| Currently,
there are more than 200,000 women in the military (Wilson, 1996). In Arlington
National Cemetery, the Women in Military Service For America Memorial honors
and commemorates all women (past, present, and future) who have defended
America. We have lost and will continue to lose women who are fighting
to serve our country. During my research of the essay topic, I came across
the story of Emily. To me, the story shows the will and ambition women
have shown to be able to fight for our country. Emily was a soldier who
served during the Civil War, a time when women were not allowed to do so.
In 1863, the nineteen year-old woman ran away from home and joined the
drum corps of a Michigan Regiment. She was sent to Tennessee and during
the struggle for Chattanooga, she was fatally injured. At first, as she |
lay
dying, she refused to reveal her real name. In a dictated letter to her
father, she said the following: "Forgive your dying daughter. I have but
a few moments to live. My native soil drinks my blood. I expected to deliver
my country, but the fates would not have it so. I am content to die. Please
forgive me… Emily" (Wilson, 1996)
Sixty
other women died in that war, twenty-two during the Spanish-American War,
hundreds for World War I, and more than four hundred during World War II
(Wilson, 1966). The numbers continued to grow as more and more women have
courageously served our country. Two of the more recent deaths of military
women occurred on October 12, 2000 during the bombing of the USS Cole.
The USS Cole was headed to the Gulf of Aden in support of the embargo on
Iraq. The destroyer stopped to refuel |
in
Aden, Yemen, and was attacked by a suicide bomber. Among the seventeen
sailors that lost their lives, ser Seaman Recruit Lakiba Nicole Palmer
and Mess Management Specialist Seaman Lakeina Monique Francis. Palmer was
a native of San Diego, California where she graduated from San Diego High
School. She was a star member of her high school’s track team. Francis
served on the USS Cole as a Mess Management Specialist, and was a resident
of Woodleaf, North Carolina. Five other military women were also injured
in the attack. It is noted that although other military women have been
killed in terrorist attacks, this incident is the first time women have
died as the result of hostile action while on a Navy combat ship. (Alliance
for National Defense, 2000). What impact does the loss of life of these
women have on our coun- |
