24 hours with female marine in nyc
when I think of myself being a female in the
Marines I don't bat an eye it doesn't seem different to me but I guess to other
people it is different they had thought maybe my brother was gonna go in the
military and I don't think they ever thought their daughter would go in the
military what is your expectation going in to Fleet Week predominantly the
military is composed of men have a good night and so there is that perception
that they're here to like mingle and potentially you know meet somebody sex in
a city had an episode all of us we got ladies seaman 12 o'clock my husband's a
marine and I fell for that absolutely I think it's very attractive but for us
we we're here with a different mission a different purpose I think that's the
perception that's given out for Fleet Week but what about the females
last year I was invited aboard the USS Arlington
for the 30th anniversary of Fleet Week in New York City Fleet Week is when
thousands of active duty sailors Marines and Coast Guardsmen descend upon the
city to rub elbows with civilians and maybe blow off some steam I've had a bit
of a crazy morning I was on a helicopter at like 7:00 a.m. and now I've landed
on the USS Arlington because I'm here to hang out with some female service
members and get their perspective on Fleet Week I think when most people think
of Fleet Week the image that comes to mind is the sailor in a white uniform
walking down Times Square with women throwing themselves at him and while
that's a totally valid experience and I don't know if that's necessarily the
same case if you're a female service member so I just want to see if that is
the case or maybe they're here for something totally different this is
Lieutenant Stephanie Pavo a 37 year old logistics officer and one of the female
Marines I'm hanging out with today wow this is so beautiful she's normally
stationed in North Carolina but has spent the last few days living on this
massive warship
I've never been to New York before so as we came
up the river and you started to see different places that you've either seen in
movies or TV you know it becomes real and I teared up a little bit you know you
kind of start to feel like the sense of pride like what I do actually you know
it's more important and the public recognizes what I do too it's not just you
know it's not a job yeah it's a calling Lee week is basically a giant PR
mission for the military they invite civilians onto their ships you really have
to get used to like being in small tight spaces in which I'm not very good at show
off their toys this whole thing that we're standing on like from here to where
the fans aren't this is the machine including a hovercraft our craft and host
events all over the city the goal is to bridge the military civilian divide
which is at an all-time low and that's bad for recruitment and perhaps
ultimately national security most civilians exposure to the military is through
over-the-top Hollywood portrayals of front-line combat and increasing news
reports of sexual assault and abuse so while Fleet Week is meant to be a
celebration these service members are still stepping into the civilian world
wearing a uniform with political weight especially if that service member
happens to be a woman did you struggle or did you have anyone go I'm actually really
against the military I'm really against war and I think that you're making a
huge mistake I definitely had some of those moments you know
if I've lost friends over some of my life choices
the media tends when they tell stories of the female experience in the military
there seems to be a narrative that's sexual assault and abuse certainly there
are issues I personally have not dealt with anything similar to that so it's
not the norm in my world you know but I think that we look at the military as
being perfect and much like any business there's gonna be there's gonna be
things that we need to work on and that's one of those but I will say we have
equal pay same opportunities for advancement promotion there's no closed doors
in the Marine Corps anymore so we've come a long way and I think that we're
gonna continue to go a long way you're just starting Fleet Week you're in New
York you're gonna have the opportunity to talk to lots of people is there a
message is there a goal that you have that you want to accomplish I would love
to remove that image that women in the Marine Corps or in the armed services
are only dealing with sexual assault I would love to put a positive showcase to
all of the people here that we love our jobs were content and we are happy to
serve our country women have been a part of the military for the last 100 years
and in 2015 the DoD finally allowed them to serve across all combat roles still
women make up less than 15% of the Armed Forces and those with the rank of
officer are an even smaller fraction of that Stephanie hopes that more
representation and diversity of stories might help change those numbers
and she's not the only one her roommate for the
week is 23 year old Tori Carr a fellow officer who's also experienced in Fleet
Week for the first time hi can I come in it's also her first time experiencing
how cramped life on his ship is while we're on the ship six females fit in here
and right now me and first lieutenant Pablo are living here for Fleet Week this
would be expensive in New York yeah this is really great real estate you could
yeah don't even touch the walls so this is the head bathroom as we call it in
the civilian world what's ahead of your toilet and your shower you have to be
careful once the ship's going you're bouncing back and forth I'm here personal
boundaries don't really exist in our running your tight quarters these are our
racks as we call them Oh bunk mates we are I'm on the top bunk here so you can
store all of your stuff underneath here yeah totally but tonight is about
getting off the cramped ship and onto the cramped streets of New York City a
chance to let their hair down kind of can you do like a fun things with hair
and makeup when you're out on Liberty I was told as what free time is right yes
we are required to wear certain hairstyles so for the women we can't get super
fancy you can do some braids you can kind of dress it up I like to call it my
female rebellions because you know in uniform you we all look a certain way but
