Surviving Within: Helen Benedict Uncovers the Harsh Realities of Women in the Military

"I'm more afraid of men [in my unit] than I am with the enemy." Those were the words that Helen Benedict heard from several female soldiers. The enemy was within. Since March of 2003, more than 160,500 women have served in Iraq. More women have fought and died during this war than in any other since World War II, yet they still account for one in 10 soldiers. But behind their noble service and love for their country, many female soldiers find themselves in virtual isolation among men. Their seclusion, combined with the military's history of gender discrimination and the uniquely challenging conditions in Iraq, has resulted in a mounting epidemic of sexual abuse, physical degeneration, and emotional distress among many female soldiers.

Author Helen Benedict uncovers the harsh realities female soliders face in her latest book, The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women in Iraq. Weaving together the poignant and grueling accounts of the war in Iraq, Benedict offers new insight into the lives of women in the military, before, during, and after the war. The Lonely Soldier was released last month by Beacon Press and I recently spoke with Benedict about her latest work.

What was this work a culmination of? Why was this book started?

I followed the Iraq War from the beginning and I went to a vigil on the first anniversary [of the invasion]. That was when I met my first Iraq war veteran. He spoke about the lack of armor, the mistreatment of soldiers, and the number of civilians being killed. That piqued my interest because I thought that was a brave thing to say when you're in the Army in the climate. I went to a meeting he was part of and that was where I met my first female veteran, Mickiela Montoya, who I wrote about in the book. She said "nobody believes that I was at war because I'm a female." Then I found out one out of 10 soldiers are women and I was struck that we weren't seeing them in the front page, in documentaries, television, or anywhere. They were invisible. So, I interviewed her and she put my on to another military friend, and I went form there, mostly finding soldiers through veterans' groups. The women were very eager to talk to me because they all felt invisible. [So I grew] curious why women would enlist in the military and what it was like to be in combat. I didn't realize how much I'd find out about sexual abuse until I start talking to them. That's not what I went out looking for, although the first thing Montoya said to me "there's only three things the guys let you be in the military 'a bitch, a ho, or a dyke.'" I was hearing that from everyone. I wrote an article for Salon and I got a lot of response to that and a lot of women and men were writing to me saying "I've got more stories to tell" and I found many more soldiers that way.

What is it that the layperson doesn't understand most about women serving in Iraq?

First, you'd be amazed how many people don't know that women are in the military or even in ground combat in Iraq. Everybody still thinks of military women doing paperwork in the back room. I've had people tell me "you mean women are allowed to carry weapons?" Women have been allowed to carry weapons since after Vietnam. It's just astonishing how oblivious much of the civilian public is. They also don't understand how women experience the double trauma of combat and being harassed or assaulted by the men they're supposed to trust.

What were the most shocking things that you learned about women serving in Iraq?

The degree and the prevalence of sexual assault was shocking. The statistics I found looking at veterans from several of the past wars put together showed that 30% were raped, 71% were assaulted, and 90% were harassed. These are studies done with veterans who were funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. They were also published in Military Medicine or the Journal Against Violence Against Women. The numbers shocked me. But what also shocked me was how saturated the military is with misogyny. There was the horrible language about women that drill instructors routinely use to denigrate male soldiers. The most shocking of all to me was how many women are punished or threatened into silence when they try to report an assault. The attitudes are really bent on doing everything they can to shut these women up.

One of the things you mentioned early in the book was the amount of distrust between the military, which is a very insular institution, and the civilian world. Is this in any way playing a big role in why the armed forces are not willing to change? Why is that?

Well, in 2005, the armed forces started the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. They did that in response to pressure from Congress, who in turn responded to public pressure after Tailhook and other scandals came up. Most of it was a public relations effort. Although they've done some things that are valuable, such as anonymous reporting. So you could at least get help. There are some efforts. I can't say they haven't tried to do anything, but is it making a difference? It really has to come from within the culture from the top-down and the bottom-up.

In military and civilian life, it seems that men are predominantly the perpetrators against women and men in sexual and physical violence cases. What is being done to teach men to about violence against women and men?

