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Students, your assignment this week is to read about 'Janey' before our speaker on Monday, attend the talk at 3:30 on Monday in Wright auditorium, and then discuss the materials and her talk here on Diigo (by Friday at 5).

Being a Marine, I feel very moved to go to this event. I have seen the struggles women in the military have to overcome daily and this will provide some amazing insight.

Wow, I'm tottally bummed that I cannot make this speaker because of a pre-scheduled interview. This book by Laura Browder seems extremely intriguing. When I think about the military, a lot of times I do think about the guys that are enrolled and being front line in the fights. I never stop to think about all of the women, especailly mothers trying to support their children and how hard it must be on them to leave their newborns or teenagers for months or even a year at a time. With growing children, a month being away makes a huge difference in their lives. I can't believe the one case where her daughter wouldn't stop crying because they were deployed and she didn't recognize either parent, that is really upsetting. Many people want to give military men and women their opinion of the war, especially if they are against it. Those people would think that obviously these people are fighting for you and if you can't say a simple thank you, then you shouldn't open your mouth... even if that military man or women is against the war. I will be interested to read what everyone writes about the speech today.

I thought Laura Browder's presentation was great, it definitely made you think about and appreciate all the sacrifices women in the military have to make. Although I thought the speaker and content were great, I thought that we would hear about just a few women and really get into their stories and their experiences, not just get a brief overview of around twenty women.

I too was unable to attend the presentation, but in reading the article it really did make me think twice about women in the service. Recently, my boyfriend returned for Iraq, I was really hard on the both of our family. What really bother us was the unknown. In the article they discuss mothers that came home to childern they did not recognize and childern that didnt even know their mothers. Even though this same situation happens with males, in my opinion there is nothing like a mother in your life. On the other hand, of course these mothers are doing what they know is best for their families.

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the presentation. I thought it was interesting of how she introduced all of the women she had done work with. I was shocked at all the PTS that the women had, not because of the war that they saw, but because of them having regret of leaving their group. It shows that women show emotions from war just the same as men.

I was unable to attend the presentation, however I feel that I did get a lot out of interview that was posted. It was very interesting to see the experiences of women in the military because often, you only hear about mens views and experiences. It seems that choosing between the military and their family was one of the more challenging situations that presented itself during their duty and deployment. I agree with Jazzaneta that the mothers are doing the best for their family. The right choice is often the most difficult one to adjust to and accept. The women did seem happy with their choice of joining the military and even after their deployments, knew that they did the right thing and made the right choice. I enjoyed the interview and wish that I could have made it to the presentation today, but I still learned a lot about women in the military and what they experience.

I was unable to attend the presentation, however I felt like I received a strong message from her interview. It is sad to say but it is true, when I think about American war hero's I only think of men. This might be because when studying history back in high school and college they only talk about male hero's because woman were not aloud to take part in war combat. When reading her interview it was an eye opening experience, especially when she was talking about the woman's roles. For example, if a single mother joins the war, they are being courageous my leaving there child/children behind, they are being courageous by joining the war itself. It's not like the olden days where they have "behind the scenes role," they are in the heat of all the action. Her book should open peoples eye's, about how women and man both deal with great struggles regarding the war, it's not an easy process for anyone. I respect and give great honor to those men and WOMEN who have served our country.

I thought Laura Browder's presentation was excellent, and I loved the way she presented each woman's story with a picture so the audience could really picture what the women must be like. Laura brought up many points about women and mothers in the military that I have never thought of before. I was surprised to find out that many of the women were torn between staying with their family or being deployed, because I would have assumed that they would rather stay home with their family. I was also shocked that many of the women were reluctant to come home due to the fact that their unit was staying overseas and they felt they should be, too. I thought the childcare plans that many of the single mothers had were interesting, as well. Many of the children who had mothers being deployed stayed with people other than family, such as daycare providers, which is astounding to me. That must have been very emotional for the children, as well as the mother. The amount of pride and devotion the women in the military have for their unit and the military itself is astounding and very admirable. They do not feel like they deserve special treatment because they are women, and they work harder to prove that they belong in the military. Laura did an excellent job of giving insight about what the women in the military are like, thus changing many stereotypical views.

