalty with barrages of parties and assistance.One of these GI's the author became especially fond of and started dating.

Ruggieri's time spent in Japan was definitely not all work.On the weekends she had the opportunity to take some incredible trips and see some amazing sights. While the travel to and from these destinations was not always the most pleasant journey, the experiences that she had more than made up for any hardships along the way.The book contains over 400 photographs which definitely enhance the story that she tells.There are pictures of the Quonset huts, Japanese people, the hotels they stayed at on their trips, Mount Fuji, and plenty of the author herself and other members of the WAC.Even though Ruggieri is very skilled at writing descriptive passages, the multitudes of pictures really provide you with a complete picture of everything that happened.

To have saved all of these letters, journals and pictures from over sixty-years ago and to be able to compile them to create a book as complete as "From Japan With Love" is incredible.The memoir is well-written, thought-provoking, and insightful. Her writing is so descriptive that you truly feel like you are there with her and her humor and straightforwardness will definitely keep you entertained. "From Japan With Love" is an excellent book and I highly recommend it!

A Delightful Reminiscence Of Post-War Japan
This is a warm, rich, charming, evocative, and often humorous memoir of life and love in post-war Japan, with many rare photos of the era (certainly including the photo of the bridge from Takeishima Island, page 118), which makes this tapestry of reminiscence such a uniquely delightful and easy read.

The "Rules Of The Road" posted in the Central Tokyo Police Station, in 1947, are hilarious.

The letters written by the author are sometimes poignant ("Never do I forget how wondrously fortunate I am to have you. . ."), sometimes funny ("My interview consisted of a major asking me how much clerical work I had done, and my telling him that I did very little and didn't like it, so of course I got a clerical job..."), but always fun and insightful.

It is a wonderful book.

... Read more

Product Description
The role, status, and treatment of women is one of the major issues confronting the military today. This volume provides a range of perspectives on the magnitude of concerns, the sources of problems, how issues might best be addressed, and the future for women in the armed services. It is based on a special issue of the journal Gender Issues, supplemented with additional contributions from leading scholars.

Historical and theoretical perspectives are provided by Lorry M. Fenner and Jean Bethke Elshtain. Fenner focuses on the role of women in the military since 1940, and argues for broader inclusion of women as well as other groups that have previously been restricted from full participation. Elshtain analyzes the extraordinary ability of war to draw both women and men into civic life, and observes how it calls forth and establishes a sense of particular identity for both men and women.

Critical views are provided by other scholars. Laura L. Miller examines the feminist movement's insistence on full participation in combat units. Former Army chaplain Marie deYoung provides qualitative and quantitative data on military readiness and unit cohesion in mixed gender units. Leading military scholars (Mady W. Segal, David R. Segal, Jerald G. Bachman, Peter Freedman-Doan, and Patrick M. O'Malley) review national surveys comparing male and female high school seniors' responses to surveys conducted on questions about their propensity to enlist. Male-female differences are also addressed by Judith Hicks Steihm, who looks at the opinions each group has about the capabilities and performance of women. She finds differences by rank on questions as to how hard female soldiers work as compared to male soldiers and whether women are ready for combat duty.

Historically, the military has provided minorities equal opportunity. Brenda L. Moore and Schulyler C. Webb examine whether or not this is still perceived to be the case in today's Navy. They focus on different perceptions by women and men, and by African American women in particular. Finally, William O'Neill examines whether the post-cold war downsized military will find women soldiers more or less important. Drawing upon social science research, historical data, and contemporary opinion surveys, Women in the Military is a cutting-edge assessment of a major gender issue in the United States. It will be valuable to researchers in women's studies, as well as those teaching courses in sociology, history, and military studies. ... Read more

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This anthology series covers today's most current national and international issues and contains the most important opinions of the past and present. The purpose of the series is to introduce the reader to all sides of contemporary controversies in an objective and comprehensive way. Each anthology is composed of a wide spectrum of primary sources written by many of the foremost authorities in their respective fields; the authors represent leading conservative, liberal, and centrist views. This unique approach provides students with a concise view of divergent opinions on each topic. Extensive book and periodical bibliographies and a list of organizations to contact are also included. The Current Controversies series will prove invaluable to libraries and classrooms in need of young adult materials on today's leading issues and controversies. (20040901) ... Read more