There is prevention training that all recruits [are required to go through] and they just revamped it. It's been going on for a few years, but up until recently, it was a joke. It was like those trainings you receive in your freshman year in college. Everybody just laughs it off. One solider said to me, "we'd watch this and someone would lean over, pinch you on the ass and say 'Oh, I'm harassing you!'" That's was partly because the films perpetrated old stereotypes, like the sexy woman half-asking for it. Apparently, the new films and lectures they show are better. However, how much can you change a culture of misogyny with videos and lectures? It's better than nothing but it's not enough. What they need to do is put into place is real consequences, not only for the perpetrator but for the commander of the unit it's happening in. If the commander blocks an investigation, intimidates people into not reporting, or covers it up, she/he should be punished. We don't have enough of that.

Do many women become disillusioned with the military after they complete their military service?

Some feel horrified, betrayed, feel bitter and traumatized. They can't even go near a VA hospital. They won't go near veterans organizations because they tend to be male-dominated and hierarchical, just like the military. Even the sight of a solider can make someone throw up. But more often, I've found many are completely torn between one side of them that's loyal to the unit and the ideals of the military but they are also infuriated and horrified by the abuse and injustice. They're torn to whistle-blow or to be loyal. If you report the incident, you're turning against your best friends or your family. Soldiers are trained to see their soldiers as their family. It's even more traumatic when one assaults them because it's like incest. That is much more traumatizing than assault by a stranger because the very people you trusted turned against you. You can't go home at the end of the day. You have to live with them. It's a nightmare.

Do many women serving in the Iraq feel that men in the armed forces are a much bigger threat than the Iraqi resistance, Al Qaeda?

I had a lot of women say to me "I'm more afraid of men on the inside than I was with the enemy." I heard that a lot. Not all women feel that way, but I heard it often.

Many authors are using books as a means for social change. Do you see your book playing that same kind of role and if so, what do you hope The Lonely Solider will achieve?

I would like women who are considering the military to read this, so they know what they're going into. I would like it to stimulate true reform and to inspire men to be responsible and not turn a blind eye. This isn't something that's fun anymore. It's all about respect, respecting women and fellow soldiers.

Comments

[Darrell Maurina]

I found this article on WiredJourn­alists.com­. I'm a reporter outside Fort Leonard Wood, was earlier a reporter outside Cannon Air Force Base, and before that, a civilian contract employee in Army Public Affairs working for an on-post newspaper after 9/11 when I wanted to do something for my country.

I'm not saying problems don't happen -- I will soon cover the court-martial of a soldier accused of raping and killing another soldier's wife. But I know many women serving in the engineer, military police and chemical branches of the Army and I am well-known for not putting up with intimidation tactics. If any local reporter would get a call about an abuse case being hushed up by the Army, it would be me, and I'm just not getting those calls.

What I hear is if somebody doesn't listen to "no" the first time, the best second response is "H--l no!!!!!" and almost all guys walk away. One "no" should be enough, but I saw much worse stuff in college 25 years ago than in today's Army.

The best long-term solution is more female officers and senior NCOs -- especially those who experienced garbage as junior enlisted personnel. I don't mean just senior leaders -- I mean people average soldiers deal with. As the percentage of women in the military increases, fewer and fewer will be willing to risk their careers knowing they'll have to face an angry female company commander or first sergeant.

[BeulahBell]

Other countries have girls in the military. How do they handle this problem? European male soldiers probably are not dissimilar from their US comrades-in-arms in their sexual urges?

[Spiderxx1]

Things will change under President Obama.

[BeulahBell]

You wanna buy a bridge in Brooklyn?

[chaya]

I'm a female veteran. I found sexism in the military nearly intolerable in the 70's, but almost gone in the 80's. We had pretty much taken care of it. When I left, I felt like a respected soldier. Since then I've been retired--and I have to say I'm startled by this article. Sexism appears to be much worse than it was even in the post-Vietnam 70's.

I think there is a good reason for this: I have noticed that the Army is whiter than it has been since before the Civil War, and that it is absolutely jam-packed with Southerners and fundamentalist right-wing Christians. These people volunteered to fight the invisible enemy, the legions of Satan, and swallowed whole their leaders' lies about Iraq's connections with Al Qaeda and mass weapons. (There were none of either). That kind of person, the unthinking authoritarian, also tends to be sexist. Combined with the violent aspect of war, that equals violence.

Worse than this, though, is my belief that the leadership of the military, from Bush on down, completely dropped the ball. It has to come from the leadership, and the leadership apparently has stopped caring about what we called "EO training."

