Service members: The 1 percent we should talk about
Less than 1 percent of the U.S. population served in uniform — repeatedly deployed — and were all out front and exposed.
- NPT presents a 30-minute program called "Bridging the Civilian/Military Divide Town Hall."
- The show premieres on NPT at 10 p.m. CT. Sunday.
“Was your husband in the military?”
I was leaning in the back passenger door of my Jeep when I heard a man’s voice ask this question. We were in the parking lot of my son’s day care, and I was trying to persuade a wiggly 3-year-old to sit in his car seat when I turned to look out the door.
Behind my Jeep was a father with his own wiggly child — a little girl. He must have identified the perplexed look on my face, and he went on to say, “I was just wondering because you have a Bronze Star on your license plate.”
This father assumed the Bronze Star was my husband’s medal. Realizing this, I replied, “Yes, my husband is in the military, and the Bronze Star recognizes my service.” It was now my turn to witness a perplexed look. He uttered, “How?”
How? Most people have a general idea of what it takes to be awarded this medal. His question wasn’t about how I received it, but how, as a woman, did I receive the medal. With my son getting restless, I quickly responded, “I was also in the military and was deployed twice.”
He stared in disbelief and asked, “You mean to Iraq? Or Afghanistan?”
I replied, “Yes, both.” He nodded, gave an awkward smile and walked over to his car.
Salute to Success: A female veteran’s new uniform
On my drive home, I couldn’t shake that odd exchange. My first thought was how sad that a father of a young girl was coming from the limited starting place of what women can achieve, of understanding what women have already done.
Then, I thought, if people were that misinformed about a woman’s role in the military post 9/11, they were surely missing the point about how my Frontline Generation served post 9/11. Less than 1 percent of the U.S. population served in uniform — repeatedly deployed — and were all out front and exposed. And, we selflessly committed to each other and lived with purpose.
That stranger probably doesn’t know a service member who lost his life, either. This Memorial Day, and every one since 2010, I think about Cpl. Christopher Coffland, a soldier in my battalion who lost his life in combat in eastern Afghanistan.
We need to change the stereotypes of what it means to be a veteran because those stereotypes hold us back. And the truth is much better than movies or media may portray — veterans are men and women from all walks of life who step up to serve, to defend and protect our great country, and they put their lives on the line to do so. Furthermore, we need to change current misconceptions so that more people understand the value and realize they, too, can serve in uniform — even if they are a girl.
If you feel disconnected from the consequences of war this weekend, if you don’t know anyone in the 1 percent who served post 9/11, I encourage you to watch the thoughtful programming that Nashville Public Television has put together this weekend — from panels discussing the military-civilian divide to the National Memorial Day Concert. May you be informed and inspired. After all, service is a force that gives us meaning, it unites us, and can make us leaders. Please take the time to honor our nation’s heroes this weekend.
Marjorie K. Eastman is a Nashville Serving Veterans Community board member and a former commander and intelligence officer who served in the U.S. Army Reserve for 10 years. She is the author of "The Frontline Generation: How We Served Post 9/11," which will be released this fall on the 15th anniversary of 9/11.
Right to vote shouldn't be disregarded
If you watch
NPT is launching a second round of stories in the Veterans Coming Home series with a 30-minute "Bridging the Civilian/Military Divide Town Hall" premiering on NPT at 10 p.m. CT Sunday (with a re-air at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30).