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WomenBy NANCY BOEHLKE Freeman StaffIKE MANY peoplew h ooecomeinvolved with the bureaucratic process, the threeWomen members of theWaukesha County Draft board are not sure just how much impact their ideas have.The three women. Mrs Dorothy Meingast. 54. Brookfield. Mrs Margo Huston. 28. Mukwonago and Mrs EileenMallov. 47 Dousman. re-%eeived their appointments to the draft board in February, after nine of the 10 positions were vacated because of resignations and new age restrictions Their selection came at a time when the state selective service bureau was encouraging applications from women, members of rnnontva»groups and young people It was hoped that their presence would bring an added dimension of understanding to the board Each of the three women has at least one son Rut Mrs Meingast explained that the law does not allow a draft board member to make a decision on a member of his family.Impact on Draft Board Uncertainapplied for the vacant posi- burden must be horrendousand men just don't understand this.” she said.tions• A woman’s tempering influence may go a long way.” said Mrs Malloy. “Having sons. 1 felt I would have some sort of understanding of the young men I think I sort of know how thev feel She added that she thought thfre were some feelings oniv a woman could have Mrs Huston agreedMargo Huston“Take this law that dropped the exemption for the man whose wife is pregnant Whoever made that law-had to be a man Sav there isTwo of the women said that a 17 year old girl expecting idea was at least in the hack her first baby The physiolo-of their minds when they gica! and psychological“I would hope that the women on the board might bring some reasonableness.Mrs Huston said she didn’t know how much influence anyone could have, because the law very carefully spells out the rules for classifying young men“The laws are really quite binding.” she said “We have had one division reversed already on the draft board because all of my life I’ve complained about it Since the draft does exist. I would like to make it as fair as I can I don’t believe in war. but I think Ican function effectively at%this level to carry out the law of the draft. For too long thedraft was controlled by people who were not as open to cases as thev should be ”Dorothy MeingastMrs Malloy explained that the draft board is not actually putting the young men in uniform and sending them offto Vietnamreally controlling his life. she said“Now that I am on thedraft board I keep thinking why are all these people weare acting on men0 I feel it isverv unfair that we are%drafting men and not women“We reallv trv to be as fair Its discrimination. she said% %and open-minded as we can But I don’t think I am anvmore lenient than anv other%member of the panel. said“Like Mr Levine (the state Mrs Mallov.selective service director!Mrs Huston agreed, sayingMrs Huston said she thought women should be drafted as well as men. for combat positionstold us at the first meeting she didn’t think there was aWhen you are a little squea- split of ideas along male- Look at it this wav I’mbigger than most Vietcongmish. remember, vou are%always deciding two cases The one in front of vou. andwthe one after him ’female lines“I suppose I wanted to be They’re little people.’’“We really only just classify them Induction is still something in the distant future Once a young man is classified, he has all kinds of rights There are so many options for a person: we are notMiss MilwaukeeSummerfestAIs SoughtYoung unmarried women with poise and talent, be-The three women agreed that women have an obligation to step in and seize some of the power in society and carrv its burden as well.“We have as much right to participate in the decisionmaking process and it is an
Newspaper Details
Waukesha Freeman
Waukesha, Wisconsin, US
Thu, May 25, 1972
Page 8
Full Page
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USA 29 Jan 2020
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