Some say it’s a man’s world when it comes to the military. Jobs and positions in the United States’ armed forces have traditionally been associated with masculinity. It makes sense, since women were only allowed to enlist during the last two years of World War I. Nearly ten years later, Congress passed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, which granted women permanent status in the military.
Though civilian nurses, matrons and housewives have aided soldiers in war since the days of the American Revolution, we military ladies haven’t been officially part of the armed forces for as long as men have. The disparity in the female-to-male ratio might scare off some, but many others decide to join and flourish. And for those who are interested in joining, finding a female to talk to can be difficult.
I sat down with Kinesha Pangelinan, a friend who recently joined the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps program at the University of Portland to get a better perspective on being a woman in the military, what her experience has been like and what advice she could give.
What made you decide to join AROTC?
This’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I want to be able to follow in my family’s footsteps and serve my country.
What are your educational goals and what component are you interested in?
I want to get a degree in Communications, and hopefully through the military get my masters in Public Relations. I’m going for Active Duty because in order to get the branch I want at a faster rate, it’s the best way to go. You can’t become a Civil Affairs officer until you’re a captain.
What’s the low point in joining ROTC? What’s the best part?
The best thing about ROTC is the camaraderie. We work as one unit and I’m a firm believer that you can’t achieve things on your own. It takes the right type of organization to build a substantial network that’ll work for you in your future.
There’s no real low point with joining ROTC, but there’s with character. I’ve never been very loud or boisterous with my voice, but I realized in the Army and ROTC that I have to have that voice of confidence of authority. It’s something I’m working on and hopefully I’ll get it down before I graduate. When I was at Basic Camp (summer training session for ROTC cadets) and I was a squad leader, I was doing everything well except when yelling out orders, when actual fire started happening and we were running exercises. My squad could hear me, but the evaluators couldn’t.
What are the most difficult and rewarding aspects of joining?
It’ss difficult to become part of an organization, but it gives you a sense of accomplishment that you did it. Things like getting through Basic Camp, passing a physical fitness test, graduating or passing the Army Physical Fitness Test to get your scholarship all give you a sense of confidence to know you can succeed.
Females made up only 15% of the total Active Duty military in 2011. Why do you think there are so few women in the military? Is it a fear of not being able to do it?
It’s not so much a matter of they can’t do it. Most women were raised in a household where they were expected to support the family, not be the breadwinners. Having that mentality that you want to go out and do something like join the military, especially active duty, is often frowned upon in their culture or their family dynamic. I mean, women are “supposed” to have a feminine nature- If a girl can do more pushups or pull-ups than a man can, that’s not something most families are proud of. You’re supposed to be getting married, not going off to war!
Any advice you can give to the women who are interested in joining?
If you want to do it, at least give it a shot. It’s worth a try!
A final question: What do you think of the uniforms? Part of military bearing is definitely what you wear, and if you’re joining the military you’ll be in uniform a lot!
The ACUs (Army Combat Uniform, also known as “camo” or “digi”) are very unique to the military profession. But the ASUs (Army Service Uniform, the formal uniform) could probably be made to look more professional. It’s really just a pressed blouse with a skirt and I think we could do better. If you look at the Air Force, or the Navy, or the Marines, they have very distinguished dress uniforms, particularly Marine ASUs.
All the ACU’s look similar; they’re just a different shade of the same pattern. They look camo overall. All the different branches’ combat uniforms are spread out evenly and look good. I just think our dress uniforms are lacking in professional aspect.
Being a women in the military can seem like a feat in and of itself, but women can and do succeed on this career path, whether they are nurses, infantrymen, or cyber security operatives. And though societal, cultural and even familial expectations can deter girls from pursuing careers more closely associated with men, we ladies can kick some serious butt and be leaders too.