Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Strong Man = Strong Woman?

It all started with graphics like this =
i took this from a milspouse group on facebook

I've seen a couple images like this now. I hate them. I completely disagree with this statement.

My first argument - There are MANY strong, smart, talented Soldiers who are not married. They don't have the support of a wife, yet they still do their jobs and live good lives. 

Now you might say, what about their mothers? Yes, all of those soldiers have a mother. We don't get into this world any other way. But how do we know what their mothers were like? What if a Soldier's mother died when he was very young and he was raised by his father? What if his mother was a POS and he grew up strong, loyal, and loving despite the odds? Even a strong mother is not a guarantee.

Especially in the past year, what about gay Soldiers? There are more and more Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Seamen who are marrying their partners in states where it is legal. They still do not get federal recognition for this commitment. And there is no strong Army wife in their life. Who's going to recognize their strong Army husbands?

Which brings up my final argument - do women not make strong Soldiers? What about the Army husbands that ARE recognized by the Army? They are just as supportive, loving, and giving as Army wives, if not more so for their acceptance of a stereotypical female role - the supportive spouse. How do they feel when they see these super girly images that seem to ignore their existence? 

So no, I will not ever share images like this one. I do love my husband, and I support my husband in all he does, but he also loves me and supports me. He would still be strong if I were not around. He would probably have joined the Army sooner, and gone into a combat position. 

It is not the spouse that makes a Soldier good or bad, it is the Soldier. And I just can't let statements like these run around without putting my thoughts out there. So here are my thoughts - This graphic is total bullshit. (I didn't even get into the discussion of bad wives who drag their Soldiers down with them!)