Latest news with #womeninmilitary
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Milwaukee's Anna Mae Robertson, one of last surviving members of World War II's famed Six Triple Eight unit, dies at 101
Anna Mae Robertson, one of the last surviving members of the famed Six Triple Eight unit, has died. She was 101. Robertson was among the 855 women in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black female unit stationed overseas during World War II. The women were sent to Birmingham, England, to clear a nearly three-year logjam of mail. Sacks of letters were piled ceiling-high in a dark and damp warehouse, destined for homesick soldiers fighting in Europe. They came up with their own system — some were only addressed to "Junior, U.S. Army" or "Bob Smith." The battalion was charged with clearing it in six months. They cleared it in three, breaking all Army records. With the slogan 'No Mail, Low Morale,' the unit worked 24 hours a day, processing an average of 195,000 pieces of mail in three eight-hour shifts. They did it again in France. In 2022, Robertson, then 98, and other members of the Six Triple Eight received the Congressional Gold Medal. At the time, there were only six known living veterans of the unit. 'They broke barriers,' granddaughter Kenya Robertson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at the time. 'It took about 70 or so years for the world to know the role of Anna Robertson and the women of Six Triple Eight played in War World II.' Robertson was born in Mississippi and was living in Arkansas when her mother died. She had no way to support herself and decided to join the Army at 19 years old. Her brother, Zeredee Griffin, served in the Navy. "I felt as though we were relieving a man who could go over and fight. We could do what the men had been doing," Robertson told Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Meg Jones in 2014. After the war, Robertson visited Milwaukee to attend the wedding of a fellow Six Triple Eight member. She found a job as a nurse's aide at the VA hospital and lived in Milwaukee since. Her husband, John Robertson, died in 1982. In a May 31 statement about Robertson's passing, Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore said she joins the community in mourning her loss and remembering her trailblazing legacy. "I am thankful that my constituent, Ms. Robertson, was able to receive her flowers while she could still smell them," Moore said. More: Barrier breaker: Anna Mae Robertson played key role in stabilizing soldiers' morale during WWII After decades of little recognition or honor for their service, the story of Robertson's unit reached the big screen. "The Six Triple Eight," written and directed by Tyler Perry and starring Kerry Washington, began streaming on Netflix in December. It received an Academy Award nomination for best original song. The battalion was also featured in a 2019 documentary, produced by Wisconsin native James Theres, and the subject of a musical. In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ahead of the film's release, Sheree Robertson described her mother as a "quiet warrior." She worked hard, raised eight children and lived a good life, Sheree said. She never expected anything in return but enjoyed the love and attention she received in recent years, she said. 'People need to realize the contributions those women made to their country and the sacrifices they made to their country when their country did not treat them with respect and dignity,' Sheree said. 'They still felt a duty to go in there and do an outstanding job.' American military units were segregated by race and gender during World War II. Members of the Six Triple Eight could not eat meals with other American soldiers. They ran their own dining facility and slept in separate barracks. Washington, who portrayed Six Triple Eight's leader Maj. Charity Adams in the film, said in a May 31 Facebook post that the day she met Robertson will be "forever cherished deeply in my heart." "Your legacy will live on through the strength of your beautiful family and in the hearts of Black people everywhere," Washington wrote. "You, and the extraordinary women of (the Six Triple Eight) you're meeting up in heaven, paved the way with grace, grit and bravery." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter La Risa R. Lynch contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Anna Mae Robertson, member of Six Triple Eight battalion, dies at 101
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Pioneering airwomen who broke barriers in the control tower
The first batch of the airwomen at their passing out parade in 1973. PETALING JAYA : When Christine Lim wanted to join the Royal Malaysian Air Force 53 years ago, her late father was against it. He reminded her of the old Chinese saying 'good men don't become soldiers.' Unconvinced, Lim pressed ahead and landed a job as an air traffic controller with the Royal Malaysian Air Force. Her father eventually relented, with reservations. But Lim never looked back, going on to a 23-year career as an air traffic controller, retiring with the rank of sergeant. It was an achievement, something to be proud of – but with one regret. Christine Lim. 'Unfortunately, my father was not around to see my career take off. He died a year after I became an airwoman,' Lim told FMT in an interview in conjunction with the 67th Air Force Day today. The entry of Lim and her colleagues, the first women in the RMAF, was a significant milestone in the history of Malaysian military aviation, laying the groundwork to promote inclusivity and support for women in military roles. Today, women join the RMAF in various trades, even becoming fighter pilots. It has become a norm – but that was far from the case in 1972. Christine Lim on the job at the air traffic control centre. Most parents could not fathom the thought of their daughters donning military attire and undergoing the tough physical training. Rasaletchumi Ratnasingam. Retired major Rasaletchumi Ratnasingam, who hailed from a conservative Indian family, is an example. Her parents tried to dissuade her from her intention to join RMAF as it was not traditionally a feminine field. 