In Memoir and Memory: US Servicewomen Narrating 21st Century Combat
Over twenty years after the initial invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, much work remains to uncover the stories of US servicewomen. As the collection of oral histories continues and in the absence of letters, postcards, and other mail for analysis, their memoirs provide some of the first glimpses of the ways 21st century warfare impacted their experiences in the US military. With shifting “front lines,” the prevalence of improvised explosive devices, and the need for new search tactics, women participated in high rates of combat. Nevertheless, the combat exclusion policy remained in place until 2015. This study examines how servicewomen memoirists challenged public knowledge about their experiences by publishing about their encounters with combat. It asks what these memoirs tell us about the realities of women who served in the US military from 2001 to 2014. Their stories contextualize the push to eliminate combat exclusion and reveal several truths at the heart of their experiences. In an institution with a history of ideological masculinity, these women faced episodes of discrimination, harassment, and assault. They also recount intense experiences of comradery, romance, and self-discovery. By analyzing a wide variety of memoirs, this work seeks to capture the many different elements of experience that 21st century servicewomen faced in the US military and society. It finds that while some general patterns emerge, no singular story encapsulates all participants. Instead, it argues that individual identities, circumstances, and desires informed life under the combat exclusion policy. Practices and personalities varied from unit to unit, creating unique situations for each woman. With their range of authors, memoirs demonstrate this variance and emphasize the importance of seeking numerous perspectives as we craft the narrative of modern war. Ultimately, their limitations as a source base also speak to this necessity, as well as the work that needs to be done to uncover a wider pool of participants. Dismantling myths about women at war requires a conceptualization of each story and its complex series of relationships and encounters as part of the soldier experience.
US servicewomen, Iraq War, Afghanistan War, gender, race, memoirs, Arts and Humanities, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, History, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies
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