Gale Wessel
"Princess...Warrior"
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| (Photos by Patrick Fraser) |
Most of us have heard of Molly Pitcher, the woman who risked her life taking water to soldiers in the field during a battle of the American Revolution, and who took her husband’s place with the artillery when he fell. But Molly Pitcher was not alone. There were others, brave women who were as passionate about their cause - Revolution or Civil War – as any man. These rare women, dressed as men, either followed their husbands, brothers or fathers into war or volunteered by themselves or with their sisters. If they were found out, they were imprisoned. If they made it through to the end of the war, they sometimes received a pension and the thanks of their neighbors.
‘My’ war was Vietnam. I watched countless friends, beaus and family members go off to fight, but I wasn’t subject to the draft so I didn’t have to worry about myself. My world was one of parties, puff sleeves, pearls and little white cotton gloves. While I considered myself a ‘liberated woman’, it always troubled me that I had the rights of a free society but not the most difficult responsibility.
Now we realize that modern military women are taking their responsibilities very seriously. They have petitioned for and won the right to fight in combat on the front lines, shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. These women want to risk their lives for us. Somewhere along the way, women have changed, and we didn’t notice. Heroes for a new age – a true paradigm shift.