BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS OECTA member Jennifer Pouw recalls her experience as a combat soldier in the 1990s

By Robert Smol

It has now been thirty years since the Canadian government, responding to a successful human rights complaint, eliminated all restrictions preventing women from entering combat roles in the Canadian military.

In the 1990s, the military began accepting women as combat infantry soldiers. Yet, the task of normalizing women’s acceptance in a rigidly male-dominated institution was left to a generation of ambitious young women, who had to prove to a skeptical public – and military – that women in combat was not just an idea, but a reality.

Among the cohort of pioneers who began the process of breaking down barriers in the Canadian Forces was Jennifer Pouw. In early 1992, just three years after the restrictions against women serving in combat were lifted, Jennifer, then only 17 years old, enrolled in the Lorne Scots Regiment as an infantry soldier.

“Most people were supportive, but I would also say that most also tried to get me to choose a different avenue of training,” says Jennifer. “No one seemed worried that I would fail, they were mostly concerned about my safety.”

In the summer of 1992, after completing her final semester of Grade 12, Jennifer arrived at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Petawawa for her basic infantry training. Recalling those first few days, the self-described “free spirit” says it became clear that weapons and physical fitness tests were not the only challenges she would face.

“Everyone was acutely aware of the ‘three girls’ at basic training, and we were acutely aware that they were aware! We were given a private lecture about behaviour from a female Master Corporal – it was an honest conversation about what people expected of us, how we needed to behave appropriately at all times, to avoid engaging in relationships with any of the recruits or soldiers, and how we would have to work twice as hard to be accepted.”

The remaining weeks of her first “summer break” were to be taken up with drill, learning to fire and maintain weapons, grenade throwing, hand-to-hand-combat, as well as section and platoon tactics culminating in elaborate tactical exercises.

“There were long days on the gun range, but I proved to be an exceptional shot, so that earned me lots of points and attention. I was small but feisty, so I really enjoyed the hand-to-hand combat.” At the time, one of the most common self-fulfilling “concerns” raised against allowing women in combat (often used as a veil for outright prejudice) was the “woman-on-the-pedestal” excuse. The argument is that men are naturally hard-wired to protect females, and if women were allowed in combat, the male soldiers around them would be overly focused on shielding and supporting their female colleague and ignore the unit’s objective.

But for Jennifer, the experience during her basic training proved to be exactly the opposite.

“On the first day of a multi-day exercise, we had to march a total of 10 kilometers to our site, in full combat gear, rucksack, and weapon. And it was deadly hot. Not long into the march, one of the newer Privates started to falter. Finally, I reached forward and grabbed his ruck sack off his back and turned it around so I could wear it on my front [these things weigh about 50 pounds]. Thankfully, it wasn’t far to the ‘finish line.’ Though I got there with tears in my eyes, I saw the look on my Master-Corporal’s face and felt, in that moment, I had earned my stripes with him.”

Her basic training complete, Jennifer was to return the following summer to CFB Borden for additional training with the Canadian Airborne Regiment as a communications specialist.

For the past 21 years, Jennifer has been a teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas, and an active member of OECTA’s Dufferin-Peel Secondary Unit. Throughout her time studying to become a teacher, Jennifer remained in the reserves. Later, when beginning her teaching career, it was difficult not to be asked a few questions.

“When you are a female with ‘combat infantry service in the Canadian Armed Forces’ on your resume, people notice. My interview for my current teaching position was mostly a discussion about my experiences in the Forces. I guess they figured if I could survive and find success in the Army, I could survive a classroom!”

Today, reflecting on her experience in uniform, Jennifer recalls that the military, more than anything else, affirmed her willingness and ability to lead under pressure. Something she applies today to her extensive work in recent years as a union rep, committee member, and councilor.

“I have always been a believer in the team approach to everything I do, and I feel the Forces had a major influence on me in that aspect. I approach my advocacy work the same way. I think finding success in the Forces gave me a lot of confidence, a strong sense of right and wrong, and the notion that if I have a strong team backing me, I can pretty much accomplish anything.”