Mothers of the Military: Support and Politics during Wartime [Hardcover]

Christensens research is based on Department of Defense recruitment and support documents, interviews with mothers, and military mothers message boards. Her conclusive chapter focuses on 10 points that political and governmental leaders would do well to consider.Wendy Christensen doesnt let us slide into simplistic assumptions about either militarization or women as mothers. Her careful listening over a decade reveals American racially diverse women dealing with their governments pressures, their own expectations, their strategic choices about when to stay silent and when to speak out. This book has taught me a lot.Too often the experience of parents is left out of research about military families, despite military members financial, psychological, and other reliance on parents, especially mothers, during enlistment, deployment, and their return, especially if injured physically or psychologically. Through an analysis of online message boards, military documents, and email interviews Wendy Christensen examines the gendered civic engagement of military mothers. Norms related to gender and patriotism encourage mothers to identify with and fiercely support the U.S. military, as well as the wars their children are ordered to fight. The rich ethnography deftly portrays the emotions of the homefront and the unpaid labor required to support troops. Mothers of the Military: Support and Politics during Wartime demonstrates how carework is translated into supplying the next generation of soldiers, coopted as support for military missions, and can also compel critiques of the Department of Veterans Affairs.Despite the fact more women are involved in combat positions during todays wars women are still a key part of home front support. This book draws on the personal experiences of actual military mothers, examining the emotional and physical support they give to their military members and the impact of that support on political participation.Mothers of the Military examinl1