Our pregnant military

An unpopular truth

[Reprinted from Issues & Views June 28, 2004]

One could be a cynic and claim that the term "pregnant sailor" is an oxymoron -- it just makes no sense. Since a military sailor is a man, what chance is there of him ever getting in the family way? Back in 1996, in "The Demoralization of the Military," we wrote about the consequences of the military's surrender to political correctness and the new challenges faced by military men as they are forced to live in close quarters with women. We concluded that confusion and lots of pregnancies would be an inevitable result of such a test of Nature.

The research of retired Army Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis was cited, who claimed that, "At any given time, up to 18% of Navy women are pregnant and a study of two ships showed a pregnancy rate as high as one in three. That's nearly 8,423 women, or enough to crew almost two aircraft carriers." And, further, revealed Maginnis, "During Desert Storm, 1,145 women on ships needed to be reassigned because of pregnancies, at an average of 95 per month."

Now we learn from London's Telegraph (6/14/04) that of 1,700 soldiers who were "medically downgraded" in Iraq by the British army, 83 of them were pregnant. The Telegraph reports:

The release of the figures follows a series of sex scandals within the Army concerning relationships between officers and other ranks, mostly concerning female officers who slept with male senior NCOs. Sexual relationships between the ranks are strictly forbidden and those involved are normally forced out.

Apparently, they are not forced out soon enough.

These facts of life certainly introduce a new kind of danger into military duty. Yet, on the other hand, there is that facetious World War II Navy veteran who is quoted as declaring, "Wow, I sure wish things were like this in my day. We had to wait until we put into port and then take our chances on finding women. Who would ever have dreamed that some day the government would provide them for you, and right there on board ship!"

Who would, indeed?

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