cIhe ( Women in the mil By AUDREY L. WILLIAMS Chronicle Staff Writer Last Sunday, when the nation's mothers were enjoying a day in their honor, three Winston-Salem mothers pitched pup tents in Rockinaham Countv. ate C-Rations for lunch and for the fifth weekend this year, prepared for war. Maj. Virginia Adams, 39; Capt. Janice Young, 32; and Maj. Frances Crosby, 48, are members of the Army Reserve Medical Unit 312 Evacuation Hospital. One weekend out of every month and two weeks out of every else, including family, to serve the United States Government and their country. Their base, the Triad Armed Forces Center, is located in Greensboro. Adams, wife and mother of two children, is assistant director of nursing at Winston-Salem State University and also serves as assistant professor of nursing. She was on active duty in the Air Force for two years and six years ago joined the Army Reserve. Young, wife and mother of a 2-year-old son, is nursing supervisor for the Forsyth-Stokes Mental Health Center and just completed teaching a nursing assistant course at Forsyth Technical Institute. She was on active duty for three years in the Army and enlisted as a reserve three years ago. Crosby, wife, mother of four children and a grandmother, is a therapist for the Forsvth-Stokes Mental Health Center. Come September, she will mark her third yearjn the reserves. . Making A Commitment \ / "When you make a commitment to the military,'* says Adams, an affirmative action officer in her unit, "... everything else is secondary. If there is a national or international crisis, I have to go because our unit is mobile." Unit 312 has a medical staff of over 300 officers. Women make up a third of that number and even fewer are black. If ever the United States finds itself in combat, Adams, Young and Crosby will be ordered to an evacuation hospital in the country or, if necessary, will be sent to fighting zones directly behind the front lines to evacuate casualties and attend to minor wounds. ^ In the military, the code of respect is understood, and * < v ^ .^^^eBMB^^kf- ?^mu. '>7';^i^^HBS ? - ?jP"^EP|g At ease: Members of the Army Reserve Medical E in formation (photo by James Parker). % At 12, this acad Bv AUDREY L. WILLIAMS Chronicle Staff Writer tributions he wants to make to the world, and frecom ing and adult is something he looks forward to. The sixth-grade, academically gifted student at Hall-Woodward Elementary School has the maturity of someone well beyond his few years. "Sometimes 1 get a little annoyed when people call me a little person," says the 5-2 James. "I have a lot of responsibility ahead of me. I'm almost a teenager." An all-around student, James serves on the student council, plays the trumpet in the school band and enjoys playing softball and basketball. He is a member of the East Winston Noon Optimist Soccer Team and Mt. Zion Baptist Church's Boy Scout Troop No. 818. As a member of Morningstar Baptist Church, he takes part in the youth usher board. In between all that, he says taking in scenery and art are his pastimes. 44It's hard to do all of that because I have to squeeze things in to make time for my schpol work," he says. "It takes a little effort but anybody can do it if they tried." Holding the door at Morningstar or directing churchgoers to their seats might not seem like meaningful work to some, but to James it's a service to the Lord. "I like to work in the church," James says, 4'because I like working for the Lord. I've been baptized and accepted Him as my savior." James' grandfather, James M. Lewis Sr., now deceased, served as pastor of Union Chapel Baptist Church for seven years. The youngest Lewis has T i zMagazin litary: A tale of off '1'" fis&i if? ' S3S 9hqd H iii^i^H|K|^HK;; ^'v iMm^I I B fl ? >: ^ v-"'N * ^J?f**-<> ^^jjfjff*111^'1 ' ** Virginia Adams: When she returns home from on she wants is a bath (photo by James Parker). be it man or woman, on active duty or in the reserves, commands are heard and carried out with no questions asked, say the women nffirprs L - All three ~ Adams, Young and Crosby -- say they found the code of respect one of the more appealing attractions of the military. "The military is a whole different set up from any other employment situation," says Young, who is in charge of coordinating in-service education conferences in her unit. "... In a regular job setting the click is 'who you know.' In the military, everything is up front; it's not who you know. "You can't tell a colonel no and expect to maintain r~ your rank," she says. "It's a challenge to deal with otherI ' *' -t3B b. * >* * ' x^hHI Evacuation Unit 312 relax a momemt after standing 4 emically talented y plans of wearing a dark robe one day, but not in the pulpit. "I hope someday to become a judge," he says. "I I guess., you oouklLuther King is my idol." ? After school, James and his younger brother, 8-year-old Brian, stay with their grandmother. Mrs. Annie Lewis, until their parents