Russia in World War I

Russia in World War I Maria Botchkareva and Russia in World War I Maria Botchkareva's memoirs are painful to read, but also very uplifting in many ways. She talks about the hopelessness of many things in the war, but also about the camaraderie and the enjoyment that can be found in helping others. This is especially true when she writes of creeping out of the trench during the night to go to those that were lying wounded from the battle and begging for help.

No one else would do it, and so she did it, and on the first night that she did this, she managed to save the lives of over 50 men. She was given commendation for this, but not as much as a man would have received, because there were still very strict rules and opinions about what a woman could or could not do during the war, and the rules were not going to change simply because there were some that admired her and sympathized with her.

Her memoirs were also very thought-provoking because they dealt with things that many women do not normally have to deal with. Now, there are more women that fight during wars and they are more accepted in the military in many countries, but back when WWI was fought, most people did not want women fighting. She made her case for women soldiers very well though - mostly because of the information she gave about bravery and courage.

Going out into the battlefield under cover of darkness to rescue fallen comrades was only one of the courageous things that took place. Many women also fought with her, and many of them died or were wounded, but most of them appeared to be very brave and did not complain or cry the way many people would assume.

When she fought, Botchkareva, did not want to be treated as woman, but just as another soldier, which is why she turned down a chance to be in better quarters on the train when it was offered to her. The only thing that really gave away her difference was her upset at having to use the bath house with the men. She did not get special treatment, however, and so she had to go and use the bath house with the men or not at all.

They teased her at first, but many became used to her and respected her so much that the teasing soon stopped. To many of them, she simply became another soldier. She pulled her own weight, followed orders, and treated others with respect. Some of what she writes about, however, makes her seem more feminine.

Without having read memoirs like these written by a man it is difficult to tell, but it seems that she was more concerned with the well-being of others and that she was more pained by the cries of the wounded and the suffering than others were. This could have come from being a woman, as they are generally more compassionate, but it could have also just been in her nature to behave that way, and could have meant nothing else.

Either way, her descriptions of the war are shocking when one realizes how much pain the soldiers had to endure and how they often fought even when they lost great numbers in each battalion.

The information about making it to the enemy lines and finding that they had to retreat because the barbed wire had not been cut was especially painful, because it was obvious that someone else should have taken care of that for them, and whoever should have cut that barbed wire either was killed or did not think enough of the battalion to ensure that the job was done. Either one of those things is painful to think about, but it is apparently just another part of war.

As for women being in combat, many people are still against it, even in the face of the war in Iraq and the difficult times that the country is facing. I think that women should be allowed in combat. It is true that some women get upset easily, will not shoot someone, cry, and have to be comforted.

Most of these women do not actively try to be soldiers, and the women that do choose that career path are often tougher and more resilient than what many would think of as the 'average' woman. They also bring to the military ideals and beliefs about caring for others that are sometimes lost when a war is going on. It was Botchkareva, not any of her male counterparts, that first decided to go to the battlefield and rescue those that were wounded.

That does not mean that men would not help other fallen soldiers, but simply that women can and will do it just as well. Women are much more widely accepted in the military today, but combat is still a shaky issue with many men that are used to the way the military has been operating and do not want to see it changed in any way. There are others, however, that think that change is a good thing. Without the draft, this country is somewhat short on soldiers.

There has been.