We Served Too: An Analysis

A social problem we face today, though it is arguable and seemingly only a social problem for women, is gender discrimination. As it stands, world women gain significantly less in wages overall compared to the male population. In fact, “women working full time earn 77% as much as men.” And, just until quite recently women were discriminated against in not being allowed to do certain jobs that were thought of as “men’s work.” A place where this was harbored was in the U.S. military, just to name an example (129). With renowned movements galore such as the renowned feminist movement, gender discrimination is on a seemingly solidified path set for decline as it has been in some ways such as women now being able to work in any career, but yet still

not making as much in income in same facets. Gender discrimination is illegal, as it should be, yet it still occurs (128). Why does that happen? And most importantly, why are we saying ‘gender discrimination’ when it seemingly is only female discrimination?
In truth, the reality is entirely true that women are just as capable as men are.

And the book, “We Served Too: The Story of the Airforce Service Pilots of World War II” elaborates on just that. It takes readers from female empowerment to the gender discrimination and gender stereotyping they endured all the while being powerful all set around the second World War. World War II was the first real and authentic experience and opportunity for American women to be able to branch out from what once was their typical traditional occupations. Rather than the prospects of being a homemaker, nurse, or teacher because it was the social norm of the day, women now were very much able to explore other interests and occupations. Women could now work in factories, but cooler than that women could now explore the aviation industry and women could now join the war effort itself exclusively in noncombatant roles in the military overseas as well as within the border of the U.S (1,

4).
The fact of the matter is that after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 and the reactive declaration of war on Japan that soon after followed, America was united.

And likewise, Americans themselves were united. Everyone wanted to help win the war and claim victory for the U.S. regardless of the things that may or may not define them such as their gender, or their ability, or their race (1). It was no surprise that men enlisted consistently and all at once in the masses, and they too seemingly left all at once. With the majority of the male population fighting the war in some form or fashion, the U.S. government realized that the people left at home now where mostly women. So the government thought about what the women could do now to be of benefit for the country, as well as the war effort. As again, everyone was united for the war effort and willing to help in doing their part to bring victory to the United States (4).
The government launched campaign after campaign consistently looking to appeal to women with the idea to really get women excited all the more in supporting the war effort so much so that they would literally show up and take part. Campaigns would say statements such as, “Replace A Man for Combat” and “Do the job HE left behind.” And just like that, women joined with duties such as handling parachutes, operating radios, driving and maintaining trucks and vehicles, working in control towers, and working in the intelligence field

(4).
And in total 350,000 served in the military during World War II. There were several different services a female could serve her country in during this time: the Women Army’s Auxiliary Corps, the Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, the Coast Guard’s Semper Paratus Always Ready, the Army Nurse Corps, and the Army Air Force (4).
On the surface, this all sounds wonderful and especially so looking at it retrospectively basked in the millennial, female empowerment standpoint of today. Women were taking charge, and likewise kicking ass in their own way like they never before. And indubitably the females were doing incredible work in supporting the war effort. The downside of absolutely everything was that the female presence was not so much cherished by the men they served alongside of. Seemingly they were mostly all despised in some way great or small and treated egregiously unfairly, and dare one say inhumanely. The females, who only wanted to further benefit their country and help seize and win the war, faced a terrible amount of slander (5).
The men they served alongside of bantered at the moral values of the females seemingly tried to tear them apart. They questioned intensively why a female would ever want to go into military service. And to further harm the ladies’ character, the men purposely created an ideology and a stigma against the females in the military service, that they were only around to “service” the men and to “keep them happy.” Even more nasty rumors spread against the females from the men, that 90% of the women in military service were prostitutes and that 40% of them were pregnant (5). All irrational, and horrid gender stereotyping.
The reality that the females faced, from their male colleagues, as a result of their honorary service in the military was a complete injustice. And the government itself recognized this, as President Roosevelt himself and the First Lady stood and denounced all rumors against the females in military service and completely called out such heinous accusations against the women spread by the men they served alongside of as incorrect. Congress itself called for real and likewise legitimate statistics to be served which proved that a very, very minute percentage of all the women involved in military service (5).
The whole story within the covers of “We Served Too: The Story of the Airforce Service Pilots of World War II” truly makes one wonder what it may have been like to receive such harsh criticism from those who seemingly have the same motives for serving your country as you do, yet they do not accept your reasoning as adequate enough even though it is just the same as their own. The title indeed does the story justice because they did, the women served too regardless if they received the appreciation they deserved as risk takers and members of the U.S Armed Forces.
If anything, “We Served Too: The Story of the Airforce Service Pilots of World War II” proved to be a glory for female empowerment displaying female determination that though these females were treated so heinously just for simply being females, let’s be honest here, they carried on with themselves and there’s something in doing that that is truly applaudable regardless of who you are or what gender you are, dare I say.
“We Served Too: The Story of the Airforce Service Pilots of World War II” proved to be a great and inspiring read. Its strength was in the clarity of its message, and its weakness that perhaps it wasn’t raw enough. Give me the dirt and the reality of it all as a reader. As a reader, I want to know what specifically these men said all the more, and if there was any violence and/or other abuse against the women that occurred within the frame of military service. But overall, “We Served Too: The Story of the Airforce Service Pilots of World War II” was a wonderful and inspiring message about female empowerment, while highlighting the reality that women have and do face when it comes to gender discrimination and gender stereotyping.