abninf
Euless, TX
50, joined Oct. 2010
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(this post has been flagged as inappropriate, sorry.)
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abninf
Euless, TX
50, joined Oct. 2010
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After seeing the effects of the policy during her two tours in Iraq and her current tour in Afghanistan, Caci believes strongly in her cause and is even willing to voice her opinion despite the official policy.
She recommends that condoms be made available, free of charge, to all servicemen, not just to prevent pregnancies – women in the military cannot be denied birth control pills even when deployed – but to prevent diseases that could have long-term effects, especially for women. In the Post Exchange, or PX, condoms are sold, but it is common to see boxes on the shelves ripped open, and the condoms stolen. Soldiers may be hesitant to wait in line to purchase an item they are not supposed to have any use for.
In Iraq, on Forward Operating Bases, or FOBs, there are plenty of posters and warnings to dissuade sexual harassment and prevent possible sexual assault. Females are advised not to walk in poorly lit areas or are encouraged to be in pairs or groups when out at night. In Bagram, I saw no such signs.
Bagram is deceptively normal, beside the typical fast food and bazaars selling everything from Persian rugs to intricate replicas of ancient swords. The barbershops are called beauty salons, where haircuts cost twice as much as in Iraq.
In these beauty shops, manicures and facials are on the menu of services, as are massages by the Russian-speaking Uzbek and Tajik women. It’s all legit – a supervisor makes sure no cubicle or table is too private – but the lights are turned low and the clients lay on massage tables, in their shorts or boxer underwear. The base hospital also has a bucket filled with free condoms for anyone to pick up.
“There is a measure of hypocrisy in the policy,” said Laigaie. “We ask the troops to obey the rule, but this kind of looks the other way,” he lamented.
The co-ed military
In some ways, the American military is a reflection of the society it protects. The chaplain sees a downward slope in the moral fiber of the services. Things have changed over the two decades since he was commissioned as an officer.
“If you allowed soldiers to form these types of sexual relationships, you’d hurt the unit morale,” he insists. “Women would have inappropriate pressures placed on them.”
But not everyone agrees.
“There are very reasonable clinical and public health concerns associated with punitive policies that prohibit sexual activity,” said Capt. Remington Nevin, the former preventive medicine staff physician assigned to CJTF-82 at Bagram.
Women have served during wartime in various capacities, but in World War II, due to the need for males on the frontlines, females were given military occupations, mostly stateside. Women became even more integrated into the armed forces with subsequent conflicts. Today, females are still prohibited from direct combat in infantry, tank, battleship, submarine, artillery and special forces units. But they are present throughout the theater and heavily concentrated “in garrison” on bases like Bagram and Kandahar, where the relatively comfortable living conditions provide for luxuries like privacy and discretion.
“A lot of women in the military have a radical edge,” said the chaplain.
The men who join the military are a small segment of the general population; a self-selected group who have agreed to put their lives on the line and willingly deploy into a war zone for a variety of reasons. If these men are few and unique, the females who joins the military are even more so.
Comprising just 12 percent of the total armed forces – more in some services than others – females in the military must overcome many more obstacles and social stigmas before joining. There are approximately 1,700 American women deployed in the Afghan theater of operations. And where males often bond during deployments, some females have had a different experience.
“I didn’t really get along with a lot of the other females here on base,” said the servicewoman in the parking lot who initially told me of the rumors of 55 pregnancies since early this year.
In fact, it is probable that another female soldier alerted the authorities to the presence of the male in her quarters. She was already speaking in the past tense of her ruptured deployment to Afghanistan and the probability of discipline once back in the States. Limiting your off-hour friendships to the few women on base does put females in theater at a social disadvantage.
Maj. Caci herself conceded that she wished there was more solidarity among the females deployed.
“It’d be great if the women were nicer to each other here,” she said.
But the major insists that General Order No. 1 is a real health threat and unfairly penalizes females in the military.
“There are a lot of people here who would like me to just shut up about this, but there is simply too much evidence out there that this policy endangers our soldiers, especially the females,” she said. “It’s not realistic to expect men and women of this age to abstain.”
Chaplain Laigaie sees a bigger issue – recruiting.
“If your daughter is going to join the military and have sex in a combat zone, the military will not be able to attract the quality of individual we need,” he said.
As the chaplain, Laigaie formally and informally counsels all soldiers. He’s very aware of how the current “hook-up” culture has an after-effect on soldiers later in life
“They have problems forming more permanent intimate bonds; divorce rates are higher,” he said.
Laigaie insists that being in a war zone requires a different set of rules that do not apply to peace-time life back home.
“All of GO 1 deals with moral issues,” he said. “Beside banning sexual relations, the first General Order also bans the possession of pornography, the consumption of alcohol, gambling and religious proselytizing.
“A pregnant female will be out of Afghanistan in 48 to 72 hours,” said Lt. Col. Accetta, who emphasized that a soldier found in this condition will not be forced out of the military.
In a subsequent e-mail, Caci updated the tally.
“By the way, in case you are interested, there were seven pregnancies in November and already one in December, bringing the total to 63,” she said.
“This policy is putting soldiers at risk.”
Caci was referring to the detrimental effects of long-term scars from sexual behavior, but despite the differences of opinion, Laigaie insisted he had exactly the same concern.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2007/12/45073/#ffaAApV3MEJuz1tS.99
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whiskeyrichard1
Burlington, KY
70, joined Sep. 2013
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I guess none of this stuff surprises me.When I was in the Army, and especially in Vietnam we didnt have too many round-eyed females to shag.Truth is, I dont remember any except a few officers who worked at our Field Hospital and they werent putting out as far as I know.
Getting laid was for R& R or maybe at a village around our bases, but it wasnt like the stuff described in this article.
But this is what we have today. If over 70% of all MOS's and nearly 20% of all those serving in uniform are females this is going to go on.Its unavoidable, young guys (and young women) are going to hook up.
Im just glad I never had to deal with it.
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1irving
Ruskin, FL
57, joined Mar. 2013
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I've posted my sentiments in earlier posts. Soldiers are sluts. Men and women are Horney. The natural push for men to spray a cervix with sperm is ingrained in the DNA. Women should have Norplant, until a birth control for men is available.
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cowboy4672
Lillian, AL
70, joined Dec. 2012
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You can't get out on the " I'M Gay" ticket anymore,
when things get tougher than you thought ....so what's left.....................................................
I'm Preggers!!   
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