Basic Training: Sexual Harassment and Other Gender Issues

The United States of America has come to depend on their massive military machine throughout its relatively short history. During the Revolutionary war, only men fought bravely on the bloody battlefields of New England, while the women performed their much-needed duties at home. They ran the household, and tended to their flocks, while their loved ones were fighting the British. At that time, there wasnt a so-called shortage of manpower to fill in the ranks of soldiers in their column marches. It took a man to load a muzzle, or fix a bayonet to pierce the chest cavity of an enemy soldier.

Only in the twentieth century, would we see a sharp increase in the . While Johnny went off to World War II, Suzie had to fill his place at the automobile plant that once produced Fords and Chevys. These plants ended up producing: tanks, aircraft, bombs, naval ships, and other cogs for the war machine. One could say that without women at the home front, supporting the work force, we wouldnt have won the war.

The times have changed. It is now 1999, and the Baby Boomer generation is beginning to gray, and is looking forward to retirement. The male population heavily dominated this generation of the work force, and even more so, the United States Armed Forces. According to the document, “Report Of The Federal Advisory Committee On Gender-Integrated Training And Related Issues To The Secretary of Defense, the percentage of women in the military in 1972 was two percent. It later stated that the percentage of women has jumped from a dismal two percent to a whopping thirteen and a half percent. This report was presented to the Secretary of Defense, William S. Cohen, on December 16, 1997. Mr. Cohen formed the committee of independent citizens, and top military leadership, in lieu of the recent incidents of sexual harassment cases involving Drill Instructors at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Other cases also cropped up in all branches, involving top military leadership. The Secretary of Defense needed a solution to this growing problem, and so the Committee made several possible recommendations, which start with the recruitment process and then cover the full training cycle.

RECRUITING

There were several much heralded recommendations, but none of them battled directly with the gender issue as much as the idea of increasing the number of female recruiters. As a high school student, I was recruited into the Army Reserves to earn money for college, as well as doing my part for my countrys defense. The moment I walked into the doors of the dank office, I was whipped away with posters of Be All You Can Be. All of the paraphernalia had proud male soldiers look up to. Even more invigorating was the fact that the Recruiters were playing to your male ego, by telling you that any real man can do well in the Army. Throughout the recruiting process, I did not see one female. It just never really hit me until now. How is a female suppose to feel, when she enters this dark cave of masculinity? Well, Im sure any of them would feel intimidated, but even more amazing is the fact that the numbers of new female recruits are on the rise.

If a female were to take the plunge and walk through the doors to find out what it would like to be in the Army, she would likely face an inexperienced male recruiter. This male recruiter would have absolutely no idea what it is like to be a woman. Most recruiters are experienced in the fine art of BS, so they are often lied to, or candy coat what the basic training experience would be like. They are simply after the bottom line numbers or a Quota System. After a female entered the male dominated training environment, she would encounter serious moral problems. The emotional impact is so severe that they would look for ANY way out of their predicament. Many fake injuries, but other more damaging problems are sexual harassment allegations. It is true that most of these allegations are probably warranted, but simply implying that an individual harassed you is so detrimental to the alleged harassers career. This problem was counteracted by the Reports findings that increased number of Female Cadre would offset harassment issues.

CADRE

During my experience of Basic Training, I did not encounter one female Drill Instructor. It simply could have been the fact that I was in a Combat Military Occupation, which meant that there would be no females in my group. However, after discussing this problem with other Army personnel, I found that even with females in the motley mix of new recruits, that the number of male Drill Sergeants outnumbered the Female Drill Sergeants almost two to one. The Female Drill Sergeants floated from one group of soldiers, to another. They were so limited on quality Females Drill Sergeants that they simply couldnt position them in permanent positions on the Post. Without the positive role model for a female trainee, she would train poorly. She wouldnt have a mentor to confide with, and severe emotional and physical problems may go unchecked. The only solution for the female trainee is leaving the military completely. In order for the military to increase the role of the female, and to better integrate them in the male dominatedstructure, is to improve training from the very beginning of Recruitment and throughout the course of Basic Training. The military must set up better training programs that face the sexual harassment issue head on.

During my basic training, I had several classes on sexual harassment and other gender issues. Unfortunately, after the classes, nothing else was ever said to enforce these problems. In my opinion, these classes must be an On-Going ordeal, with proper reinforcement. Teaching professional relationships is probably the greatest tool in offsetting any fraternization problems that may arise.

After taking the Gender Issues Course, I have been awakened to the terrible injustices that a woman faces from day to day. It shocks me to the point that during everyday conversations with my coworkers, I begin to see these problems scream at me. I feel that if women are to undertake the role of defending our country, that we must go all out in making it happen. Women need more role models and mentors to help them through the emotional mine field, that is, Basic Training. To fill the gap created by the shrinking male work force, we must take these challenges and head them off. We simply cant inhibit the dramatic rise of new recruits, since our national defense depends on it.

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