Womens Opposition to the War in Vietnam - Essay Example

The Significance of Women's Organizations Group Activities in Relationship to Their Opposition to the War in Vietnam 2007 The Significance of Women's Organizations Group Activities in Relationship to Their Opposition to the War in Vietnam There were numerous different women's organizations which were present and active during the time period of the war in Vietnam, and not only that, but women actually served alongside men in the Vietnam War, as in order for the country to be able to heal, it was truly necessary for the women to be involved, and they were, in many different ways. Significant numbers of women served admirably in all branches of the service, as professional nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, air traffic controllers, aerial reconnaissance photographers, intelligence and language specialists, legal officers, and even in security and administrative positions. As well women worked in the war as journalists, flight attendants, and in various church and humanitarian organizations, and the significance of these activities in relationship to the women's opposition and reaction to the war in Vietnam is an issue which is of incredible importance. The aim of this paper is to not only discuss the different organizations and group activities that women were involved in during the Vietnam War but as well the significance of their participation with them overall considering how against the war most women actually were. By doing this, we will be able to come to a much more informed and knowledgeable understanding on the subject matter at hand overall. This is what will be dissertated in the following. The history of women and war is one which has basically been forgotten in comparison to that of man's, however it is important to realize that women have actually always played a part, and in fact, "Between 1962 and 1973, according to Department of Defense statistics, approximately 7,500 women served on active military duty in Vietnam. The Veteran's Administration puts the numbers even higher, at around 11,000. Independent surveys estimate that the number of women, both civilian and non-civilian, working in Vietnam during the war is between 33,000 and 55,000" (Carlson, 2007). However, despite these incredibly large and notable numbers of women in the military, they have had a long and hard road in regards to gaining even remote equality. One of the most notorious organizations that women worked for during the Vietnam War was the Red Cross Organization, and the Red Cross basically maintained three particular and different programs during the Vietnam conflict which were: Service to Military Hospitals (SMH), Service to Military Institutions (SMI), and Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (SRAO). "SMH provided recreational and casework services to service personnel who were hospitalized and casework services for service personnel who were employed in military hospitals. Women employed in SMI provided primarily clerical services with some individual assistance for obtaining loans if personnel had to return home for a family emergency. SMH and SMI functioned both in the United States and in foreign countries and both in peace and in war. The Red Cross program which was eventually entitled Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (SRAO) originated in World War II specifically to employ civilian women who wished to make a contribution to the country during periods of war" (Firestone & Robinson, 1996). When it comes to the issue of the reaction that was felt by women towards the Vietnam War, there are many issues that need to be taken into consideration here as well. In comparison to the percentage of men against the Vietnam War, there were almost double the amount of women who felt negatively towards it, however at the same time the war presented many opportunities for women, and so while they still felt disapprovingly towards the war, there were still then obviously reasons that they also were rather positive towards it, as they were benefitting in different ways from it. The war offered job opportunities that most women had never seen before, and it allowed them to get out of their usual place which was in the home, and get out into the world and experience new and fascinating things. However the significance of women's participation in the different groups and organizations during the Vietnam War was still remarkable, especially when you consider not only the fact that most of them were against the war but also the fact that even though they were still getting to experience new things and many of them felt freedom for the first time, they still did not get half as many opportunities or half as much praise as men did. This goes to show just how dedicated and considerate the women were, as they already knew before going into it that they were not going to be as revered or even made as much note of as the men were, and yet they still involved themselves as best as they could and tried to help out their country in whatever way they could. While many still to this day consider that women were 'not put in any harm', this is an absolutely ridiculous fact, as "on various different occasions the areas in which the women would be stationed would be run over, and they would be lucky to get away in time and escape death" (Anderson, 1947). Not only that, but most of the women had no weapons training, and even if they did it basically would not matter, as none of the women were ever actually allowed to use the weapons that they had been previously trained to use for their own safety. When we take a look at the other sides of things, and how certain women worked to show their rally against the war, rather than participating in it, there are many issues that are included within this as well. For instance, in opposition to the war in Vietnam, VOW (Voice of Women) "brought women from Vietnam to tour Canada on a well organized public speaking tour and to meet with American women at border points across the country at mass rallies" (Hartmann, 1982). Not only that, but as well, there were educational meetings which were held on the threat of nuclear war, and local VOW groups at that time also demonstrated in order to stop the war in Vietnam, protested the manufacture and sale of war toys and the violent nature of television programs, and knit thousands of baby articles and children's clothing for the children in war-torn Vietnam. VOW is in fact one of the most major and involved organizations when it comes to those which were involved with the war in Vietnam, and since its foundation in 1960, the organization has worked locally, nationally and internationally on a variety of issues, namely those which are related to matters such as peace, social justice, human rights and development. There are many objectives that are set out by this organization, and they include that of the following: To unite women in concern for the future of the world; To help promote the mutual respect and cooperation among nations necessary for peaceful negotiations between world partners; To protest war or the threat of war as the decisive method of exercising power; To appeal to all national leaders to cooperate in the alleviation of the causes of war by common action of the economic and social betterment of it all; and to provide a means for women to exercise responsibility for the family of humankind (Voice of Women, 2007). From this review we can conclude many different things, several of particular, and namely that of how incredibly significant women's participation in the Vietnam War was - both in regards to their participation in the actual war and in organizations which revolved around the war - especially when recognized in retrospect to their negative reaction towards the war itself. Thus, the fact that women even actually participated at all when most of them felt strongly against the war goes to show just how dedicated and responsible they were in serving their country. Women were true patriots, and they showed it by participating in the war in any way that they could, regardless of how they felt against the war. Then there were also the numerous different organizations and activities that some women were involved in outside of the war, such as VOW, for instance, which was a sort of anti-war group that the women were able to be involved with. Overall, we can quite clearly see that women - although absolutely not recognized enough for their participation then or now - were a large and significant part of the Vietnam War, both those were for the war and those who were against the war, and the outcome of the war itself would not have been what it was without the women who were involved. References Anderson, K (1947). Wartime Women: Sex Roles, Family Relations, & the Status of Women During World War II. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press. Carlson, M (2007). Women, the Unknown Soldiers, online article retrieved April 6, 2007, from http://www.deanza.edu/faculty/swensson/bestresearch_womensoldiers.html Firestone, J. M. & Robinson, C (1996). 'Enacting Traditional Roles in a Nontraditional Setting: Women Employed by the Red Cross in Vietnam', Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. Hartmann, S. M (1982). The Home Front and Beyond: American Women in the 1940s. Boston: Twayne Publishers. Litoff, J. B. & Smith, D. C (1991). Since You Went Away: World War II Letters From American Women on the Home Front. Kansas: University Press of Kansas. Voice of Women (2007). Our Mission, online article retrieved April 6, 2007, from http://home.ca.inter.net/vow/index.htm Winkler, A. M (1986). Home Front U.S.A.: America During World War II. Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson. Read More