Home/Fronts:
Women and the Realities of War

Home/Fronts: Women and the Realities of War will explore the pioneering, untold, and vital ways in which women are shaping the military and responding to current U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 1994, a revision of the longstanding “risk rule” meant that women no longer would be prohibited from serving in military roles and taking assignments that could lead to direct combat, hostile fire, or capture. As a result, women are eligible to hold at least 99 percent of all Navy and Air Force jobs, at least 70 percent of all Army assignments, and just over 50 percent of positions in the Marine Corps. In today's conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, women are involved in the majority of military operations. At home in the United States, women also hold leadership positions in the National Guard, and are part of active advocacy groups that are dedicated to honoring and supporting members of the military and their families.

Photo: Lisa Thomas-Prowell

Guest panelists include Kristin Henderson, author, journalist, and military spouse,  Erin Solaro, author and former Army Reserve Officer, Brenda Moore, Associate Professor at University of Buffalo and prominent military sociologist, Megan Smith, former U.S. Army Corporal who served in Guantanamo Bay during Operation Enduring Freedom and Lisa Thomas-Prowell ’97, military spouse and former counselor to military families. Together, panelists will address the history of women in the armed forces, contemporary active and combat duty roles for women, and the leadership initiatives that women are implementing within and beyond the military.

Event Details

Date: Thursday, March 8

Time: 7:30 PM

Speakers: Kristin Henderson, Erin Solaro, Brenda Moore, Megan Smith and Lisa Thomas-Prowell ‘97

Place: Gamble Auditorium, Art Building, Mount Holyoke College

Admission: Free and open to the public.

Directions

To Gamble Auditorium

Mount Holyoke College campus map