Women taken out of Army squads

[Seascamp]

During the VN war seeing female military in the 7th fleet AO was rare as lips on a woodpecker except for a few at the DaNang Navy Hospital and Navy admin offices at the small craft Yards, so I don?t have any real foundation to judge from. But from what I did see in the 1st Fleet bases and yards was that ?big brothers? always surrounded the Waves and it was difficult/nearly impossible to get tasks taken care of. Yard turn around was always a very tight schedule so getting parts, services and/or need material is crucial. I never cared much for cooling my heals, being ignored/ waved off when trying to get parts or whatever while the ?big bros? were distracting the person responsible that needed to look after the requisition or services request I was trying to walk through. Very frustrating, indeed, like there were two separate priority systems that had absolutely no connects. Yards exist for the purpose of maintaining and repairing ships, not the other way around. Or maybe I had it all wrong.


How this observation relates or does not relate to an Army situation I can only guess at, but similar I suspect unless human nature has changed a whole bunch. So I?d say that the Gals do a great job if the ?big bros? cool their jets and let them do it. In a combat situation I see this ?big bro? issue just getting out of hand and becoming a threat to all hands. So unless we are prepared to put eunuchs in the field, I suspect that the Gals would be best used in roles where their training, skills and abilities can be best put to use without interference or undue hassle.

Fair seas, Bill

[judyvillecco]

I agree! I think our role should be helping you guys get there and get the job done just like in world war II. Heck that's what I thought I was enlisting for...to help the effort instead of being a Jane Fonda. Still can't stand that broad. I was working at a College at the time seeing Vets coming back with missing limbs and the VA doing to them what their still doing...giving them a hard way to go and people like her making our vets hang their heads. It made me sick! Once I went in and saw some of the in charge people at Fort Dix, New Jersey though I had other things in our military to be sick about and saw the betrayals from the inside. it was a crazy war but those of us who went tried to serve as those who went before us.

[Seascamp]

Actually at the time and in hindsight, I figure it was a whole bunch crazier in 1st Fleet than it was in the VN task force 7th fleet. So long as I was in the service, I had absolutely no desire to hang around 1st Fleet. About the only places along the west coast that was at least half way sane were the Bremerton Navy Yards and Seattle. In San Francisco, Long Beach and San Diego the inmates ran the asylum and not a good place for a Sailor in uniform, no way. Or maybe it wasn?t a good place for anyone else perhaps. By number, we lost more Sailors to various of causes of death in 1st Fleet than we did in the VN task force 7th Fleet. I don?t understand why we didn?t get hazardous duty pay for both 1st and 7th fleet duty. That?s a go figure deal I suppose.

Thanks for your service. I know you Gals helped out all you could and did all you were left free to do.

Fair seas, Bill

[judyvillecco]

I don't know about "big brother" in the Navy but in the Army he was too busy with his hands in the cookie jar when it pleased him if you know what i mean. We were Army property to do with as the Army d....m well pleased. Yes we tried to serve but I wasn't too cooperative that way so I had to be punished and made an example of by "big brother". Sounds like your asylum place was like my Fort Dix, New Jersey. I try to talk to any gals who sign up today to pay attention to the dotted line and not listen to recruiters and not try to be a guy! We aren't! Let's face it! that doesn't mean we can't work together where it's suited. That's my opinion anyway.