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A variety of women in the military services discuss such issues as enlistment, standards, job opportunities, promotion potential, sexual harassment, family life, working with male colleagues, and combat roles for women. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

women in the military
The book Women in the Military by Sandra Carson Stanley is about all the opportunities in the military for women. This book lists many facts about the past such as the rules and regulations for women in the past and how women had to dress as guys to be able to fight. The also discuss the many changes in the military for women threw history such as the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA).this act allowed women to be able to be promoted into higher offices then before and was one of the first acts past that opened up opportunities for women.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in joining any branch of the military. Also anyone who is interested in the changes for women in the military. This book was very interesting but some parts of the books seemed boring and hard to get threw because they list fact after fact. But I did like the interviews with the women in the military today and the ones from the past. this book relates to English because some soldiers questioned if the should go to war or not and leave there family and in the book Inherit the Wind the character Rachel was wondering if she should leave her father or not .Over all I felt like this was an interesting book and helped me a lot because I want to join the marines and it showed me the opportunities women have now compared to the past.
... Read more

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Close to 90 percent of military jobs are now open to the nearly 200,000 women-16 percent of total U.S. military personnel-who currently serve in the armed forces. Women are still forbidden from serving in direct combat units.Whether this last remaining barrier to women's military service should be removed is one of several issues debated and discussed in this anthology. (20020801) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A work of military oral history that spans generations
"My Country, My Right to Serve: Experiences of Gay Men and Women in the Military, World War II to the Present" is compiled and with a preface by Mary Ann Humphrey.Humphrey, a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve who was forced to resign her commission for being gay, explains the origin of this book in her preface.The book is a collection of oral histories of lesbian and gay male veterans whose service spans from World War II to the final years of the Cold War era.The veterans in this book are a diverse group: women and men; Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps; active duty, National Guard, and Reserve; officer and enlisted; and of various ethnic backgrounds.They represent a wide range of military jobs: WW2 infantryman, Navy electronics officer, Army court reporter in Vietnam, combat medic, drill sergeant, pilot, recruiter, and more.Besides Humphrey, a total of 42 veterans are featured; some use pseudonyms.

Each featured veteran tells his or her story in the first person.This is a fascinating collection of voices.Some recurring themes include gay "networking" within the military and the impact of the AIDS crisis.But I found the most striking recurring theme to be the surveillance, harrassment, intimidation, coercion, and even imprisonment of gay servicemembers. Some of these stories are truly disturbing.Many of the veterans talk about the devastating psychological consequences of such experiences.On the other hand, a number of the vets talk about the positive aspects of their service.

For those with some knowledge of the perennially controversial "gays-in-the-military" issue, some of the featured veterans may be familiar: Vernon "Copy" Berg, Leonard Matlovich, Joseph Steffan, Perry Watkins, etc.There are some really noteworthy stories contained in this book.Johnnie Phelps recalls an extraordinary encounter with General Eisenhower when she served as a WAC motor sergeant during WW2.Air Force veteran Ruth Hughes recalls her experience as an African-American woman in uniform in the segregated South.Miriam Ben-Shalom recalls a career that includes service in both the Israeli Army and the U.S. Army.An equally remarkable career is that of J.W. "Skip" Godsey, a combat veteran of Vietnam who served in both the Navy and the Army.One veteran known as "Janice" recalls her career as an Army nurse, which culminated in her retirement as a full colonel.

This book is a fascinating and valuable contribution to American military history.Some of the achievements of these men and women are truly remarkable.Their voices are moving and thought-provoking.With a 1990 copyright date, however, the book is clearly in need of a sequel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Disastrously written and apparently not edited AT ALL
This little bit of "juvenile literature" only deserves the first half of that title.First lines:"It was 1869.The War Between the States was dividing and devastating the United States of America."Um...really?Four YEARS after it ended, a woman signed up for combat?I could understand the odd error, but to get that fact wrong in the first line of the book is a bit much.

It doesn't get much better as you read further, although the weirdness is due more to thickly-crayoned bias rather than glaring historical error.According to Anderson, the sole mission of the United States military was to oppress, slander, harass and otherwise make life difficult for women servicemembers--particularly women of color.It's amazing our forces found time to fight at all, what with all the oppressing they had to do.I guess they got up extra-early to get it all done.Good thing the women--whose ovaries apparently produced extra nobility of character--kept enlisting, so they could rise above it all.

To make the case that the military is overwhelmingly preoccupied with keeping women down, Anderson even cites the factoid that "Star Trek:The Next Generation" characters call commanding officers "Sir", even if the officers in question are female.I'm not sure what a PC work of humanist fantasy has to do with women's roles in the military, but this little rabbit chase doesn't help Anderson's argument.

There is no denying that women have for generations performed a valuable and much-needed function in the armed forces.But this sophomoric, ham-handed smear job is neither necessary nor balanced, and it doesn't serve anyone well.Interestingly, the office of Chuck Schumer is credited with having provided research assistance.That explains a good deal.

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