Anu Bhagwati

I was particularly looking forward to Anu’s visit, as her expertise related directly to my chosen topic for our research project. We had been discussing the problems surrounding the construction of a single story in class and her public talk opened up new perspectives to many ideas that I had not considered before. She reiterated the importance of recognizing the problems associated with only considering a single experience.

I remember hearing about Jessica Lynch when I was growing up. In my mind, she always served as the quintessential representation of a woman in the military. I think because I was exposed to the ongoing media onslaught at such a young age, my preconceived and deeply rooted assumptions about what a woman in the military looked and acted like were completed affected. Not only was Jessica a young, white woman but also the circumstances surrounding her ordeal fed into the concept of a ‘damsel’ needing rescuing. I cannot remember in my childhood any other female figure in the U.S. military being given so much attention and recognition. Thus, I had mentally constructed the idea of a woman in the military, being white and needing men to come rescue her from foreign captors.

I was shocked to learn that a fellow service woman had died in the firefight that resulted in Jessica’s capture as a Prisoner of War. Of all the stories surrounding Jessica Lynch’s experiences, I had never heard about Lori Piestewa, a Native American woman, who died in the Iraq invasion. This shows how when an experience does not fit the mainstream constructed single story, it is marginalized and discounted. 

I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend both Anu’s class talk and public presentation. Her candid reflections and personal stories concerning her military service serve to illuminate many different aspects we have been discussing in class, including many overly sexist policies of the U.S. military. The passion that Anu exemplified for her activism served as an example everyone in the class could learn from. 

--Erika