Women in Vietnam Essay Example for Free

Women in Vietnam Essay In Vietnam, women were encouraged to serve within the government and other sectors within the state. Unlike in other countries where women are stereotyped as being weak, in Vietnam, it was different. (Insun, p47-p56) Women were treated as equals. They were given the same positions as those ones of women and were given the same respect. Women were especially encouraged to take up the jobs which were believed to be a man’s reserve. They went out of their way to serve their country as humanitarians, entertainers, military dependents, USAID, civilian nurses, in military, as correspondents and in special services. (Insun, p78-p80) There were a good number of women in Vietnam who served as professionals in the field of medicine, teaching, law, professional nurses, controllers of air traffic, language and intelligence specialists, photographers, physical therapists, aerial reconnaissance, legal officers, security officers and administrative positions. Civilian women in Vietnam also served in the Red Cross, journalists, humanitarian organizations and as flight attendants. They were also leaders in the churches. (Chen, p78) Despite the fact that these women were active then, they kept a low profile. Today, nobody can tell who these women are. This is because they don’t show off and have camouflaged. Women made very noble contributions towards the wars in Vietnam. They fought alongside men and did everything men did and they in fact did it a better. (Insun, p34-p67) It has been said that if the country of Vietnam must heal, women must come forward to reveal their involvements and experiences in the war. Unfortunately, they have not been recognized and acknowledged as significant in the history of Vietnam. The situation has been worsened by their silence and the pain and struggles kept deep within them. Women do not believe that they deserve the same recognition and respect like that given to men. (Woodside, p678) Women in special services were mostly under the army. These armies as well as civilians were under the employees’ defense department. The departments that were served by women were related to recreation and morale and included the bases of the Army in the states. (Song, p456) Most of the divisions were also related to works of arts and crafts, service clubs, libraries, movies, sports and entertainment. These women administered special programs, for example, ‘Rest’ as well as the program relating to recreation. The reason why women were entrusted with these positions was their warm hearted nature. They were icon of hope to the whole of Vietnam; they had a role of encouraging men and giving them morale during wars. They ensured that the homes did not fall apart despite their involvements in other services. Women were good volunteers in these services and they had the welfare of the country and the people in mind. It was not a burden to serve their country since they could see the big picture. (Taylor, p267) As librarians, women gave magazines, books and newspapers to the soldiers. The books served as sources of the correspondent courses they were taking and also for leisure. Most of their wonderful memories were hopping flights, clubs, time shared with friends as well as the loved ones. However, there were still some enmities created during the early days. Women fought wars along the beautiful coastline and peaceful villages and rice fields. These areas were My Lai, Chu Lai, the Que Son Valley, A Shau, Da Nang, Phu Bai and hue. Women witnessed the demise of thousands five bases as well as landing zones. (Woodside, p567) At the military, women served with pride. They knew that their efforts were for a worthy cause. They knew that their victory was a victory for all. During the women’s anniversary, they gathered their past and present achievements. There were at least one thousand and two hundred soldiers selected from the women population and served as band leaders and translators, clerks and typists. (Insun, p78)