An Excellent Reason Not to Join the Military

AlterNet: WireTap: An Excellent Reason Not to Join the Military
I found this very disturbing. Realize that I was a 36 year old mother of 2 when I joined the US Army in peacetime, 1987. I had a very gentile basic training as an officer and a nurse. There was no drill Sgt. there was no horrible experience. The highlight was a stint at Camp Bullis north of San Antonio where we were introduced to camping Army style which was posher than my Dad's idea of camping. After all, I did not have to haul 5 gallon Gerry cans of water for 1/2 mile or so, chop wood, pee in the woods, or suffer at all. We learned about sound, noise and light discipline and hiked to the top of a hill, as we hummed oh we oh, we oh oh (from the Wizard of Oz) and saw a spectacular shooting star. The next day it was back to the Omni hotel and the swimming pool, and a weekend off on the San Antonio River Walk on St. Patrick's Day....were we had too much beer, got a bit rowdy and were asked to leave the Hyatt Hotel. I was carded at Durty Nellies, where the young man howled very loudly that I was old enough to be his mother.
Yep, that was the old days. Now, women are afraid to even walk to the bathroom. We were smart enough in the olden days to never go anywhere alone, because we were taught by our mothers and the Army to never go anywhere alone. Now, young women in the military don't have that luxury. It's disgusting what they must go through, and without any support for improved conditions from the upper echelons in the military. Rumsfeld should be screaming about this, but he is strangely silent, unless confronted by my idol, Ray McGovern.
Ladies...stay home and don't join, it's not worth it.