Retired Lieutenant Colonel Carol Barkalow will share what it was like to literally live in a man’s world during Women in Combat, an event honoring women in the military, hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
“I was sometimes less than 10 percent and all the time less than 20 percent of the population so I was truly in a man’s environment the whole time,” Barkalow said of being in the military.
The event will be held on March 1 at 8 p.m. in the Harbor Hall gallery. Barkalow, the keynote speaker, wrote a book called “In the Men’s House” after spending over 22 years in service. She will speak about her experiences in the Army and her education as one of the first women to graduate from West Point, the United States Military Academy in New York.
The idea for the event came from the program assistant Jovanna Guevara, who thought of it last year. Tabitha Raj, the new coordinator as of November, has a huge part in planning the event.
“Our goal is to bring awareness about diversity,” said Raj about the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “We’re all about educating.”
Barkalow said her time serving made a huge difference in all of her life experiences and how important it is for her to share this impact.
“Not a lot of the American public understands what the military does,” she said. “A lot of people don’t understand what women in the military do, and there are a lot of young women who don’t know their own potential until they’re truly taxed to those pressures.”
She hopes to put a face to the women in combat and clarify some of the myths that people have, not only about the military, but about the relationships female soldiers have with their male counterparts.
Her talk will be motivational. “I would tell you, to put it shortly and distinctly,” she said, looking back on her time serving, “if I were 17 again I would go to West Point, join the army and make it a career.”
A panel of four women will join Barkalow, including Alexandra Espinel, a USF St. Petersburg ROTC student. The other three are from the Army Reserve. They will share their stories and backgrounds, followed by a question and answer session moderated by Barkalow.
“A night of recognition and education—that’s kind of the theme of the evening,” Raj said Raj. “Hopefully this will give more of a face to the types of women that are out there.”
Barkalow spoke on campus last semester at a leadership event. Assistant Director of Leadership Development and Programming Charles Justice helped out by giving Barkalow’s contact information to the Office of Multicultural Affairs. They knew “she would just be perfect for this,” Raj said.
Multicultural Affairs hopes this event will give students an inside look at the women in combat. Hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be available, provided by the Bayboro Café. There will be desert and coffee afterwards for people who want to stay and ask more questions. The event is open to university students and faculty, but is not a public event.
“This is for students. We want them to be there and experience this,” Raj said. “I think the biggest thing is just more knowledge about the kinds of women out there serving.”
“I think it’s a fantastic thing that USF is doing and I truly applaud [their] efforts,” said Barkalow , who is currently working for Pinellas County and living in St. Pete Beach.
I really enjoyed attending the event – thank you for the opportunity and for allowing us to share our stories! Also, I would like to thank everyone for coming out 🙂