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on board. The Navy should
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e to handle this.
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j. I read one more article or letter in Publ°^ ^lc maj°r professional naval [i leations against women in the J ■ Coast Guard or U. S. Navy, in or women on board ships, in It'kU*ar’ ^ ^ink I will scream! p() "as been the policy of the U. S. itjg ^ Guard, as directed by the Com- v,r, ant °f the Coast Guard, to have ®?en on board its ships since 1975. aat point there should have been no
:oi
*ve it,- -
1 lrUs same policy; the laws would
^l'_to change, but Congress should be
rr,() ^ave been in the Coast Guard for l|)0re than 19 years and for many of 1^ e years women have been part of re8ular service. 1 have observed e]ale radiomen, damage controlmen, mates, electronics techni-
S,s>,yeomen, sonar technicians, boat- ln s mates, quartermasters, machin- technicians, subsistence specialists
and junior officers. I have found them to be as knowledgeable and professional in both their job specialties and their leadership as men of equal rank and experience. As with men, there is the occasional nonperformer and, conversely, there are women who do far more than is normally expected of them.
Many fine female Coast Guardsmen have left the service because of unfeeling leaders from the commanding officer down to the leading petty officers. Many of these leaders could have helped the women with minor problems and did not; yet they would turn around and help a man who had the same problem. A female petty officer, for example, was sent to my ship for an evaluation. During her three months on board she performed all the duties that would be expected of one in her rate, in an acceptable manner. But the department head would not let her reenlist because, he said, the length of her evaluation was not long enough.
She would only be allowed to extend for a year for further evaluation. Yet I have seen men formally evaluated over a much shorter time, some as little as 30 days.
Comments like the following have no place in the Coast Guard or anywhere in the Armed Forces:
► “Women don’t belong on ships” (Sorry, woman do belong on Coast Guard cutters; it’s the Commandant’s policy and has been so for a number of years)
► “Women belong in the home, barefoot and pregnant” (Yes, believe it or not, that one is still being used, and I heard it not too long ago myself. No further comment on that ignorant statement is needed.)
► “Women won’t be on board in time of war anyway” (Sorry, but Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Paul A. Yost says he will try to keep the women on board because of all the training time and money that has been invested in them.)
A female petty officer asked me how long it will take before the women are treated equally. My answer was about 15 to 20 years, until most of the “old- timers” who are against women in the Coast Guard both ashore and on board ships are retired. I hope it will not take that long.
One of the problems associated with women on board Coast Guard ships is that of numbers. On most Coast Guard cutters that have women crew members, only six to ten are assigned. One woman not carrying her weight is more noticeable than two or three men out of 140 not carrying theirs. 1 would recommend that more women be assigned to a 378-foot high-endurance cutter. Fill one of the 24-man or 30-man berthing spaces with female Coast Guardsmen.
It would give more women in a wider range of ratings a chance to be on board ships. There should also be two to four female chief petty officers and two to four female officers.
I have seen command given to women on board patrol craft but I have not seen a female executive officer or commanding officer on board larger (210-foot, 270-foot, and 378-foot)
Coast Guard cutters or icebreakers.
This, I hope, will change quite soon, since 1 am sure there are qualified female commanders and captains to fill these billets. I would be proud to serve on board any vessel with a woman as commanding officer.
I would also like to see soon a woman selected for flag rank in the Coast Guard.
The women of the Coast Guard have proved that they have performed in an outstanding manner, and I am sure they will continue to do so.
Chief Grossman is serving on board the USCGC Jarvis (WHEC-725)
Vd
,nRs / October 1989
139