What was the role of women …

During the Vietnam War, nearly 11,000 Vietnamese women and over 5,000 American women served in Vietnam itself. While the vast majorities of casualties, soldiers and “heroes” in war are statistically men, it is imperative that we acknowledge the experiences and efforts of the women involved in combat. Because men are statistically more likely to be killed during conflicts, official histories and stories of war have a strong tendency to portray women’s roles as less significant and are usually depicted as “necessary but not essential”. Female civilians are the most discriminated against; they are a population who are simply considered bystanders, immune to the worst horrors of war, yet they are often the ones who have to pick up the pieces. Political philosopher Jean Bethke Elshtain argues often that “Women in Wars are simply viewed as a collective ‘other’ to the males heroes we often hear and read about”.[1] Sadly, because women were not often “allowed” to serve in combat, many were never officially drafted, so any acknowledgment of service, at least on paper, is limited.