And it's Here We Go AGaiN

In my short time with the Coast Guard, I have already witnessed the destruction power of the electronically shared word. Annihilation of others and their careers will not be the driving force behind my writings. It is also not my intention that it be a byproduct either.

I started this blog about a year ago to maintain an open forum for my fellow female junior officers in order to discuss issues we were having (specifically in regards to the situations that we were not "prepared" for). Unfortunately, in many cases we found ourselves dealing with sexism and chauvinism amongst the ranks and incongruously enough, within our own wardrooms.

Well, things spiraled, quickly, near out of control. Once the name calling started, I realized that if my little pretty in pink blog fell into the wrong hands (or, right hands, however you want to look at it), our venting could end careers. In some cases, these careers probably deserve to be eradicated because of the individuals’ disappointingly backwards style of thinking and highly inappropriate actions, but not at the risk of irrevocably damaging the careers of other individuals who might undeservingly fall into the wrath of the empowered group of young women I was rallying together. I didn’t want to risk hurting the truly harmless (even if they were infuriating).

To make that long story short, I deleted everything. I stopped sending out e-mails every time I was offended or emotionally riled up; I kept quieter (at least to the Coast Guard female JO population at large, my close friends still got an earful near daily). The last thing I wanted to do was be labeled a "terminator" because I had jumped on my pro-feminism high horse and ridden off into the green flash at sunset with a pair of testicles in one hand and someone's cutterman's pin in the other.

But I’m back. In full force, same passion, singing a slightly different tune. This blog isn’t about bitching about sexism in the military or harassment or the double standard we all know about but do nothing to change. I’m just going to write. And in the end, I hope the scrolling marquee says, “No Cuttermen were harmed in the publishing of this blog.”