Today, the big, three-column, above-the-fold statement photo on the front page of every edition of the New York Times makes quite a statement, without saying anything at all.
The photo accompanies a story about the Obama administration’s internal debate over whether to escalate troops in Afghanistan and depicts a group of four soldiers sitting on the dirt in Afghanistan. The caption nonchalantly reads, “American Marines rested at a makeshift patrol base in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday.”
But on closer inspection, these aren’t your typical Marlboro Marines. One soldier has a ponytail, and wait, yes, the other three appear to be women too.
But they’re not labeled as “female Marines.” Just “Marines.” Plain and simple. No big deal. Just a bunch of soldiers doing their jobs. Nothing to see here.
As it should be. Cheers to that.
just a bunch of Marines digging the knives out their backs that our “commander in chief” buried there
#1 Posted by Todd, CJR on Thu 8 Oct 2009 at 04:18 PM
Hello, just saw your comments on the picture of female Marines, and wanted to pass this along:
"As the idea of women joining the World War II Marine Corps spread,
the American public thought they would be given some catchy moniker
as the women in the other services had. The Army’s WAACs— later WACs
(Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, later Women’s Army Corps), the Navy’s
WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), and the
Coast Guard’s SPARS (U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserve) were popular
nicknames with the public.
Ironically, Holcomb, who had resisted allowing women into the Marine
Corps, was opposed to any nickname, which he thought would
marginalize the female Marines. In a March 27, 1944, interview with
Life magazine he was quoted, “They are Marines. They don’t have a
nickname, and they don’t need one. They get their basic training in
a Marine atmosphere at a Marine post. They inherit the traditions of
Marines. They are Marines.”
http://www.moaa.org/magazine/November2003/f_women.asp
— Leslie
(Muncie, Indiana)
#2 Posted by Leslie, CJR on Tue 10 Nov 2009 at 09:34 AM