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Women Have Made Progress in National Security Leadership Positions

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I find it interesting that the men here who have made supportive statements are the men who have served with women in military--where if there was an issue of leadership skills it would emerge. As a Montana woman, I often hear the male ranchers note the great contribution that their wives make on the couple's ranch--very inclusive of woman and no hint of putting her in a secondary role. It is significant that Montana was the first state to send a woman to Congress, and that the suffragist movement was extremely active here. It is a myth that it is those conservative Republicans who don't want women in high positions. There are some barriers in business, but a basic principle exists in business, the military, and farming/ranching--if you are effective at what you do, we need you. In academia and government, the respect for effectiveness is diluted by seniority, political machinations. So the women will be more easily excluded from upper management. Look at many schools--how many male teachers are promoted into administration on a percentage basis of all male teachers vs the percentage of women promoted into administration. Yet these places are the bastions of liberal thought. Why would that be?--because if you believe that you are not in any way doing this bad thing by your value system, you look less closely at what actually happens. This is the great fallacy of the only party interested in women in politics is the Democrats. One can actually--if effective, what ever determines that, then one can advance. Are there biases? Yes, but individuals will over come them. If there are many women, the one making the decision can always say tomorrow--I'll promote the woman tomorrow and I'll promote the man today. If there is only a few women, then the fact they are being overlooked will be more obvious.

MontanaMountainWoman of MT 9:51PM December 22, 2008

Thank you CPT Park and MAJ Blake -- well said.
There is no room for quotas in the military today. Proven performance and potential are the keys. Women today (finally) have the opportunity for the same training and challenging assignments in most of the military. Women serve at every level and in most assignments. LT Huff and other women who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, with their brother soldiers, were doing their jobs and doing them well. STG Hester and SPC Brown, both young women, both recipients of the Silver Star, are examples of outstanding, courageous performance of duty in combat.
The recent selection of GEN Dunwoody for her fourth star was not a "token" but the real life recognition of the truly exceptional performance of an outstanding soldier over many years.
It is also recognition of the fact that women have long since proven that with training and opporunity gender (like race) is does not have bearing on ability to do a job. It's a reflection of the US Army's willingness to select the best qualified individual regardless of once limiting artificial criteria.
As a former WAC I fought for training and assignments considered male only, including a tour in Vietnam. While we were limited in what we were allowed to do, we did all we could and then some.
I salute soldiers serving now, men and women. You are awesome.
WAC vet, COL USA Ret

Pat Jay of VA 5:51AM December 18, 2008

As an active duty Army Major I can also attest to the many amazing feats that women accomplish every day. Women are subject to becoming wounded warriors, women serve in harm's way, and women put their lives on the line for our freedoms. Many women choose not to rise to higher ranking positions due to their decisions to support their husband or raise a family. Women are equally as capable, equally intelligent, and equally up to the same demanding tasks considered formerly only for men.

MAJ Devon Blake of KS 9:36PM December 17, 2008

Your comment is so off the mark from anything resembling reality that I had to seriously consider whether I should even bother replying....
But then I remembered 1LT Ashley Huff, U.S. Army, Platoon Leader of a Military Police unit that I had the honor of serving with in Mosul, Iraq. She was one of the most effective Platoon Leader I had known. Her ability to influence the local Iraqi Police Chief and his men to risk their lives and conduct combat patrols was far more effective than anything that my Infantry MALE platoon leaders could pull off. Her efforts in training and professionalizing the local Iraqi police stations had a direct impact in reduction of U.S. casualties from IEDs and small arms fire. I'm convinced that she was responsible for saving the lives of many of my men.
I couldn't possibly just let your ridiculous comment go by because you see, 1LT Ashley Huff was killed by a suicide vehicle IED on Sep. 19th, 2006 when it detonated near her vehicle while she was conducting a combat patrol. Your comment is not only insulting and disrespectful for all the other women service members who are serving or have served, it angers other Men like myself who have served with them and know the sacrifices that they have made for idiots like yourself.
CPT(P) Kent Park
U.S. Army, Infantry
OIF IV

Kent Park of AK 9:22PM December 16, 2008

Ed Vest -- you are a moron. Go back to your cave, and spend a little time doing something called self-reflection and self-actualization. You will realize, after several days or months pass, that what you just expressed so eloquently actually underlies every blivet this country has experienced: the inability to recognize that untapped human resources - in the form of civil participation / defense of the nation, intellectual investment, or other - is to the detriment of the country. If it wasn't for a woman Ed, you wouldn't be here, and how sad all of us would be.

TS George of MD 3:09PM December 16, 2008

Women do not actually protect anything in the armed forces or in national security positions. They are in those positions largely as quotas and even then only direct men who actually do the fighting and protecting. We have weakend the armed services and our civillian protection agencies to the point that we will suffer defeat as a result, when faced with an enemy other than uneducated sociopaths. Women can collect the paychecks now, the country will pay for it later.

Ed Vest of LA 7:30AM December 14, 2008