'Eventually I managed to convince them to let me go for the interview, by saying I may not be accepted. But I was selected to be trained as an air traffic control officer. My parents eventually came to terms with it. In fact they witnessed my successful career in the RMAF.' Rasaletchumi, was one of the first two female cadets commissioned as RMAF officers in 1975, when she was still in her early 20s. Her career culminated as the commanding officer of the joint air traffic control centre at Subang airport. Siti Salmiah Abu Bakar, also among the first batch of airwomen, faced no objection from her mother even though her mother had lost her police officer husband at a young age in 1956 during the communist insurgency. Siti Salmiah Abu Bakar. 'I was only two then and my mum struggled to bring me up. But she encouraged me when I decided to join the air force. I was offered a post in logistics. 'My mother was full of pride each time she saw me in my uniform,' said Salmiah, who retired as a sergeant. For Pushparanee Seevaratanam it was a case of plain sailing because her father, an ex-serviceman, and mother were very supportive of her aspirations which gave her all the confidence to step forward and serve. 'Although it was mostly a male-dominated society back then, I never saw it as a barrier. I believed that with dedication and hard work, women could stand equally alongside men,' she said, adding that serving the nation against all odds was a fulfilling experience. Pushparanee Seevaratanam (standing, 5th from left) says airwomen were treated with respect even though they were outnumbered by their male colleagues. Not a job of last resort Rasaletchumi said she had many other job opportunities, including those of teacher, newscaster and flight attendant. But the allure of being part of the armed forces, thanks to the movies she watched, made for an easy decision. 'When the opportunity to join the armed forces came, I grabbed it. I was attracted to it as I wanted a challenging career that was something different from the norm.' Rasaletchumi Ratnasingam, Siti Salmiah Abu Bakar and Pushparanee Seevaratanam in their uniforms when they started their career in the RMAF. Lim had been headed for a career in accountancy after her SPM examination but decided to venture into the unknown after seeing an advertisement for recruitment of women into the RMAF. She said her experience as a member of the Red Cross Society who volunteered to help victims of the May 13 riots in 1969, and the great floods of Kuala Lumpur in 1971, had a major influence on her to join the armed forces. Pushparanee Seevaratanam. Pushparanee said jobs were not too difficult to find at that time but she still chose the air force because she had always had a passion for adventure, discipline, and serving the country. 'I wanted a life that was meaningful and challenging, and something to break the barrier then. It wasn't just about employment, it was about being part of something bigger, and to serve the nation,' she said. She was in the administration department. All four of them spoke passionately of how the inter-ethnic harmony was the cornerstone with no one hesitating to help others during difficult moments especially when undergoing basic military training. 'We were so united and relationships were better during that time. We were truly Malaysians in our quest to serve the nation,' said Lim.
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Indian professor arrested over social media post on military operation in Pakistan
Police in India 's national capital, Delhi, have arrested a professor of a top private university for his social media post related to the country's military operation in Pakistan. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, the head of the department of political science at Ashoka University, was arrested by Haryana state police in Delhi on Sunday, following a complaint by the Haryana State Commission for Women. The arrest of Mr Mahmudabad has sparked condemnation from across the academic community, calling it 'harassment' and 'attempted censorship'. At the centre of the controversy are Mr Mahmudabad's, a Cambridge -educated scholar's, social media posts on 8 and 11 May, days after India launched "Operation Sindoor", a military strike targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in retaliation for the 22 April Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. In the post, he questioned the 'optics' of using female Muslim defence officers for briefings on Operation Sindoor, and raised questions over issues of incidents of mob lynching of Muslim men. While he acknowledged the significance of women officers – Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh – leading the military briefing, he said such optics would be 'hypocrisy' if not accompanied by genuine structural reforms to improve the status of women across the Armed Forces and other public institutions. In another post, Mr Mahmudabad praised India's military strategy but criticised war rhetoric. In a statement before his arrest, the professor said his posts were 'misread' and 'misunderstood', calling action against him 'a new form of censorship and harassment, which invents issues where there are none'. He said he had 'exercised his fundamental right to freedom of thought and speech in order to promote peace and harmony and applaud the Indian armed forces for their resolute action'. 