Female Marine gets respect

[thedrifter]

Female Marine gets respect
February 2, 2006 6:59 am
By CATHY DYSON

Marine Capt. Lauren Edwards was asked to speak to a group of retired Marines yesterday, to give a woman's perspective on life in the Corps.

By the end of her remarks, veterans who had seen combat in three different wars were treating the 5-foot-2-inch officer and Harley-Davidson rider like one of the guys.

"You speak the language and everything, and you're as much a Marine as any of us," said Bob Taubert, a Fredericksburg resident and Vietnam veteran.

Edwards spoke during the Semper Fi Luncheon, a monthly gathering of retired Marines in the Fredericksburg area.

The luncheon is always held at Box Seats, the restaurant in the Liberty Lanes bowling alley at Massaponax.

Don Freeman, who organized the group three years ago, wanted a female speaker because February marks the 63rd anniversary of women joining the Corps.

Women served as clerks during World War I, but it wasn't until 1943 that the Marine Corps Women's Reserve was created.

Now, women make up about 6 percent of the Marine Corps--which numbered 177,480 in September 2005, according to Quantico Marine Corps Base.

Edwards is one of 1,096 female officers.

She paid homage to those of both genders who came before her.

"My 71/2 years of experience pale in comparison to the legacy you've left behind for all of us," she said. "Thank you all for your years of service."

Edwards is assigned to the headquarters at Quantico, where she monitors assignments involving officers.

When Freeman introduced her to the mostly male group of about 50 Marines, he told them Edwards goes by both her first name and a nickname.

"With this group, she said 'Eddie' would be fine," Freeman said.

She had the men recalling some of their own war stories as she talked about her tour of duty in Iraq. She commanded a unit of 150 Marines that was responsible for refueling tanks and trucks headed into battle.

Her team supported those fighting in Nazarea, in southern Iraq, and followed units into Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein.

Her time there produced one of her favorite memories--and some chuckles as she shared it.

The Marines were tired of their daily rations, called Meals Ready to Eat, when someone heard about a private herd of gazelle that Hussein kept for hunting. Marines weren't supposed to shoot at the animals because of the crossfire it would create, so one of the men in Edwards' unit rigged up a spear and painted his face in camouflage.

When he brought the gazelle back, one of the women volunteered to field-dress it.

"We had a great little feast," Edwards said.

She answered questions about reactions she received from Iraqis, as a woman and a Marine. She was there in 2003, when there weren't insurgent bombings almost daily, and the people were thrilled to see the Americans, she said.

"It's almost two different wars," she said.

Taubert, the Marine who commended her because she "walks the walk and talks the talk," also admitted he was a male chauvinist who believes women should not be in combat.

But he also believes in giving credit where it's due, and he praised women who had done well when they'd been forced into combat by insurgents.

Edwards said she understands his concerns. Often, people worry about how much it will cost to build facilities for females and "Where is she going to go to the head?"

But when Marines are traveling through war zones in the desert and sleeping in their vehicles, gender doesn't seem much of an issue, Edwards said.

"You count on the person who is to your left and your right," she said. "At some point, you are just brothers and sisters."

To reach CATHY DYSON: 540/374-5425
Email: cdyson@freelancestar.com

Ellie

[MillRatUSMC]

Ok I been corrected on a link to that news article...the correct term is Woman Marine not Female Marine.
The correction was done by a Woman Marine, who thinking about E-Mailing the author of the article on the correct term.

[jgorosco]

WM sounds good

[Lorix]

Female Marine! Female Marine! Female Marine!!! Call me a WM and see what happens!

[Wyoming]

Female Marine! Female Marine! Female Marine!!! Call me a WM and see what happens!

I suppose BAM is totally out of the question, not to mention WAM.


Anyway, why not simply, Marine?

[Arlene Horton]

Thanks, "Big Al". I agree with you....Marine works for me. Semper Fi

[enviro]

Yeah - I was in when the WM moniker somehow became taboo. I say BS. Having a wife that is a Marine, I know that most WM's think it's BS too. Of course, I'm pretty sure members of the WM Association think it's BS as well. Somehow a FM is better than a WM?

http://www.womenmarines.org/

[Lorix]

I suppose BAM is totally out of the question, not to mention WAM.


Anyway, why not simply, Marine?

Anyone calls me a BAM, I will make sure they never have kids. Marine works for me, I have no problem with that. FM?... Sounds like a radio. No abbreviations, call us Marines, Women Marines, Female Marines, but don't call us FM's and definately not WM's or BAM's, or you'll find out why tell call me the Nutcracker!

[yellowwing]

Anyway, why not simply, Marine?

Give brother Al a break. I've served with some outstanding Marines that just happened to be female. I carried out their orders without exception. They carried themselves with the highest miltitary bearing and pride.

[Arlene Horton]

Well, Yellowwing, you did it again! You always seem to be able to take something aggravating and neuter it and make it acceptable. Thank you.