I was able to attend the presentation because I had to go to it for my international class as well. This presentation did catch my attention because my cousin is in the navy and she is a women. She has been bashed so many times because she is a woman in the military and being able to hear more about it made me understand where she was coming from. There are many strong women out there and I believe they can fight combat and can be just as good or even better than men in times. How she described these women piece by piece left me in surprise to hear about all they had gone through and how they will not let anything stand in their way. They were telling about how they felt they were there for a purpose. They wanted to be in Afghanistan to support their fellow troops even if they were not a fan of bush or the white house. One woman even chose being in the military than staying with her husband and ended up getting a divorce. These women are strong, and I will support them all the way.

I wasnt able to go see Ms. Browders presentation. But from what I have heard from other classmates today and from what I have found in articles online, i believe she is a great "womans" speaker. She really gets to know the true story behind all of the woman's lifes. She shows how strong these women have to be to go though being a military wife. From what i have heard people that went and listened to her speak really enjoyed hearing her. How she gave background on the war and she showed a picture of each woman as she talked about her. You could tell that she really got to know each lady she talked too.

I was able to attend Ms. Browder's presentation yesterday at Wright auditorium. I felt like the presentation was extremely insightful because it gave several perspectives of women in the military. Being that the military is dominated mostly by men it was interesting to hear how women were treated and how they reacted to adversity. Most of the women that Ms. Browder interviewed severed several tours and were extremely dedicated and proud to be a part of the U.S military. Many of the women accomplished a lot and held significant titles amongst ranks. I remember her mentioning that there are 240,000 women currently serving in the military which came as a shock to me because I thought that women in the military were still a new idea. I found it fairly amusing when she told the story about the women who got into a bar fight and almost broke someone's nose. Although she was reluctant to interview, she eventually did and according to Ms. Browder she was tough as nails. The one thing that didn't surprise me was how most women struggled leaving their kids when they were told they were going to be deployed. Mothers have a close close bond with their children, not to take away from a fathers bond with a child. Lastly she mentioned that the military still has a stereotype towards women but considering where we started from til today I feel like the United States military has made great strides.

Wow! I never knew that the number for active military women is so high! That is really awesome. I'm sure much of the women are extremely proud to be serving their country, despite the fact that they arn't as recognized as the men serving our country.

I was unable to attend Laura Browder's presentation, however after reading the interview that was posted online I have a better insight into the important role women play in the military. It was very interesting to learn about the experiences that women have in the military and how recently they have been able to fully contribute and be recognized for their achievements. I was surprised to learn that women had a similar outlook on the military as men, meaning that the military was "absolutely central to their identities" because I too felt as though women were marginal within the military. I have a number of female friends currently enrolled in the marines and I am curious to know what their outlook on women in the military is.

I found the information disclosed in the interview or author Q & A from UNC Press and the Janey Comes Homes website very insightful. Until reviewing the information provided by these sources, I was unaware of the front line role women play in our military forces today. I have to admit, this was a bit surprising to me since I am female, but I attribute this lack of knowledge to the media I encounter. I cannot remember the last time I saw a military or government ad featuring a woman solider. Modern media constantly bombards young and old alike with classic, "old world" images of men serving in the military and focus on the evolution of their service throughout history. I find it astonishing that Browder was able to break though these cultural norms and unearth a rare find- women involved in modern combat operations who were brave enough to share their personal stories with their peers all over the world. This is previously unchartered territory and I find her work groundbreaking and exciting. The very nature of the military and our social structure makes such work taboo, specifically sharing this information on a global stage, where perhaps, ideals about gender roles are even more traditionally rooted than ours. The Q & A question regarding how women typically have been portrayed in war photography and images illustrates my point about Browder's work taking on traditional gender roles. Historic photography has focused on the classic gender roles with "men as heros and aggressors and women as children and victims. Her images have proved to "unsettle our fixed ideas about Americans at war". It is important to note we as a society must shift our fundamental ideas about gender roles to truly grasp her message but must also shift our view of these women soldiers as "novelties" but "as real soldiers". I can immediately see how we must carefully encode such messages, based on the pre-developed associations and receptive process(es) of our audience(s) to make s

I also was not able to attend the lecture by Laura Browder, but looked up some different intrerviews and articles pertaining to her presentations and book. I found them very interesting and enlightening. I never realized how big a role female soldiers played in our military. I think what she is doing in her book as well as through her preseantations is great and very well deserved and much overdue. I think the women who put themselves in this position in which they enter such a male dominated workforce, may face at times a harsher enviroment than their male counterparts. With the amount of sexism and lack of acknowledgment they receive I believe it makes them unseen and unheard heroes. I also found it interesting that they are referring to the current Iraq conflict as the womens war, because of the increased participation of women in the "danger zone". Duties which include IED sweeps, convoy gunners, and home searches. I was also very surprised to hear about how mothers in the military felt about being redeployed, or renlisted in the military. They had the same answers as the males, and were just as likely to continue their duty to the United States despite being a mother, which again I found extrememly surprising. Again I think everything she is doing is great and much overdue.

