2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber language law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

I always question people's use of the word 'normal.'  Grouping individuals into categories of normal vs abnormal is laughable, afterall, what is normal anyway?  

Secondly, the military has to operate as its own entity, separate from the civilian world; otherwise it wouldn’t be able to function.  Call it a necessary evil if you will, but thankfully we have men and woman who are willing to give up their own freedoms in order to protect yours.

In response to scottmil, people have been fighting over territory since the dawn of man.  Don’t blame the military for this phenomenon, blame humankind.  I suppose we can all be thankful that we live in a country that isn’t war torn because it’s a horror that most couldn’t possibly fathom.

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
view in context

Good Afternoon, I am a female Veteran having served in the Marine Corps from 2001-2009, and having completed a tour in Iraq from 2007-2008 as part of OIF.  As a woman serving, I found that it did affect my experience.  As a Sgt serving in Iraq, I was in a position of small unit leadership.  I was a team leader in charge of small squad of both men an woman who looked to me for guidance.  It was a huge responsibility as their lives were literally in my hands.  There was no time to let emotions get in the way of judgment in life or death situations, and this is a challenge for a lot of woman, including myself.  Most of the woman I served with were more than capable, both physically and mentally, yet I saw them removed from their leadership positions with no explanation given, and placed into jobs that were essentially created on the spot in order to keep them "occupied."

In some ways the military is similar to the civilian workforce, in that as long as you are competent at your job, you can earn respect whether you are male or female.  The caveat is that with job mastery (or in many cases even without) comes upward mobility, and the issue now facing the military is that more and more woman are being placed into positions of leadership.  In these positions woman face a far greater challenge than simply serving among their male peers.  They must lead their male counterparts who are often resentful at this.

I agree with the statement that there is positive change.  Cases of harassment are taken seriously, and while they may be on the rise, they are certainly not tolerated.  My main concern is accountability; there is no system in place to keep qualified woman from being removed from positions of leadership when men become uncomfortable having them there. 

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
view in context