The Significance of Womens Organizations Group Activities in Essay

The Significance of Womens Organizations Group Activities in Relationship to Their Opposition to the War in Vietnam - Essay Example As well women worked in the war as journalists, flight attendants, and in various church and humanitarian organizations, and the significance of these activities in relationship to the women's opposition and reaction to the war in Vietnam is an issue which is of incredible importance. The aim of this paper is to not only discuss the different organizations and group activities that women were involved in during the Vietnam War but as well the significance of their participation with them overall considering how against the war most women actually were. By doing this, we will be able to come to a much more informed and knowledgeable understanding on the subject matter at hand overall. This is what will be dissertated in the following. The history of women and war is one which has basically been forgotten in comparison to that of man's, however it is important to realize that women have actually always played a part, and in fact, "Between 1962 and 1973, according to Department of Defense statistics, approximately 7,500 women served on active military duty in Vietnam. The Veteran's Administration puts the numbers even higher, at around 11,000. Independent surveys estimate that the number of women, both civilian and non-civilian, working in Vietnam during the war is between 33,000 and 55,000" (Carlson, 2007). However, despite these incredibly large and notable numbers of women in the military, they have had a long and hard road in regards to gaining even remote equality. One of the most notorious organizations that women worked for during the Vietnam War was the Red Cross Organization, and the Red Cross basically maintained three particular and different programs during the Vietnam conflict which were: Service to Military Hospitals (SMH), Service to Military Institutions (SMI), and Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (SRAO). "SMH provided recreational and casework services to service personnel who were hospitalized and casework services for service personnel who were employed in military hospitals. Women employed in SMI provided primarily clerical services with some individual assistance for obtaining loans if personnel had to return home for a family emergency. SMH and SMI functioned both in the United States and in foreign countries and both in peace and in war. The Red Cross program which was eventually entitled Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (SRAO) originated in World War II specifically to employ civilian women who wished t o make a contribution to the country during periods of war" (Firestone & Robinson, 1996). When it comes to the issue of the reaction that was felt by women towards the Vietnam War, there are many issues that need to be taken into consideration here as well. In comparison to the percentage of men against the Vietnam War, there were almost double the amount of women who felt negatively towards it, however at the same time the war presented many opportunities for women, and so while they still felt disapprovingly towards the war, there were still then obviously reasons that they also were rather positive towards it, as they were benefitting in different