Just one more way the GOP broke the U. S. Army. It can ill afford to ill-treat some of the hardest working and most effective members of the U. S. military.

[Pearlswan]

What are you talking about? I am also a female veteran and served in the first co-ed platoon in the US Army. We were filmed for a Good Morning America segment in 1979. I served until 1984. I was harrassed for the entire service tour. It was obvious the military did not want women. If you were a woman you always had to be on guard for sexual assault or rape. It was only a matter of time before you got indoctrinated by being forced to "give it up" and then to "shut-up" about it too. The only friend I trusted was my M-16. If the male soldiers were afraid of you, you had some measure of protection, but not enough. Add lots of alcohol to the situation and the problem worsens. I didn't see much chance of advancement as a female soldier so when my tour was up, I got out. It was no place for a woman. I found that out first hand and I was raised with 5 brothers so I'm no wimp, either. The military is a breeding ground for misogynist thought and behavior, then and now. Although the misogyny sounds more openly violent now. Back then, we kept our mouths shut because we were fighting to be accepted and to stay. Now, keeping silent seems to be a matter of procedure. It is scandalous. Women can't fight this battle alone. Do Israeli female soldiers suffer the same fate, I wonder?

[moongal6]

The only glimmer of hope was the paragraph were she talked about prevention training.
"it's been going on for a few years, but up until recently, it has been a joke".
It's the "but up until RECENTLY" that gives me hope. It seems that this administration will take this issue more seriously than the previous one.

[BMLT]

This is one of the reasons that makes one have second thoughts about joining the military even if one does get free education,etc. the reality that these stories really do happen.

[ShiBear]

There's a quota for women in the armed forces This article says 10% of the military population are women, that's the highest its ever been and the military and civilians who command our armed forces deliberately keep it that way.

I was a female NCO in the Air Force from 1978 to 1985. I complained about the rampant discrimination against and harassment of women "airmen" from my second year forward. I was labeled a malcontent but pushed on and prospered in spite of them. Not all of the men were bad but most of those who treated me with respect themselves did nothing to stop others, which makes them equaly culpible. And you know, my mother, who was a Marine back in the 40s told me horror stories about how badly she and other women Marines were treated. So "uncovering" the truth...? makes it sound like its something new.

[moongal6]

Yes, and this article doesn't even mention the women in Iraq that became sick and died from not wanting to make a trip to the latrine because they had to pass the men's area to get there. They ended up getting kidney and bladder infections so serious, that some died.

[Brattlerouser]

I'm reading the book right now and one of the female soldiers Benedict interviews mention that same thing. Thanks for pointing that out moongal6.

[M1]

Thank you for this article. It is a horrible reality to face but face it this nation must.

[llisa]

"The statistics I found looking at veterans from several of the past wars put together showed that 30% were raped, 71% were assaulted, and 90% were harassed."

This does not surprise me at all. I would imagine that if a study was done on women in universities in the 70's, the results would be very similar. At least, that is the impression I got when talking to university women when I was a student in the 70's and was encountering men (including professors) who still thought it was A-OK to do anything they wanted to women. And it was, evidently OK. There were no repercussions (for the men). The women became known as agitators and troublemakers.

I think that until women are in more positions of authority in the military, this will continue to happen. This (and the probability of war) is the reason we discouraged our oldest daughter to sign up for ROTC to help pay for college a decade ago.

As long as coaches, leaders, parents, etc. humiliate boys by calling them girls; as long as behavior demeaning to women is modeled for boys as acceptable; as long as this sort of behavior is covered up, laughed at, considered "boys will be boys" behavior, the lot of women in the military, in business, in school, in life will not improve.

[BeulahBell]

You must be mistaken. American men don't call other American men "girlie men"!

[Seldon]

"30% were raped, 71% were assaulted, and 90% were harassed"

OMG those stats are HORRIBLE!

I can see how commander's may feel that disrupting unit cohesion over something as "petty" as sexual harassment is not doable - but this attitude needs to change. How despicable.

[GreatNews27]

1. Impoverish the middle class.
2. Crash the ecomony.
3. Make the military the only option for employment
4. Use the military to secure oil reserves for Big Oil.
5. Enable violence toward women in the military by not enforcing the law.
6. Sit back with the buds in the new Dallas digs and look forward to bike riding and lieberry buildin'.