'If anything, my entire comments were about safeguarding the lives of both citizens and soldiers,' read his statement, adding that 'there is nothing remotely misogynistic about my comments'. His statement was released after he was issued a summon by the Haryana State Commission for Women. The commission interpreted Mr Mahmudabad's remarks as undermining the dignity of women officers and vilifying national military actions. They cited concerns including disparagement of women in uniform, misuse of terms like 'genocide' and 'dehumanisation', and risking communal unrest. An open letter signed by 1,200 people, including academics, professors, universities and civil servants, expressed support for the professor and demanded an apology from the commission for 'deliberately and maliciously slandering him'. 'From a bare reading of his original posts, it is clear that Prof Khan praised the strategic restraint of the armed forces, analysed how any distinction between the terrorists or non-state actors and the Pakistani military has now collapsed..,' the letter said. 'He even applauded the Indian right wing for their support for Colonel Sofia Qureshi and invited them to also equally loudly oppose mob lynching and the bulldozing that Indian Muslims and others are frequently subjected to,' it added. In an internal email circulated on Sunday afternoon, the Committee for Academic Freedom (CAF) at Ashoka University described the arrest as 'a disproportionate punishment based on flimsy grounds' and condemned it as 'a fundamental attack on academic freedom', according to an The Indian Express report. Mr Mahmudabad, a faculty member at Ashoka University since 2016, is known for his work on religious identity, political culture, and democracy in South Asia and the Middle East. A Cambridge-educated scholar, he holds a PhD on Muslim identity in North India. The incident marks the latest incident in ongoing tensions between Ashoka University, a private liberal arts institution in Haryana, and the Narendra Modi-led Indian government, primarily over issues of academic freedom and perceived political dissent. In 2021, it was rocked by back-to-back resignations of top faculty members after prominent scholars Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Arvind Subramanian resigned, citing a lack of academic freedom. Mr Mehta's exit, after being deemed a 'political liability' by the founders, triggered student protests and global condemnation.
New York Times
18-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
How One Woman Is Breaking a Military Stereotype in Ukraine
The Ukrainian helicopter, returning from a mission firing rockets at Russian troops, swooped in low over a forest of birch trees and touched down in a clearing in a cloud of dust. The door opened, and the pilot emerged, blinking away the dust with mascaraed eyelashes, her nails manicured a deep burgundy. She was carrying a heavy flight jacket over one arm, and a member of the ground crew rushed over to her to help her with it. 'Let me carry it,' he said, but she waved him off. If I can land a helicopter, her body language suggested, I don't need help with my jacket. 'Guys always want to show that they're heroes and protect you,' the pilot, a senior lieutenant named Kateryna, said in an interview later. 'But I didn't come here to be a girl. At some point, our army will get it.' Ukraine, now in the fourth year of all-out war with Russia, is facing an urgent need for more soldiers, and after years of reluctance is stepping up efforts to get more women to serve. The military has started recruitment campaigns for women and gender equality training courses for commanders as part of that effort. Since the start of Russia's invasion in 2022, the number of women in the armed forces has increased by 20 percent, according to the Ministry of Defense. But many women say that many impediments remain and that sexism is common within the ranks. About 70,000 women are serving in the Ukrainian military, of whom just 5,500 are in combat positions. Lieutenant Kateryna is the only female combat pilot in the Ukrainian military, the military says, serving at a forward helicopter base with dozens of male pilots. Ukraine does not allow the last names of pilots to be publicized as a security precaution. 'I would love more women to fly,' said Lieutenant Kateryna, adding that she had been the only woman among 45 men in her military flight school. She said that very few women were studying to be pilots at Kharkiv National Air Force University, the country's leading military aviation institution, but that six had reached out to her on Instagram for advice. 'I try to encourage them and tell them that they will make it,' she said. The university said it was not authorized to disclose how many women were studying to be pilots. Ukraine's government passed a law allowing women to serve in combat roles in 2018, four years after Russia first attacked eastern Ukraine. But deeply rooted stereotypes among male commanders and rank-and-file soldiers remain difficult to overcome, and women tend to be marginalized and underutilized in the armed forces, Lieutenant Kateryna and activists say. As a combat pilot, Lieutenant Kateryna says she has bonded with the other soldiers on a daily basis. But, she says, she often finds her abilities doubted. 'It's like that in any profession when you're a woman — not just in the army,' she said. She said she was inspired to fly growing up on an air force base, where her father served as an officer. She was given a ride in a Mi-8 helicopter when she was 10, and decided she wanted to become a pilot. 'It was so loud and so scary, but I felt that I wanted to fly it,' she said. When, at 16, she entered Kharkiv National Air Force University as the only female student, she said a teacher asked her: ''What are you doing here? This is not for girls. You will not make it.' A female instructor on helicopter simulators inspired her to carry on, she said. 