Photo By Sgt. Scott Akanewich | U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Megan P. Tatu, right, the commanding general of the 79th...... read more read more
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LOS ANGELES - The University of Southern California's Women of Troy hosted a Reserve Officer Training Command and USC Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study event focusing on the role of women in national defense March 27 on the school's campus in Los Angeles.
Women have long played a role in the defense of America, stretching back through time to before the United States even existed.
They were a fixture at Valley Forge in the winter of 1778 during the Revolutionary War, helping bring back a tired, tattered Continental Army from the brink of defeat.
Over the course of the following decades spanning three centuries, women have continued to contribute mightily to national defense from the time of Martha Washington up to 21st century leaders such as Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton, along with the countless women who have courageously served in our armed forces.
Maj. Gen. Megan P. Tatu, 79th Sustainment Support Command, commanding general, was one of a panel of experts invited to the event to address past and present issues facing women in national defense of the United States, as well as other countries throughout the world.
During the event, which included a question-and-answer session with students in attendance, Tatu stressed she has not necessarily viewed herself as a “woman in the Army” throughout her career, but simply a soldier who happens to be female.
“I don’t wake up in the morning and say to myself, ‘What can I accomplish today as a woman,’” said Tatu. “What’s important is you are confident in your abilities and stay true to who you are. It’s not about gender, it’s about the mission.”
Joining Tatu on the panel was former Congresswoman Jane Harman, who highlighted what women instinctively bring to national defense.
“Security is a women’s issue,” said Harman, who served six terms on Capitol Hill in the U.S. House of Representatives, including being on the House Committee on Homeland Security. “We have always protected our families and are qualified to bring a point of view to any policy table on the planet.”
Lt. Col. Robert Kirkland of the USC Army ROTC program added a male opinion to the conversation.
“I believe competition improves performance,” said Kirkland. “Adding more women to the mix and having a greater representation in legislature reduces conflict behavior.”
One issue tackled during the session was the problem of sexual harassment within the ranks and the gender schism that is possibly preventing the advancement of women to positions of higher authority.
“The Army has Equal Opportunity programs that have been ongoing in trying to prevent incidents of sexual harassment and assault,” said Tatu. “The bottom line is to respect fellow human beings and the Army has provided us a path to deal with soldiers who choose to not follow these guidelines.”
Finally, a member of the audience brought up the current controversy of the U.S. military opening up combat specialties to women, to which Tatu pointed out a profound reality.
“As far as women being in the infantry, this is an informed decision based on modern war,” said Tatu. “However, I can tell you there are no traditional ‘front lines’ in how we’re fighting these days. Women have already been in combat. When I was deployed in Iraq and went on missions outside the wire with other female soldiers, I knew the possibility of combat existed.”
| Date Taken: | 03.27.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 03.28.2013 19:49 |
| Story ID: | 104265 |
| Location: | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | LAGUNA NIGUEL, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | LOS ALAMITOS, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 159 |
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