Us Military Places and Spaces As Geographies of Care
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US MILITARY PLACES AND SPACES AS GEOGRAPHIES OF CARE AND THE BATTLE AGAINST MILITARY SEXUAL VIOLENCE by Connie Ann Buscha, B.S., M.A. A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Council of Texas State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Geography August 2020 Committee Members: John P. Tiefenbacher, Chair Sarah A. Blue Eric R. Sarmiento Patricia M. Shields COPYRIGHT by Connie Ann Buscha 2020 FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT Fair Use This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of this material for financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed. Duplication Permission As the copyright holder of this work I, Connie Ann Buscha, refuse permission to copy in excess of the “Fair Use” exemption without my written permission. DEDICATION I dedicate this work with respect, love, and gratitude to: My grandmother, Mary Ellen Barrett Wead, My mother, Kathleen Marie Wead Pecha, My daughter, Alexandra Lynn Larimore Rubenak, and My granddaughter, Charley Elizabeth Rubenak. They represent generations of women gifting themselves and caring fearlessly. May the tradition continue. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I offer my heartfelt gratitude to my committee for their continued patience and unwavering commitment as I pursued this Ph.D. as a non-traditional, part-time, and, often overwhelmed and distracted graduate student. First and foremost, I thank Dr. John Tiefenbacher for allowing me the intellectual freedom to pursue “unconventional” ideas, methods, and interpretations. “May there always be sunshine!” Thank you for doing your part and often mine, too. Dr. Sarah Blue I thank for her adherence to an unwavering feminist perspective and her research with and for marginalized women. She is a passionate advocate respected and adored by many. Dr. Eric Sarmiento I thank for challenging my theoretical perspective while not expecting me to adopt his. If it were not for this intellectual respect, we would indeed be living in a scary Orwellian world. His writing also inspires me as its poetic lilting creates charming mental imagery. I can only aspire to his level of insight and storytelling. I also thank Dr. Patricia Shields for her expansive experience, wisdom, and intellectual nimbleness in military affairs research. She is one of the wisest pragmatists of our time and a compassionate yet task-minded mentor. I commit myself to serving future generations of scholars as you have selflessly served me. v I also thank my Texas State University colleagues and friends, Doug Bynum and Brian McKay, who supported me in this endeavor. I also thank Bianca Quinones, Jacqueline Pugh, Barbara Hector, Robin Harder, Anna Baker and Colonel Gerald “Jerry” Smith, USMC (Ret.) who acted as facilitators and gatekeepers. I thank Dr. Stjepan Meštrović of Texas A&M University for his wry humor, intellectual cynicism, and mentorship as I navigated the mine field of sociological theory. I also thank Allison Glass-Smith for her patience and support over these many years, and the citizens of the great State of Texas for funding my undergraduate and graduate education through the Hazlewood Act. Finally, I thank Barry Buscha, my hero and best friend. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... xii ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................xv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................1 2. BACKGROUND .....................................................................................................5 Humanistic Geography ......................................................................................5 Geographies of Care ..........................................................................................6 Military Places and Spaces as Geographies of Care ..........................................8 The Citizen-Warrior and Military Women’s Exclusion ....................................9 Theoretical Approach.......................................................................................11 3. LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................15 Geographically Placed Violence and Fear .......................................................15 Geography’s Military Components..................................................................17 Military Places and Spaces as Historical Geographies of Morality .................22 Neoliberalism and the All-Volunteer Force (AVF) .........................................28 All-Volunteer Force (AVF) Geographies ........................................................40 4. METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................44 Classical Grounded Theory (CGT) ..................................................................45 Institutional Review and Approval ..................................................................46 Research Site ....................................................................................................46 Recruitment of Research Subjects ...................................................................48 Consent and Semi-structured Interviews .........................................................50 Data Collection ................................................................................................52 vii Data Coding .....................................................................................................55 Data Analysis and Presentation of Findings ....................................................57 Limitations .......................................................................................................60 Theory Construction ........................................................................................61 5. RESULTS ................................................................................................................63 Ambivalent Sexism ..........................................................................................64 Generational ‘Buckets’ ....................................................................................69 Forced Associations and Environments of Total Control ................................80 Contemporary Sexual Challenges to Military Geographies of Care .............113 Rape is Not a Military Woman’s Choice .......................................................132 Military Rape Vignettes .................................................................................143 The US Military Response to Military Sexual Violence (MSV) ...................153 6. DISCUSSION .......................................................................................................167 Disruption of Care through the Emergence of Sexual Arenas ........................168 Disruption of Care through Transiency and Cross-leveling ...........................170 Leadership Failures Facilitated by Spatial Distancing of Ranks ....................172 Future Research ..............................................................................................179 7. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................183 APPENDIX SECTION ....................................................................................................187 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................199 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Military Service Branch and Interview Subject Representation, May 2019 .................50 2. Women Veteran Interviewees’ Demographic Data presented by Age descending .......52 3. Interviewees’ Generational Cohorts with Corresponding Years of Birth. .....................54 4. Coding Example for Emergent Theme “Violations of UCMJ Article 134, Paragraph 62, Adultery”..........................................................................................................57 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Iconic Recruitment Poster used in World War I and World War II ..............................31 2. “The Answer to a Nation’s Call.” ..................................................................................32 3. “Becoming a Marine.” ...................................................................................................33 4. “Being a Marine.” ..........................................................................................................34 5. “Who We Are: Our Purpose.” .......................................................................................35 6. “What’s Your Warrior?” ................................................................................................35 7. “How Would You Describe Yourself?” ........................................................................36