…and the “changing world of work”
By Jasmaine Payne
AMONG the highest forms of demonstration of patriotism is the provision of service to one’s country through serving in the military. The military has remained a male-dominated
establishment throughout its history and the role of women in the military, particularly in combat, has been one surrounding much debate. Globally, it is only as recent as the 1970s that women have begun to serve active duty in all of the military branches.
Much like other countries, women have made strides within the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), since the establishment of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in 1967. The recruitment of women in the GDF occurred out of a need for the army to fill the gap created following the deployment of a large number of male ranks to protect Guyana’s territory which was threatened as a result of Venezuela’s seizure of Ankoko Island in the Cuyuni River in 1966. In the 50 years since the establishment of the WAC,women have moved from limited positions to flying aircraft and military ships, serving at border locations, tactical patrols and undertaking other “male dominated” roles.
Women in the Guyana Defence Force
Retired Col. Christine King speaks highly of the opportunities afforded to women in the GDF during her years of service and of the changing roles of women within the army over the years. King, who retired from the GDF in 2005, described her experience as “mixed”, but attests that it was generally enjoyable. “As a young woman,I admired the Women’s Army Corps and I thought that if I joined I could also make a difference with the women in the force,” she said. “I think like anything else, you can’t expect everything to be perfect. It’s a work environment, so there might have been experiences that were not good ones but I think the good ones outweighed the experiences I was not happy about.”
The WAC was a decade old by the time King joined the force in 1977, but even then, she said that the number of women in the army was still relatively small in comparison to the males, and the roles they occupied were mostly clerical and administrative. “There were a few female soldiers scattered throughout the force,mostly in catering, in the office, switchboard operators, waitresses,” she said. She remembered that there were also a very small number of women occupying non-traditional roles such as drivers and pilots. Among those, she names Cheryl Moore and Beverly Drakes (two of the first female pilots in the GDF) as well as Barbara Adams (the first female helicopter pilot) as women who challenged gender roles in the army at the time.
King, herself, took the course of administrative work within the army, serving as Personal Assistant to then Col. Ulric Pilgrim and Brigadier David Granger during their respective posts as Commander of the GDF. King’s service was broken due to time taken to study in 1986 at the University of Guyana, where she earned a Degree in Sociology,and then in 1990 when she read for her Masters in Social Work at the Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Upon her return to Guyana, King lectured at the University of Guyana for four years, but returned to the GDF as a Major. Over the years,King served as Base Commander for Base Ayangana and Commanding Officer of the Women’s Army Corps,among other roles. While overseeing the work of the WAC,she felt it was important to address the needs of women in the army, and this led to her holding quarterly seminars with members of the WAC. “A lot of social issues would be dealt with, from parenting issues, to issues of domestic violence, to even current affairs,” she said. “It was important to address topics that were relative to women that shouldn’t be kept in the dark, because they needed to know what was going on around them, and it would help to build their self-esteem.”
By the time she left the GDF in 2005, King said that she had been privileged to witness many improvements in the roles of women in the GDF. “By that time, more women got the opportunity to go to University, some had the opportunity to do training abroad and many other opportunities had opened up for them,” she said. And while she does not believe there is much of a barrier for upward movement for women in the GDF, she still wishes to see a female Chief-of-Staff sometime in the future, but she is aware that women are not fully exposed to the type of training that would take them to the levels that would allow them to achieve that height.
“If you have a woman with the desire to do it and she has the grit and determination to do it she should be allowed. But in our society women just feel they should go to a point and just stay there and not move forward,because they feel it’s a man’s job. But there might be some woman who feels she can do it, but it is left to the powers that be to make that a reality,” she said.
Guyanese women in the Military abroad
NOTWITHSTANDING, Guyanese women have played integral roles in the military abroad as well and form part of 165,000 women who are enlisted and active in the US armed services (15 percent of the US military). After receiving permanent resident status in the United States, 37-year-old Stacey Lauterbauch began looking for a progressive career; one that would work well in helping to contribute to a sturdy foundation for her family. “I was married and had an infant son… the Air Force posed the more attractive service of choice because it provided me with an opportunity to return to school and support my family,” Lauterbach said.
The young Guyanese could have shied away from what would have been an intimidating situation, and she admits that she knew the task was a big one, but in the end it was her dedication to putting in hard work that paid off. “I was always enthusiastic and dedicated to my mission and goals. I embraced all my duties and completed my tasks with attention to detail,” she said. It was these talents that led to her being recognised on many occasions throughout her career, which also led to earlier promotion above her peers. “In a way, I demanded respect. And I used my Guyanese upbringing to never take anything for granted, so that promoted my work ethic and others recognised it,” she said. She found that this way of operation worked for her, and that her superiors respected her opinions as a result. “The US military supports equal opportunity and personally I have not experienced adverse reactions being a woman,” she said.
Nevertheless, Lauterbach admits that there remain positions within the military that are male specific, but that slowly, opportunities are opening up for women to hold jobs in these areas. Male dominated positions in the Air Force include Pararescue, Tactical Air Control, Special Tactics, Combat Rescue, Combat Control and Special Operations Weather. “The focus is shifting slowly in other branches of the military to allow women to be appointed to combat oriented jobs. There are still jobs which are male specific, but if females prove that they can do these jobs then they should be allowed,” she said.
In her nine years since joining the US Airforce, Lauterbach, now a Technical Sargeant, has been exposed to many memorable experiences, including a six month deployment to Afghanistan in 2009 during the US War. “I didn’t experience any gory stuff, but we were attacked twice while I was there and there were constant explosions. It was scary at first but then it became part of the norm,” she said. It was during these times that she found it the hardest to be away from her husband and son, but she said that the experience strengthened her as a woman and she was able to become part of the Air Force family with the other soldiers deployed there.
During her stint, she has also encountered several other Caribbean women who, she said, are occupying senior positions within the military. “I have met women from Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados and other Caribbean Islands. We always have a common bond and it is always refreshing to meet someone from “home”,” she said.
“The military is based on hard work, excelling at your job, volunteerism, fitness, professional development and many more admirable traits, and every day women are demonstrating all these qualities which are allowing them to be promoted to high ranks,” she said. Above all, she admits that she is proud to be a woman in the military and to be contributing in any way to the changing roles of women in the world.
