I'm always curious to read about other women in my situation and I imagine many other women and men are too, hence the Under Fire blog! So today's blog is a little shorter, dedicated to another site which has just been launched. It is called
sistersinarms.ca (my first hyperlink!...I'm learning readers!) and it's a site dedicated to women in combat roles but more importantly, highlights their documentary on the subject with the same name. Interesting, as Canada is one of very few countries that allow women to fight in combat roles. Odd, as my dad and I were discussing this last night at the dinner table (much to my mother's chagrin) and my dad was telling me how in the 70's, when women were first allowed into the field, men were still ordered to do things for the women such as dig their latrines and dig out their shell scrapes (the little hole you'd go to hide in the ground should you get bombed). Obviously, this caused some dissension in the ranks as the men wanted the women to look after themselves and the women were being ostracised from the men. And it caused some dissension at our dinner table! But do check out this link. I had the pleasure of meeting Beth, the producer of the documentary last summer when they were filming Brigadier General Whitecross, one of the highest ranking females in our military and they were filming during an exercise being run in Vancouver for the Olympics. Keep an eye out on the Knowledge Network on 9 November, when the documentary will be aired. And thanks to Beth Freeman and her colleagues, for doing a documentary on an issue that more people should be aware of. Because yes, Canadian women are now in combat. And yes, they are just as effective as the men. Stay tuned for tomorrow as I've been asked to be a keynote speaker at an event! But I feel it might require a whole blog post...!!! Kelly