Women in a man's world : American women in the war in Vietnam

Abstract

This dissertation examines the experiences of American women who served in Vietnam during the War and how attitudes toward gender and war in the 1960s affected the selection and use of women in the war zone. As many as 55,000 American military and civilian women served in Vietnam; 7,500 military women and numerous civilian women. Women were primarily recruited for sex-specific jobs such as nursing, teaching, clerical work and recreational and library services. They worked for the Red Cross, Army Special Services, USO, DOD or State Department, and a host of voluntary humanitarian aid organizations, news organizations, and on commercial airlines transporting troops into Vietnam. The majority of women who responded to this study were in their early twenties, white, middle-class, and college educated when they went to Vietnam. older women served as administrators and supervisors, in career slots, and with humanitarian aid organizations. Military nurses were recruited but cultural attitudes toward women and war limited the number of nonmedical servicewomen in Vietnam. The women went to Vietnam for adventure and travel; a chance to advance their careers; or offer humanitarian aid or patriotic service. Most went at the request of the government. They arrived psychologically and physically unprepared for working in a war zone. Cultural attitudes that required men to protect women and did not train women to protect themselves left them more vulnerable. In Vietnam there were no safe areas and the enemy could be anyone, including American servicemen. They found ways to protect themselves from innuendos and propositions, but American servicemen raped some women and one was murdered. At least 63 American women died in Vietnam; 8 military nurses and 55 civilian women. At the end of their tour, they came home to a country that did not want to hear about their experiences. Some women repressed emotions which surfaced later as PTSD. Healing began for many when they were able to talk about their experiences. With the dedication of the Vietnam memorials, many began to feel welcomed home.