Thankful for Veterans
Words by: Maggie Laubscher | Music by: Abby Yemm
Eloise Ellis, senior supervisor in the Assembly and Repairs Department of the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1942 (Photo by Howard R. Hollem/Getty Images)
Veterans Day -- November 11 of each year -- honors our living military veterans in this country. Last year, we wrote about women in the military. This year, we continue the conversation.
What better way to do that than by highlighting some of our favorite reads and listens of late, all about women in the military. There are triumphs and disappointments, tragedy and small improvements. And in all of it, there are our fellow humans who serve in our military. The ones who train and persevere and stand up and protect.
It’s easiest to go about our days none the wiser. It’s powerful and enlightening to learn. To honor Veterans Day is to talk about and listen to our military -- the politics and the improvements and the setbacks. All of it.
Today and every day, we thank them for their service and their protection. Read on for reccos and insights that have touched us of late. xo
A PODCAST - One of the most impactful podcast episodes we’ve listened to in awhile is You’re Wrong About’s Shannon Faulkner & Sex Discrimination at The Citadel episode. Shannon was The Citadel’s first female student in 1994, and she was dragged through the mud for it. The podcast takes a refreshing look back at Shannon’s experience and the media’s coverage of it.
A DEEP DIVE - This week’s Elle piece asks, Why can’t the military fix its violence against women problem? It’s a powerful article by Molly Langmuir and well worth a read. It opens with the story of Airman Natasha Aposhian, who was gunned down by a fellow soldier. It goes on to touch on Vanessa Guillen, who we’ve written about previously, and builds to a larger look at violence against women in the military.
A TRAILBLAZER - The first female soldier just graduated from the US Army's elite sniper school (we would love to include her name, but it hasn’t been made known). It’s a fascinating news piece by Oren Liebermann. Read the full story on CNN, First woman graduates from US Army's sniper school.
A DIVERSITY UPDATE - The military is pushing for more diversity, but the numbers are slow moving and can be misleading. While the military is becoming more diverse across gender, the gains aren’t equitable across women of various races and ethnicities. Read more here: Women of color are lagging behind in Air Force’s push for diversity.
An Abby Yemm playlist for you…
A playlist by Abby Yemm, Nellie + teacher + artist + dj
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