Last week, Tuesday, September 22, 2009, the Army made Command Sergeant Major Teresa L. Kin, 48, Commandant if its drill sergeant school in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Yes, that’s right. Her name is Teresa, and yes she is a woman. The reason why I’m over-emphasizing her gender is this is a monumental moment; as it is the first time in the United States army history that a woman will command this post. As I read this story, what didn’t surprise me was how tough this woman really is, rather how the army, a basically male-driven fraternity has allowed its organization to have women commanding men. This is big because it will break down a whole slew of stereotypes why women cannot do this or that in the army. This drill sergeant-now Commandant- will show us that you don’t have to be a man in order to get the job done. (She will oversee drill sergeant training for the entire army). One thing King said that struck a nerve with me was that when she looks in the mirror, she “does not see a woman.” She said she sees “a soldier.” That is what she believes in and really that isn’t a fault of her own. But to me, she is kind of “de-sexing” herself in order to cope or fit in, I don’t know. I could be wrong. But I don’t understand why she is saying that. Maybe she is trying to say that being a woman is not something that is going to limit her from achieving her goals. Or maybe she is simply stating that she isn’t going to use womanhood as a card like the race card. I don’t know. I would like to know what some of you thought about that.
This story is amazing. Slowly, but surely you see this happening in other arenas where it is thought that men are the only ones to hold certain kinds of positions. I was watching a men’s basketball game earlier this year and, as a mental note to myself, I saw that one of the officiating referees was a woman. I thought nothing of it at the time, but really that was big in and of itself. I am sure that it was not always as widely accepted for women to be referees for men’s sports. But now these women are paving the way for equal rights for younger women who share the same kind of interests.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/22/us/22sergeant.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&th&emc=th
ReplyDeleteI tried to put the link to the article with the blogger thingy and was not successful so the above link is to the article
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog I actually had to read it for myself. At first (in the eyes of the commonly socialized reader), I began to think she may have had gender issues growing up. Still we may have to check her psychological background. She is the eighth if twelve children and grew up on a farm. In small towns like these incest are not to unfamiliar, seriously. On the other hand I fully understand what she means in the statement about the mirror and not seeing a women. She believes that "a soldier" is not male or female. "A soldier" is an attitude. An attitude that stands for what they believe in and is willing to endure pain to prove it. In hip-hop and the urban culture the word "soldier" is used often to give emphasis on a persons personality. Such as Destiny Child's "I need a Soldier", where the soldier represents a man who is will to do anything for them.
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ReplyDeleteGranted whatever she meant by seeing a "soldier-in-the-mirror," I was wondering if she was trying to dispel the idea that womanhood had nothing to do with her ascension to a top-ranking official in the army or if she wanted to remain objective and state that she is a soldier first and that's all that matters; as far as her job is concerned. But thanks for enlightening me ot the incestuous part. Even though she made no mention of this, it would be really hard for you to come by this information unless you had very strong evidence to support your claim
ReplyDeleteI beleive that this woman wa sjust a dedicated soldier. it seems to me as if she knew her calling right away. She knew what she wanted to do when. She want ro fight for her country. I think it's awesome that a woman was reconginized and awarded with this postion. It shows the men in the army that women can be just as tough. Many men think that women in an army cannot do their job. However this just crates more equality on the military field. I giver her big congrats. she deserves just like any other male in the military.
ReplyDeleteI spent a few years in the Air Force and had several female bosses, but the majority of my bosses were male.
ReplyDeleteOutside of direct combat role, I think women are definitely treated fairly and equally. Really, it's a big concern in the military. There's even an office on every military base that handles equal opportunity complaints.
And while women still aren't allowed to serve in direct combat roles, many are still directly engaging the enemy and many have died in the line of duty.
Also, I agree with Ken's idea that being a soldier is really an attitude or persona. I think that's what she meant when she said she sees a solider in the mirror.