Jim Webb – Not Enough Women Served or Died in Vietnam to be included....

Yes, you read that right. Check out this article by Milton R. Copulos who "served as one of the four members of the sculpture selection panel that chose the statue added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial." Copulos and others wanted to include women in the Vietnam memorial. Jim Webb did not:

First, he argued, "only" (his characterization) 10,000 women served in Vietnam. Moreover, "Only" eight died. Finally, women did not serve in combat. In his typically understated fashion, Mr. Gjelde said he found the comments "inappropriate." The question on both our minds was: Where was Mr. Webb's arbitrary line? Would it be 25,000 serving? Or would it be 50,000 or 100,000? Would it require that at least 50 have been killed, or 100 or 1,000? While it was true that women did not carry rifles in the jungle, they dealt daily with the carnage that came with combat. This included broken and torn 19-, 20- and 21-year-old bodies, some of which would never again be whole. Further, the field hospitals and bases they served in were just as vulnerable to rocket attack as any other post. Perhaps in the macho world according to Jim Webb that sort of stress didn't warrant recognition, but in mine it certainly did.

Someone should ask Webb how many women needed to die? Amazing.

Jon has this post with a lot more info about Webb. Conservative Beach Girl has Is Jim Webb synonymous with misogyny?

Technorati : Jim Webb, Military, Sexist, Vietnam, Women