The Future of Women in the Military: Mental Toughness Required?

The Buzz 1: “During the Revolutionary War, women served the U.S. Army in traditional roles as nurses, seamstresses and cooks for troops in camp. Some courageous women served in combat either alongside their husbands or disguised as men, while others operated as spies for the cause. Though not in uniform, women shared Soldiers' hardships, including inadequate housing and little compensation.” [www.army.mil] The Buzz 2: “The U.S. military has been one of America’s most progressive institutions…But it also embodies a traditional, conservative, and in some ways “macho” culture…There is so much further to go and addressing these issues of gender equity will not be easy.” [brookings.edu/essay co-written by retired General Lori J. Robinson] We’ll ask Colonel Deb Lewis, Major General Suzanne P. Vares-Lum, former US Army officer Donna Matturro McAleer and Chief Warrant Officer Five Phyllis Wilson to predict The Future of Women in the Military: Mental Toughness Required?