In her essay “Mothers in Combat Boots”, M. Eberstadt addresses the controversial issue of soldier-mothers in the American armed forces. The article made a profound impression on me and I liked the way the author organized her arguments and discussed the problem of deployment of women in the military to potentially dangerous war zones. The essay is interesting to read, since M. Eberstadt provides an insight into different aspects of the subject and presents a lot of astonishing facts, which capture readers’ attention.
From periodicals and television I have an idea of sexual equality in the military and challenges female soldiers might face. However, many of the questions Eberstadt touches upon have not been discussed before. The author approaches the issue of women in combat from a new angle. Particularly, she emphasizes that there should be a distinction between women and mothers. Eberstadt is one of the few who focuses on the subject of motherhood and women’s integration into the Army. Information concerning the consequences and morality of sending mothers off to war is new to me.
Mary Eberstadt, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, has a broad experience of working for various magazines and writing about American society, culture and philosophy (Hoover Institution). The author’s experience adds to credibility and reliability of the essay.
In my opinion, the author manages to persuade her readers that the attitude to women service members with children should be reconsidered, since it is morally wrong and makes women choose between motherhood and military career. The author’s message that female soldiers having children should be given an opportunity to adjust their lives to motherhood is strong. Eberstadt refers to Specialist Hutchinson’s case, which makes the essay emotional and convincing. The author sounds persuasive, since her arguments are well-organized and are supported with the findings of numerous studies.
References
Eberstadt, Mary. (2010). Mothers in Combat Boots. Policy Review, 159, 33-34.
Hoover Institution. Stanford University. (2012). Mary Eberstadt. Retrieved from …