Marching as to War: Personal Narratives of African American Women's Experiences in the Gulf Wars

by Elizabeth F. Desnoyers-Colas

Overview

Since the American Revolution, African American women have served in every U.S. military conflict. Despite this dedicated service to their country, very little empirical research has been published regarding African American servicewomen, including those who have served in the Gulf Wars. Seen through the eyes of eleven African American servicewomen, this book explores issues such as health care, child care, sexism/sexual harassment, racism, religion, military promotions/career advancement, and serving in combat zones. Their stories illuminate the types of professional, sociological, and interpersonal experiences black servicewomen have encountered during their time in the Gulf Wars.

To learn more about Marching as to War, check out Elizabeth Desnoyers-Colas' blog post at http://rhetoricraceandreligion.blogspot.com/2014/05/stories-that-must-be-told-sharing.html

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761863441
Publisher:	University Press of America
Publication date:	05/22/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	126
File size:	974 KB

About the Author

Elizabeth Desnoyers-Colas, PhD, is assistant professor of communication and the faculty coordinator of the African American Male Initiative Program at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia. A retired U.S. Air Force Major, her past military duties include serving as a speechwriter for senior DOD military and civilian officials on EEO/EO related issues and operating as the director of the Joint Task Force Information Bureau, Haitian Refuge Humanitarian Rescue Effort, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She also served in Operation Desert Storm and was deployed to Central Air Forces, Forward, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, as the director of Public Affairs/Protocol.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Chapter One: Marching as to War: Personal Narratives of African American Women’s Experiences in the Gulf Wars
Chapter Two: Why We Serve: An Historical Overview of African American Women’s Military Service from the Revolutionary War Through the Gulf Wars
Chapter Three: “Sistahs” of Defense: Duties and Dangers of African American Women in Service in the Gulf Wars
Chapter Four: My Child Left Behind: The Family and Child Care Challenges Faced by African American Gulf War Servicewomen
Chapter Five: What Happens in the Desert Stays in the Desert: African American Women Confront Racism and Sexism in the Gulf
Chapter Six: Where My Health Comes From: African American Servicewomen Battle Gulf War Illnesses
Epilogue: Marching as to War―Final Thoughts
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Desnoyers-Colas fills in some gaps in the literature on African American women in the military. An African American and a retired US Air Force major, the author grew up in a military family and deployed to several sites in the Persian Gulf during recent wars. The first, and best, of her six short chapters contrasts media coverage of Iraq War POWs Shoshanna Johnson (black) and Jessica Lynch (white); the second provides a historical overview of African American women in the military, beginning with the Revolutionary War. Each chapter thereafter has a theme (duties and dangers, family and child care, racism and sexism, and Gulf War illnesses), introduced with the author’s own story and illustrated with material drawn from interviews with other veterans of the Gulf Wars. The chapters are smoothly written but anecdotal, with a 'war stories' quality that begs for serious scholarly engagement. Material on PTSD in the last chapter, for example, strains credulity in light of the combat support roles the women performed. Some greater reflection on the racial and neocolonial subtexts of the wars would have made this a better book. Summing Up: Recommended. Public, general, and undergraduate collections.

Choice Reviews

Desnoyers-Colas fills in some gaps in the literature on African American women in the military. An African American and a retired US Air Force major, the author grew up in a military family and deployed to several sites in the Persian Gulf during recent wars. The first, and best, of her six short chapters contrasts media coverage of Iraq War POWs Shoshanna Johnson (black) and Jessica Lynch (white); the second provides a historical overview of African American women in the military, beginning with the Revolutionary War.Each chapter thereafter has a theme (duties and dangers, family and child care, racism and sexism, and Gulf War illnesses), introduced with the author’s own story and illustrated with material drawn from interviews with other veterans of the Gulf Wars. The chapters are smoothly written but anecdotal, with a 'war stories' quality that begs for serious scholarly engagement. Material on PTSD in the last chapter, for example, strains credulity in light of the combat support roles the women performed. Some greater reflection on the racial and neocolonial subtexts of the wars would have made this a better book. Summing Up: Recommended. Public, general, and undergraduate collections.

CHOICE