This @nytimes headline shows how big the civil-military divide really is in our country—especially in the media. CPT Greist is the first female INFANTRY officer. She’s far from the first female officer trained to lead troops in combat. Women have been leading in combat for a very long time. And throughout our post-9/11 wars. It’s long past time for people to realize that.
A lot of attention has been given recently to the decision opening combat positions to women, something the U.S. military has historically been loathe to do. The truth, as Rieckhoff accurately points out, is that women have been fighting- and in some cases, dying for their country for years. Since 9/11, the wars we’ve fought have been far less conventional than what our military has traditionally engaged in, which has meant women have too often found themselves engaged in combat. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (R-IL), now running for Barack Obama’s old Senate seat in Illinois, lost both of her legs when her helicopter was shot down by enemy fire. Many other women have seen combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan. CPT Greist may indeed be the first female infantry officer in the U.S. Army, but she will by no means be the first American woman to have fought in and/or led troops into combat situations. She is certainly worthy of commendation for her accomplishment, but we shouldn’t diminish the sacrifice of those women who’ve already fought and/or died for their country.
Whether we care to admit it or not, women have found themselves in combat throughout our history. Women have fought- and died- for this country in the same way men have. We’ve simply chosen not to recognize the sacrifices made by the distaff half of the population. It’s time that changed.