I too wasn't able to make the presentation. I checked out her website and the interview conducted on her, and I definitely read some things that I've never thought of or realized. I can't imagine how much strength and passion women in the military have. I'll be the first to admit that I couldn't do half of the things that they are committed to. On top of the constant combat awareness they are obligated to, it's hard to think they have are presented with an altered state of mind away from their family. I could see how much this must affect these women, and how bittersweet it could be to come and go on such an unreliable basis. The fact that these women are convoy gunners, explosives technicians, and many other dangerous jobs, is incredible. I wish I could have made this presentation to get a more personal and realistic perception on the lives of our military women.

I was unable to attend Laura Browder's presentation. However, I found the interview with her to be very interesting and insightful. For starters, I felt Mrs. Browder chose the right direction of neutrality throughout this project. By doing so, she allowed for both war supporters and anti-war supporters to grasp the topic at hand, without feeling it was biased. Bringing this topic into the public spotlight, however, is very important towards educating American's about the importance of women in our military, and the hardships they go through. The ultimate theme of motherhood I felt was a proper theme to show how the women in the military sacrifice a whole lot to protect our nation. I will say that after reading this interview, the topic of women in the military is more interesting with many more questions that come to my mind. The personal stories she discussed really brought a more personal aspect to this topic, and I was taken away by some of the experiences and trials and tribulations the women in the military told her about.

I was unable to attend the event on Monday, but I find the interviews that I read online to be very interesting and I would love to read the book or see the documentary she is working on in the future. I believe that women should have the option to go into combat in the armed forces as long as they are willing and able. I know many women who are just as strong, if not stronger than men. These women have made a significant commitment to our country and they shouldn't be denied any help or service they would like to give. Unfortunately, the world is still filled with stereotypical opinions and judgemental behavior. I'm embarassed to admit it, but sometimes I caught myself reading about the mothers and thinking 'how could they leave their children?' However, we don't usually think that about the men that are soldiers. Why does society think it is more important to have a mother at home than a father? Why do we believe men are better at fighting wars? Why do we think women aren't strong enough? These are all questions that I hope Laura Browder will make people think about and attempt to answer through her interviews.

I was also unable to attend the presentation on Monday, but the information that I did read about her and her book were quite interesting. I like how society gets to see a womans perspective of being in the military and how it effects them and what they go through. Woman should have equal rights when they choose to fight for our country and I think they are just as capable as any man would be. It takes great sacrafice to take time off and leave your children to do what you think is right. I give these woman major credit and respect them because I would never be able to do that. I liked how Laura Browder really tried to capture each womans message and make the public think differently about woman in the military. I'm glad I read the interviews because it was an interesting topic that I had never thought about.

Laura Browder had officially opened my eyes to an entire world that I have yet to truely consider, prior to Monday's Presentation. When my brother joined the Marine Corps. in 2003 I began my very own relationship with the U.S. Military. I have always been quite impressed with the level of commitment that soldiers and their families invest in our government and security as a nation. For the first time, I have begun to think about specifically and honor the women that are involved. The presentation was an eye opener, not because there are hundreds of women in combat situations, but because of their stories being told back at home. I am suprised by the way that Laura has researched and depicted these women. It is wonderful. Being a woman is not easy yet a woman in the military faces a multitude of challenges that the public tends to ignore. Shockingly, majority of the mothers that Laura mentioned face a conflict between supporting their children during there early years of development and deploying for war overseas. Most of which felt more obligated to their fellow soldiers and felt guilt for being seperated from them while returning home. I would expect for them to feel more compelled to stay and see their families. This event has done a great job getting the general public involved in appreciating the women of the military and the families that support them.

I was not able to see the presentation on Monday but by visiting several websites and looking at pictures I wish I had not missed this presentation. I think what Laura Browder has done is such an inspiration to all women. It is an inspiration to the women that are currently or have fought for our country because they deserve credit and recognition for all they have done and will continue to do. It is an inspiration for girls that are thinking about joining a service because they might be hesitant since they are females and Browder's stories and pictures might help give them that extra push to do what they believe in. For people like me, that does not know much about women and the army this was very eye opening and inspiring and makes me have so much for respect for these women and what they have done. Hopefully she will come back and speak again!