[Peace-discuss] my summary of ''The Girls Come Marching Home" event(s) yesterday

[Karen Medina]

Dear Peace-discuss,

RE: ''The Girls Come Marching Home" event yesterday.*

I was partially disappointed but did find it interesting enough to
both listen to the Focus interview and attend the Friday Forum
yesterday.

The Focus interview was very pro-military. At the Y, the same woman
(C. J. Robinson, Retired Master Sergeant) said two things I disagree
with:
- (paraphrased) "It is not my call to say whether the U.S. military
should be in Iraq"
- (paraphrased) "Sexual harassment is not any more of a problem in the
military than it is in any other job." I will note that she was a
Master Sergeant and not at the bottom wrung when she went overseas, so
her perspective will be different.

With regard to the first place I disagreed with her, I find it a
contradiction to her stance when Ms. Robinson did say that it is up to
us to convince Congress and the President to get the Veterans
Administration working, and working especially for those it works
least for right now, namely those who were reservists (they are not
covered the same as active duty, yet the reservists are over there)
and women. In my opinion, we as citizens have a right and
responsibility to speak about both (whether the military should be
used AND that the veterans should be taken care of).

There were two other female veterans who spoke at the Friday Forum,
but Ms. Robinson probably spoke the most.

All in all, it might be worth listening to if you missed it. The
Friday Forum starts off as an advertisement for the books, but you can
skip.

* ''The Girls Come Marching Home -- Stories of Women on the
Battlefield and the Challenges They Face when They Return Home''
Kirsten Holmstedt
Focus interview with David Inge:
http://audio01.will.illinois.edu/focus110401a.mp3
YMCA Friday Forum: All forums are radio broadcast at 6:00 p.m. on WEFT
90.1 the Monday following the lecture (so listen on Monday, April 4th,
2011)
View past lectures on the University YMCA's YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/UniversityYMCA#p/p
[This was the last part (part 7 of 8, but the 8th has been cancelled)
of the YMCA's Friday Forum series, 'Americans at War--A Look at the
Impacts of U.S. Military Power in the 21st Century']