you know you have your subtle female rebellions like the makeup the nails we
are a Marine and you you don't think I don't think about gender at work I don't
think that I'm a girl in there a boy and like whatnot but now we're going out
on the town and I should be able to celebrate and dress up the guys do tend to
get a lot of attention I mean literally civilian women it's like kind of a
holiday I mean think sex in the city made a popular from my experience a lot of
people don't even know that women serve in the Marine Corps our uniforms look a
little different than what the male's wear and so there's an eye is drawn to
the wearing it my husband's a marine and I fell for that absolutely I think
it's very attractive but for us we we're here with a different mission a
different purpose even for some shopping i zero typical for is my leg we're
we're our basis station there's not the best shopping when we go out you're
gonna wear this
yes it'll be our dress blue Delta's with our you
know beautiful shiny officer rank and that our awards and ribbons the blue
trouser with the red blood stripe and then because it does get brisk and kind
of cold we also have the trendy optional tankard jacket where they go online to
buy these things [Music] alright this cute is a great jacket but you kind of list
we're looking for a few good women oh yeah there's someone I'm gonna do it just
for the jacket I think cami paints easier than makeup the secret is on the
creases of your face and the shadows you do the dark colors and then you do the
lighter colors where your face is accentuates more and is it there's a method
to it a for military lave what was your like aesthetic very different I
actually won prom princess my junior year and I won prom queen my senior year
well do ya the Queen Victoria over here did you have no is her in your family
at all yes my father's in the well was in the military he's retired from the
army I think they had thought maybe my brother was gonna go in the military and
I don't think they ever thought their daughter would go in the military and
even my father when I called him and to tell him he wasn't about it I guess why
do you think that was probably because I don't know I don't know you stumped me
on this vision I fear it's a guest well I think he was in the military at a
different time and women definitely were not prominent and I think the idea of
women in the military to him is very different of my idea of women in the
military when I think of myself being a female in the Marines I don't that
night it doesn't seem different to me but I guess to other people it is
different knowing that there are fewer females in it and fewer females that are
Marines that made me want to be a Marine even more so people have to salute
your rate when they walk down the hallway
right finally it was time to hit the streets but
they needed to sign out first so this is the Liberty log and if you're going to
go out on Liberty you have to sign out with their time and who you're going out
with your battle buddies you probably okay so your battle buddies tonight our
battle buddies tonight and so when we come back on the ship you have to be
present wits that have a good night like the saying goes leave no man or woman
behind unless you're a civilian then your ass is getting left on shore I think
if most people's understanding is like oh sweet week these guys they go out
they hook up they bring women back to the ship like that's not true that's not
true absolutely not oh I'm so shocked a Sex and the City lied to me I can't
believe it I'll admit it was a little surreal walking around the city with a
group of people in uniform lots of gawking and random shoutouts you too I also
forgot it was these women's first time in New York she's never taken the subway
before oh my god luckily I'm a very good visuals visuals another so how do you
know like which train doesn't oh I'm just making it up I have no idea okay
after a somewhat successful mission of navigating Midtown the women were able
to do what they've wanted to do this whole time talk to the public well once
the public finish taking photos with the dudes in uniform of course we come
from all over yeah like I'm from Michigan you've got we're not gonna bring a
load so I saw that you were talking to Stephanie a little bit what what was
your takeaway really she's been Michigan and my dad has family in Michigan
you're kind of are doing a really good job just
rolling with the punches of like slightly strange things being thrown out of
you that guys used to being gawked at I don't really care about this magic show
anymore you know we should do we should get in a cabin we should go to the bar
now I talked to people for a living and could only handle Times Square for 20
minutes but these women were loving it one two and the public was receptive
perhaps slightly drunk but receptive [Music] all right are you just drinking
water I really thought sleep is supposed to be like it's totally chilled or
aged and be crazy a little bit but that's just not the nature of it well I
think you know we volunteered for this right like we signed up we wanted to
leave Marines piece of that is acting a certain way and in being it's like any
job you know two o'clock in the morning like someone back on the ship like what
kind of message is that sending you're not seeing us engaged in conflict you
forget that we're still training we're always at the ready so it's important to
please for us to go out and remind the public that we're the elite fighting
force in the reserves ready to go at a moment's notice it's a little past 1:00
a.m. and the Marines are still partying inside and I'm quickly fading but yeah
this is Fleet Week it might not be as sexy I guess is like what some people
might think Fleet Week is all about but at least the women that I was hanging
out with it's very genuine to who they are they'd love this country are
incredibly proud about being marine and all they want to do is share that with
the public if you put the politics of war and military aside I think as women
let alone officers in the Marines they're ultimately held to a higher standard
until it becomes the norm fly away so when that day comes maybe then I can buy
them a drink maybe you
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