Race, Gender, and the Post-Combat Transition by Victor Erik Ray
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Collateral Damage: Race, Gender, and the Post‐Combat Transition By Victor Erik Ray Department of Sociology, Duke University Date: __________________________________ Approved: ___________________________________ Eduardo Bonilla‐Silva, Co‐Supervisor ___________________________________ Linda Burton, Co‐Supervisor ___________________________________ Linda George ___________________________________ Carol Stack ___________________________________ William Darity, Jr. ___________________________________ Rebecca Bach Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Sociology in the Graduate School of Duke University 2014 ABSTRACT Collateral Damage: Race, Gender, and the Post‐Combat Transition By Victor Erik Ray Department of Sociology, Duke University Date: __________________________________ Approved: ___________________________________ Eduardo Bonilla‐Silva, Co‐Supervisor ___________________________________ Linda Burton, Co‐Supervisor ___________________________________ Linda George ___________________________________ Carol Stack ___________________________________ William Darity, Jr. ___________________________________ Rebecca Bach An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in the Department of Sociology in the Graduate School of Duke University 2014 Copyright by Victor Erik Ray 2014 Abstract Research on the military has historically focused on the potentially de‐stratifying effects of service, including reductions of racial inequality and social mobility. Taking a life course approach, this prior research tends to claim that the military is a positive turning point in the lives of disadvantaged men. Scholars point to the educational benefits of the GI Bill, racial integration, and health care to claim that military service, especially during peacetime, is largely beneficial to service members. While it is certainly the case that the military has provided some historical benefits to marginalized groups, recent research has given us strong reasons to question how beneficial military service is to stigmatized groups. Significant racial and gender inequalities remain, and in some cases, are deepening. Drawing on 50 in‐depth interviews with veterans this dissertation examines how the organizational habitus of the military, despite organizational proclamations of meritocracy, may contribute to inequality. Focusing on the unintended consequences of military polices surrounding mental health problems, discrimination, and family relations, I create a synthesis of organizational and critical race theories to show how military policies may compound problems for soldiers and veterans. Focusing on the contradictions between stated organizational policies and actual practice, I show how the organizational arrangements of the military normalize overt expressions of racial and gender based discrimination, creating a sometimes‐ hostile environment for women and minorities and leaving them little recourse for iv recrimination. When policies protecting the stigmatized undermine the power and prerogatives of commanders or conflict with the militaries mission, it is not the powerful that suffer. Further, I show how military policies promoting family, such as extra pay for married soldiers, are at odds with the multiple deployments and high mental health incidences of this generations wars. Although the military relies on women on the ʺhome front,ʺ as a basis of support, the exigencies of service undermine relationship stability. I argue that traditional findings on the de‐stratifying effects of service are partially a product of an analytical frame that neglects internal organizational dynamics. v Dedication This wouldn’t have happened without Louise. vi Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iv Contents ....................................................................................................................................... vii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 This is Not a Movie .......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Background ....................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Subject Selection ............................................................................................................. 12 1.4 Data and Methods .......................................................................................................... 15 1.5 Subjectivity Statement .................................................................................................... 24 1.6 Outline of the Dissertation ............................................................................................ 29 2. Classic Theorists on the Military........................................................................................... 32 2.1 Contemporary Theorists on the Military .................................................................... 33 2.2 The Military and Post‐Service Mental Health ............................................................ 35 2.2.1 A Note on Race ...................................................................................................... 39 2.3 Race in the Military ........................................................................................................ 43 2.3.1 A Note on Gender ....................................................................................................... 50 2.3.2 Women’s Post‐Service Transitions ............................................................................ 52 2.4 Critical Race Theory Meets Military Sociology .......................................................... 59 2.7 Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 66 3. Friendly Fire: Punitive Empathy and Mental Health Careseeking in the Military ....... 67 3.1 Andre’s Story .................................................................................................................. 67 vii 4.1.1 Integrating Organization Theory into Studies of the Military .............................. 71 4.2 Bringing the War Home ....................................................................................................... 80 4.2.1 Help That Hurts: Mental Health Care and Punitive Empathy ............................. 85 4.3. Punitive Empathy Beyond the Military ..................................................................... 95 5. “We’re all Brothers Here”: Race and Gender in the Military ........................................... 98 5.1 Chapter Preface ............................................................................................................... 98 5.2 Race in the Modern Military ....................................................................................... 102 5.2.1 Theoretical background ............................................................................................ 108 6. The Army Didn’t Issue You a Wife .................................................................................... 137 6.1 Chapter Preface ............................................................................................................. 137 6.2. Chapter Outline ........................................................................................................... 139 6.1.2 The Challenges of Military Family Life .................................................................. 140 6.4 Difficulty Relating and Ambiguous Presence .......................................................... 148 7. Conclusion and Policy Implications ................................................................................... 156 7.1 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 156 7.1.1 Limitations and Future Directions .......................................................................... 160 Appendix A: Questionnaire .................................................................................................... 174 Appendix B: Informed Consent .............................................................................................. 177 Works Cited ............................................................................................................................... 181 Biography ................................................................................................................................... 195 viii 1. Introduction 1.1 This is Not a Movie ʺI actually was in the MEP [Military Entrance Processing] station and I think I finished everything around, like, 8:30 and I walked into the TV room (laughs) and asked them were they watching a movie because I saw the first plane hit. And they was, like, ʺOh, this is not a movie.ʺ And Iʹm, like, ʺWell, whatʹs going on?ʺ Everyone was, like, ʺWeʹre being attacked.ʺ So, I ran out the MEPS room and I actually ran to the counselors that...tell you where youʹre going. And they told me that I had just finished raising my right hand, so it was too late for me to actually opt out of anything. ʹCause, you know, once you