Customer Reviews

The Few. The Proud.: Women Marines in Harm's Way (Praeger Security International)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sheldon's work is exemplary in many ways, most of all the crafting of these individual Marine's stories. These women Marines all have unique experiences and thoughts about their time in Iraq and the Corps in general. Sara's personal handling of the stories brings them to life and gives these women a voice to tell a story that most of us cannot fathom and many wish they could experience for themselves. "Would I be `good enough' in that kind of stress?"

These stories bring to light the real life impact women have and the critical roles they play in today's military. Normal, yet exemplary individuals, these women are role models for many while maintaining the low profile as you would expect of good Marines. Sheldon's artful arrangement of their stories brings out a certain humility as well as an understanding that they play important roles while facing challenges that are similar, yet different than their male counterparts. To a woman, I bet they would all say; "I'm just doing my job."

The point of the book (I believe) is to bring these personal stories to `the rest of us.' It's a quick and interesting read that will keep you motivated to turn the page if you are remotely interested in the topic. As a (male) former infantry Marine, I had little contact with women except in the armory and perhaps the infirmary, but the facts have changed in the past decade. Policy questions are not the topic of this work, but some of the women provide, in their own words, their thoughts on women in combat and the implications. Other books do a wonderful job of analyzing this policy across time and various conflicts, but often forget that the subjects are people with interesting and unique stories to tell.

I guess you can say I really enjoyed the book!

Marines take pride in the fact that we don't wear organizational or unit patches on our uniforms and that it is only the "Eagle, Globe and Anchor" worn above (and in) our hearts that matters. The spirit of this shines radiantly through Sara Sheldon's work "The Few, The Proud: Women Marines in Harm's Way". She has done a service by cogently capturing the Iraq war contributions of Marines who happen to be women.

On the plus side, her extensive, on-scene interviews realistically and accurately capture the lives, challenges, concerns, stresses and joys of the Marines as they serve Corps and Country in Iraq. As a recently retired active duty-Marine infantry officer (who had the privilege to command infantry Marines in combat) my judgment is that "she gets it right." I offer a hearty "Bravo Zulu" to her for this; not to forget full props in recognition that it's a gutsy 70-year old--of any gender--who straps on a helmet and flak jacket and goes off to a war zone to see for themselves.

On the "could do better side", her narrative suggests she doesn't fully understand the policy on women in combat, which ultimately is detrimental to her account. Officially, and as captured in a 1994 Secretary of Defense memo, women are barred from serving in units "below the Brigade level whose primary mission is direct ground combat." Direct ground combat is further defined as "...engaging an enemy on the ground with individual or crew-served weapons, while being exposed to hostile fire and to a high probability of direct physical contact with the hostile force's personnel. Direct ground combat takes place well forward on the battlefield while locating and closing with the enemy to defeat them by fire, maneuver, or shock effect."

When dealing with the restrictions of women in combat, Ms. Sheldon misses an opportunity to open a re-examination of this delineation through the lens of a frontless battle in Iraq. In truth, the combat exclusion is directed towards excluding women from certain occupational specialties--such as infantry--and is not exclusionary towards exposing women to the chance that they will be called upon to give the 'last full measure of devotion." The topic is exceptionally relevant to the main thrust of Ms. Sheldon's otherwise exemplary account and its absence is my principal reason for not giving her work top marks.

All of this said and understood, I recommend "The Few, The Proud: Women Marines in Harm's Way" to any interested in the general topics of US Marines; US Forces in Iraq; Combat Service Support; and the experiences of women in combat situations.

Sara Sheldon cuts right to the heart and soul of what women Marines do in a war zone. Her interviews with women holding different ranks and experiences highlight the difficulties women have when working in "a guy's world". Being a Marine brings the same level of confidence to both the male and female when it comes to doing their assignments. Multiple times Ms Sheldon hears about the special bond Marines have with one another. This bond comes from knowing you are one of the elite and share a purpose only other Marines understand. Kudo's to Sara Sheldon for telling the "woman's" story.