pick them up. Brian, who also wants to be a part of the interview, occasionally taps on the window from inside to let James know he's still around. His attempt at the limelight is ignored. "He's very bright," says James of his younger brother, "although he doesn't act like it sometimes. He was just tested for the AG (academically gifted) class." James pinpoints his favorite subject as math because of the lasting effect he says it has. "It (math) continues on and on," says James. "With reading, once you get to the last page, that's the end of the story, but with math you can take any number and go on and on." ' James is aware that his kind of intelligence is often looked upon as something amazing or, in another child's eye, as showing off. "If I get picked on because of the way I am, it's not my fault," he says. "My intelligence just came 1 * e Section icers and ladies n^l 'B %v?; i' **?#; e*-**^<*^:v*.-' ' 11"ijI i"11*'[ HB^*. ; ' J0^M rai-SS! iw > >?%*% e weekend a month of military drill, she says all people you wouldn't normally be able^to (deal with) in any other situation." Young, whose husband, Samuel, is a brick mason, joined the army in 1977, after the two discussed the idea of adding more adventure to their lives and increasing their joint income, she says, only to discover neither of them liked the constant moving from place to place. "I went active duty only to discover we were sedentary," she says. "We didn't like the hopping around, but it was a wonderful experience." Shrugging Off Scorn Though by and large the average American still has a low opinion of women in the military, the lady officers admit, they know their work well and are as well-trained as the men. And educating the community about the importance and urgency of their presence in the military is still a task yet to be taken underfoot. In the event of war, Crosby, head nurse in Unit 312, would be responsible for attending to the wounded and, because of her psychiatric training, later seeing to their emotional needs She is ?Jsr? in fhp iwnrpcc r?f cnnpruicino ^ w ?w . ?IIV v/VVJJ VI jupvi v 1^1115 unit evaluations of each officer and enlisted persons. In civilian life, her job as a therapist with the Forsyth-Stokes Mental Health Center has already allowed her to gain respectability in her profession. In the military it's an added dimension. "For so long nurses have not gotten the respect they should get right here," she says. "I've had a hard time getting across. People expect you to give them shots. I have an education just like a social worker or anyone else in any other profession." Dealing With Husbands Playing both parental roles while Virginia Adams is away has been an adjustment Shedrick, her husband, has oungster his p R. | * .. y. ^iiimin -JJII I I fWKBi ^SM K v-* ** ^ I n wm ? i/ Aft ^P ' % / I IHHB Csl James Lewis III: His goal is to don a black robe 1 naturally. So I take one thing at a time as it comes along." He attributes his maturity to the constant company he keeps with adults. Other than that, he says he's a serious person with goals ahead of him, and adds that he's trying his best to knock down any obstacles that might come his way. Section B Thursday, May 17, 1984 ~-rY* t fl| 5 . ^k. ft Jam.' jfHF * H H? !?~fP^^: '^?SL^>':"-'v j^^BjBnil * - i^l ^ 3M B|&^' " "" ' ' l ^|H B s _/33&Hk wT ; JfJ %mT -*^H Ma). Virginia Adams: Sipping a Diet Coke, she takes a breather between drills (photo by James Parker). yet to make. "Being in the reserve or the military makes it all a lot more flexible if you're single," says Adams, who is the mother of a 2-year-old son and a 15-year-old daughter. "The problem with children is that they get sick on an irregular basis." "It makes it a lot harder to leave now," she says, "especially with the situation in the Midddle East. In the - event of war, first of all, I will need family support because it's hard to fell your children, 'I don't know when I'm cornine back.' Shedrick is sometimes nnrom fortable with the military and I think if he could close his eyes and wish it away he would but he respects and knows that I must be what I want to be." Accompanying the self-esteem building and respect women gain in the military are benefits that women in civilian life depend on their husbands for. If Adams, Young or Crosby were killed while serving in the military, their families would be well taken care of, including the children's educational costs being assumed by the government. A handsome retirement plan awaits those who stay in for 20 years, and travel at the expense of the military is also a luxury, as well as educational advancement and dental and medical coverage. For the women's weekend stints, their average take home pay is $250 after taxes. "To me," says Crosby, "making money is important. I enjoy the the military and the pay is good. On the weekends when I feel reluctant about going, I just think Please see page B9 riorities in order I f*'j^K?$/r% /".m V: v