As a woman In the military, how did your friends and family react when you told them your plan to join?

2016-10-05T10:56:26-04:00

Response by SFC George Smith made Oct 5 at 2016 11:09 AM

2016-10-05T11:09:52-04:00

I'm not a woman, but as a NCO when my 2 younger sisters went in ... I warned them of the problems and what to expect... but supported them to the best of my abilities... as did both of my parents...

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 5 at 2016 11:28 AM

2016-10-05T11:28:38-04:00

Col Rebecca Lorraine - There was no doubt I was being posted to Vietnam. They were distraught because they were certain I would be wounded, killed, or missing. Nothing I could say would reassure them. Even after I came home they felt the war had changed me in fundamental ways they could never understand. We all cried & prayed for the best. Warmest Regards, Sandy :)

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 5 at 2016 12:36 PM

2016-10-05T12:36:41-04:00

Very supportive. Of course, they were asking a lot of questions pertaining to my current life situation and how I was going to take care of it. My parents, my inlaws, siblings, husband and my very close friends were very supportive in my decision. My dad cried the night before I left for boot camp when he hugged me. I had never seen my dad cry before that night. I got a lot of cards and letters from my mom and husband while I was at boot camp.

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Oct 5 at 2016 1:27 PM

2016-10-05T13:27:46-04:00

I am answering for Sandra my niece that I accompanied to the recruiter office upon graduating from high school, Sandra asked me because her parents believed that she could not handle military life. My brother and his wife were extremely angry with me, and mad at their daughter for enlisting in 1999. Sandra continues to serve and now hold the rank of Captain and every one is very proud of her; Kosovo, Iraq twice.

Response by PO2 Sybil "TT" I. made Oct 5 at 2016 4:36 PM

2016-10-05T16:36:48-04:00

Overheard, my father laughingly telling my mother I "...didn't have the balls."

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 5 at 2016 6:10 PM

2016-10-05T18:10:33-04:00

I am not a female, but my grandfather wept. I had no words and still don't

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Oct 6 at 2016 11:38 AM

2016-10-06T11:38:51-04:00

Col Rebecca Lorraine Although I am not a woman (despite the confusion the French spelling of my name has caused over my career) and apologize for barging into this conversation, I wanted to relate a funny story about when my sister (a former Air Force nurse) announced to our family that she had decided to join the military.

First, to set the stage, many in my family have been Army officers, a tradition that went back several generations. My dad, a senior Army officer at the time, had recommended to my sister, who was obtaining her Masters Degree in Nursing at the time, that she consider becoming an Army nurse, something my sister was actually considering.

I distinctly remember that one Thanksgiving, when we were all home from college to celebrate the holiday with family, my sister announced that she had decided to accept a commission upon graduation. My dad was very happy with her announcement until she dropped the other shoe... She was going to be an Air Force nurse. After the initial shock, my dad asked why she had decided on the Air Force, to which my sister replied, "I like their uniforms better than the Army's"... I thought my dad was going to have a coronary... He bellowed, "You are destroying hundreds of years of family tradition because of a uniform?" After a lengthy, uncomfortable pause, my sister announced that she was only kidding. She was going to accept a commission in the Air Force, but it had nothing to do with uniforms. Her finance, a medical student who was also about to graduate, had decided to enter the Air Force as a doctor and she had decided to join him in that career decision. My dad fully supported that explanation and we all got a good laugh out of it.

Both my sister and brother-in-law stayed in the Air Force until he decided to get out to start a private practice. My sister got out at the same time. They were in for about 10 years, as I recall. She continued in Government service and recently retired after a career in the VA Hospital system as a senior nursing supervisor/administrator (and, yes, she agrees the system is broken and did her best to provide quality care to those in her charge).

Response by SSG(P) D. Wright Downs made Oct 6 at 2016 3:01 PM

2016-10-06T15:01:30-04:00

I was 27 going on 28. I was going to need a new job in the near future. I had thought about the AF years earlier so it was no big thing, I guess. It was back in the 70's and I was an out of the box person. I majored in art when women became secretaries, nurses, and teachers. I road motorcycles and hit the road by myself. I loved to shoot guns. I loved to train dogs. I read books that others didn't even know about. I was very independent and danced to my own drummer. I could argue with the best of them and hold my point to the end. I was fed up with being in such a confined space and needed to explore bigger areas. I think people just accepted me to do what I did. As for supportive, that didn't come into it at all.

Response by PO3 Sherry Thornburg made Oct 6 at 2016 8:28 PM

2016-10-06T20:28:38-04:00

I decided to join when I needed a new direction. Dad wanted me to go Air Force. I went to the recruiting office and met the Air Force Rep., a woman. I thought she was the most mousy thing I had ever met. The Navy rep. was more in charge and confident. I decided on that. My family was fully supportive (long line of service going back forever). The only push back I got when I brought home my choices for ratings. Dad threw away the air traffic controller page. I joined as an ET.

Response by SSG Laurie Mullen made Oct 7 at 2016 10:18 AM

2016-10-07T10:18:46-04:00

I told them when I was a little kid that I was going to join. I was sworn into the Reserves two weeks after my 17th birthday. I don't think some of family and neighbors thought I would make it through basic training because I had a habit of skipping school and not doing my school work. Twenty-two years later I retired from active duty.

Response by SSG Lani Tucker made Oct 13 at 2016 1:33 PM

2016-10-13T13:33:15-04:00

When I went into the army in 1975, as a WAC at age 18, my family was very proud of my decision. My dad especially since he was a 30 year career man himself. However, he really didn't want me to become an MP. But he was still very proud of me. Mother was ecstatic because her daughter was an MP. My friends weren't surprised because I was in ROTC in high school, but I think a few of them along with some of my sisters didn't think I could make it! Well, almost 21 years Active Duty and some wonderful schools under my belt......I think I did pretty good for myself!