Females eager for submarine duty and other fables

Reported November 22, 2009 by Capital Gazette - Hometown Annapolis.com:

Female mids eager for submarine duty

A spokesman for the academy quantified the senior first-class midshipmen who have expressed interest in submarining at about two dozen.

Annapolis resident Sharon Hanley Disher - who graduated from the Naval Academy in the Class of 1980, the first class of women to graduate from the institution - wrote a book titled "First Class: Women Join the Ranks at the Naval Academy," published in 1998."It's been a long time coming," Disher said. "Finally - it's very gratifying for me to see the challenges we faced and the attitudes changing.

Disher's husband, a submariner, supports sharing duties with co-ed counterparts it was also reported. Draw your own conclusions, readers. Can anyone imagine being married to a feminist and not supporting acceptance of co-ed's?

According to Disher, lifting the ban on female submarine sailors would greatly increase the pool from which the Navy can choose its recruits.

Molten Eagle agrees that the potential submarine recruit pool would be increased, that is a no-brainer. But how about the volunteer pool?

Since Disher was cited in the Capital Gazette's story (by a female staffer of course), perhaps M.E. readers would also like to know what was not reported about her in the story. According to her bio at the U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE:

Sharon Hanley Disher served in the Navy Civil Engineering Corps for ten years after her 1980 graduation from the Naval Academy, including service as the officer in charge of a construction battalion unit in New London, Connecticut, the second woman in the Navy to hold such a position.

That's right, readers, Disher served 10 years after graduation from the USNA (and a sincere thank you, for your service).

"Fifty percent of the population is women, and they should pick from the best and brightest people who really have a desire to serve," she said.

Well, 10 years is probably more active service than the average from today's academy grads, is it not? Which brings up the major point.: determine minimum career intent before academy matriculation. Slow down the hemorrhage of what Disher calls the brightest and the best by first excluding those who have no real desire to serve at least 10 years, as Disher did.

DoD consultant William J. Andahazy, a Grasonville is one of many voicing opposition to the policy change for financial reasons (the cost to make alterations to existing vessels) could range in the high millions.

"I'm only concerned about the value added to accommodate a handful of women," he said. "Why now when the budget is so challenged? I'm objecting to laying that on the taxpayer right now."

Yeah; and M.E. is concerned with the millions wasted every semester on academy students intent on leaving the service ASAP after they graduate, typically only 5-1/2 years.

Submarines are always silent and strange.