Posted on Mar 5, 2018
1LT Cadet
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MSgt Nondestructive Inspection (NDI)
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It is a way of looking at things. To me I am a setvice member who happens to be female NOT a female service member. The same goes for my civilian job which is mostly men. I am an engineer that happens to be female not a female engineer. I don’t let the fact that I am female be the dominating force of my identity. I am female. I have always been female. My husband knows that I am not a typical girly girl. My kids know it too. Don’t let one part of you define the whole of you you are as a person! Most men I’ve worked with have been great. Occasionally someone will get a bit over the line and I tend to deal with it then and there. I think we are more governed by our temperament/ personality types than our gender. My uniform is more towards the baggy side of things. When I am at drill or activated I do my job and work to be the best inspector possible. When supervising young airmen I treat them all the same. I value competence above any perceived “group identity”.
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SFC Intelligence Analyst
SFC (Join to see)
6 y
SSgt Michelle Chadwick - They have to be identified male or female in DEERS. There has been no other option. The transition thing isn't that difficult either. I had two classes about it in the last year and I'm Army. Once at my unit - once at my NCOES school.
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MSG Don Burt
MSG Don Burt
6 y
Why did it take you 17 sentences to convey to everyone that you're a female, engineer, a wife/mother. We just can't seem get away from the feminist attitude that tend to wreck havoc within this PC era.
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MSgt Nondestructive Inspection (NDI)
MSgt (Join to see)
6 y
MSG Don Burt - you honestly think I am a feminist? You are kidding me, right?
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2LT Thomas Bertelsen
2LT Thomas Bertelsen
6 y
A girl I went to school with is an Orthopedic Surgeon. Very rare. Still, when we get in a war of anihilation we will need women to be mothers.
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MAJ Contracting Officer
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Edited 6 y ago
Both sad and wise advise depending on the behavior. Any Soldier acting respectfully, within regulation, and UCMJ parameters should be free from any and all hostile work environments.
how you act and talk can certainly be changed to best suit your environment, but I cannot see how you "wear the uniform so as to not draw attention to yourself." The uniform is what the uniform is per AR 670-1, if you are getting harassed because of wearing your uniform this needs to be reported to either the chain of command or to the IG if your chain is part of the issue. No Soldier should ever feel threatened because of adhering to AR 670-1. If you care to expound a bit likely you'll get some more helpful responses, especially as all of us know that there are terrible units out there and some very despicable predators within and outside our ranks.
Wish you the best.
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1LT Cadet
1LT (Join to see)
6 y
MAJ (Join to see) - can't avoid bad apples. goes to both sexes. I find myself being harsher to females anyways when they do obvious baiting.
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MAJ Contracting Officer
MAJ (Join to see)
6 y
SSgt Michelle Chadwick - Somehow I think you skipped over my two posts and posted something unrelated, I don't follow your logic... Thankfully today's army is not the same army as 1970. That crap would get any leader dismissed from the service. The good thing today is complaints get an investigation where secondary witnessess usually come forward, when you have three corroborating witnesses the case become very straightforward, unfortunately predators are smart enough to act out when they are alone with a female, but they are too stupid to realize that if they do it to three separate females while alone their excuses fail to withstand scrutiny. It's sad we can't prosecute criminals for every case, but if a predator is doing it to you he is doing it to others or has in the past. A good investigation will reveal that unless the chain of command is the problem.
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Sgt William Pierson
Sgt William Pierson
6 y
SSgt Michelle Chadwick - throwing wrenches ....does the cost of lost wrenches cost the same as a gentleman of grand stature ? Now this might be a stronger issue
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2LT Thomas Bertelsen
2LT Thomas Bertelsen
6 y
MAJ (Join to see) - “Discovery!”
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SFC Intelligence Analyst
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I was raised by four brothers and basically single dad - I've always been a tomboy and more comfortable around guys. But when I first came in, I did try to be like "one of the guys" to avoid harassment or any of that. Now I wish I hadn't. No one should have to do that to get respect. I still got sexually harassed and one time a so called friend sexually assaulted me (not rape).

Now I honestly don't care. If someone is going to just look at me differently because I have a vagina that's their problem. Not mine.
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1LT Cadet
1LT (Join to see)
6 y
I grew up on a farm and was always in competition with my older brother. I was considered a tomboy. However, having this image of yourself as "one of the boys" then being treated different or like an object made me struggle with my self image. Especially once I joined and was always harassed, stalked, followed, etc. I had one NCO that NEVER looked me in the eyes. Always at my chest. One time I stopped talking, he looked up, realized what he was doing, and looked me in the eyes. I asked him, extremely sarcastically if there was something on my uniform because he always seems to be looking everywhere but my eyes. He said no. From then on, avoided conversations with me.
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SN Greg Wright
SN Greg Wright
6 y
SFC (Join to see) Heh well that answers that, SFC. Kelly is androgynous so I always wondered which you were. On a serious note, I'm sorry you had problems like that. No one should. Both of you. 1LT (Join to see)
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SFC Intelligence Analyst
SFC (Join to see)
6 y
SN Greg Wright - It says female in my profile...I don't know why it's just automatically that male looking shadow avatar even if you select female.

Unfortunately it's been the culture of the military for...ever. Hopefully some of these guys get weeded out.
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SN Greg Wright
SN Greg Wright
6 y
SFC (Join to see) - Huh. Didn't know profiles had an option for gender. As for the picture, yeah. There's a few things I wish RP did differently.
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