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Women Successfully Integrated into Military

Among calls by some members of Congress for segregating the military after widespread allegations of sexual harassment have emerged, a reporter from The Washington Post spent a week with integrated troops in Bosnia and found that women and men worked together easily and for the benefit of the entire operation. Dana Priest found that there was much less sexual harassment when the troops were involved in a purposeful mission. Furthermore, the supposed problems involved in women and men living together (sleeping space, bathroom use, privacy, etc.) were easily resolved and did not amount into any barriers to effective work. More importantly, from serving as lawyers interpreting the Dayton Peace accords to working as military police protecting high ranking officials, from shooting machine guns to driving tanks and inspecting weapons sites, women have successfully undertaken the responsibilities of protecting the nation’s interests abroad and at home. Speaking of one female lieutenant, Captain Zane Jones recalled, “I had heard about Lt. Armendariz and had done some politicking to get her. I think there’s a fantasy among some guys that maybe women can’t do this. But then they get around them and find out they can.”

Sources:

The Washington Post - March 3, 1997

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