'She told me not to listen to anyone, and I thought, if she can fly, why can't I?' She joined the 18th Separate Brigade of Army Aviation in 2023 and began flying combat missions last September. Lieutenant Kateryna is a co-pilot and navigator on an Mi-8, a heavy, powerful Soviet-era machine with mostly manual controls, and has flown more than 30 combat missions. 'In flight, I love everything,' she said. A mission last week began at 6 a.m. Lieutenant Kateryna braided her blond hair into two tight braids that ran along her head, curved around her ears, and hung down over her shoulders. 'So the hair doesn't bother me,' she said. She put on the male military uniform she wears, as the army doesn't provide uniforms made for women. She picked up a tablet computer she uses for navigating and stepped outside. Her crew, more than a dozen men, were already there, smoking and having coffee. They discussed the route, which Lieutenant Kateryna had prepared in advance for a three-helicopter mission, then walked to their aircraft, hidden in a forest to protect against Russian missile attacks. Lieutenant Kateryna put on her helmet, made herself comfortable in the seat, and with her right hand gripped the cyclic stick, and with her left, the throttle lever. Her commander, a 26-year-old captain named Andriy, pressed the start button. Lieutenant Kateryna checked the navigation instruments. A few second later, the helicopter was in the air, and flew off toward the front. The helicopters fly very low, at an altitude of 30 to 45 feet, popping over power lines and trees. Two helicopters fly ahead and a third behind. Close to the front, the third helicopter gains altitude and serves as a kind of retransmitting radio station for the leading two, which fire volleys of rockets at Russian targets. This aircraft is known as the radio relay helicopter, which Lieutenant Kateryna pilots. Although it remains farther back than the striking helicopters, it is often in greater danger because of the higher altitude. 'I never stress during the flight,' she said. 'All the heavy thoughts can come before or after. During the flight, my mind is clear.' On missions, she said, 'I fly and look over my country, thinking how beautiful it is, and then, when we enter the frontline area and I see how everything is destroyed — burned and bombed — the villages, towns, homes and factories, I think: how did we get here in the 21st century?' Lieutenant Kateryna led the striking helicopters to the target and then sharply turned back after the rockets were fired. As the helicopters returned to the forest clearing, birds fluttered up in alarm and then three machines landed, safe after another mission. 'Once I hear on the radio that we hit the target — like today — I know the job is done,' she said after she returned. 'I feel like, 'phew, great, we completed our task.'' Lieutenant Kateryna rarely sees her family and has promised to give her little sister a ride, but only after the war. She doesn't date anyone or have close friends in her brigade. 'You can't force anything. If I meet someone, so be it,' she said both of friendship and romantic relationships. After combat missions, she unwinds by watching movies with fellow soldiers. After the mission late last month, she put on comfortable black leggings and a hoodie and sat watching television with other soldiers, all men. One of the other soldiers teased her, 'Hey Katya, come on, lie down here and look beautiful — you're in tights!' Katya ignored the comment. She has learned to tune out such comments, she said. She takes heart from the fact that she is respected by other pilots, and commanders now know she can fly. 'Possibly, I ruined the stereotype,' she said.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Royal Marines training could be watered down to let more women into the Navy following 'political pressure' over diversity targets
The gruelling training endured by Royal Marines recruits could be watered down to meet diversity targets thanks to 'political pressure' to admit more women, whistleblowers have revealed. There are growing fears that elements of the Royal Navy's elite commando training, which keeps standards set in the Second World War, are being made easier to let women pass, with junior instructors expressing their disapproval on social media. Training at the commando base at Lympstone near Exeter is held to be the toughest of any Nato infantry force. Nine women have passed a shortened ten-week 'all-arms commando test', but none has passed the full, 32-week Royal Marines course. So far, seven female applicants have attempted it, notably former England rower Philippa Birch, who joined in 2019 but left after she was injured. Royal Navy chiefs are understood to have come under pressure from civil servants to boost their diversity figures. Senior officers have privately expressed their concerns. One who recently served at Lympstone said: 'The tests needed to pass the course and be granted the privilege to wear the green beret have not been diluted. 'But there is a lot of pressure to get a female to pass the course, and the Navy see it as some sort of crusade. Our view is that there are lots of very good females out there and at some point one will pass.' Women can serve in all parts of the Armed Forces, and only the Royal Marines and the SAS do not have a female 'badged' soldier. Last month, Marine John Carr was held by Ministry of Defence police for warning in an open letter that 'training was being diluted to meet diversity targets', claiming it risked costing the life of a male marine. He claimed standards were being lowered for women, and some were being 'artificially pushed through training' and receiving 'unearned paper passes'. The Ministry of Defence said: 'Selection standards have not changed, and the same high standards apply to every recruit.' Referring to Marine Carr, it added: 'This issue is subject to an ongoing investigation, so we are unable to comment further.'
