Photo: Tara Ruby Photography / Facebook
Military and motherhood: the photo of the breastfeeding soldiers
The picture looks strange at first. But behind the photo is a message: Soldiers can also be mothers at the same time.
They stand close together, their elbows touching each other, their eyes lowered. In front of them, more of them are sitting cross-legged or on their knees, and their heads are inclined too. None of the people looks into the camera. Because the attention of the women soldiers lies on something completely different, much more important than the photographer. The mothers look down on their child, whom they lovingly breastfeed.
The photo shows female soldiers. But what is often not expected with the patterned uniforms and the caps pulled down in the face: female servants can also be mothers. The photo was taken by Tara Ruby, a former Air Force member. She experienced the experience of having a baby as a soldier. At that time experienced family-unfriendly environment. There were no maternity facilities, and her baby nursed Tara Ruby in empty offices. Right now this will finally end up here.
In El Paso, Texas, a new nursing room was set up on the army post at Fort Bliss - a sign of the union of military and family. This photo should show further support and women clarify that the occupation of the soldier does not exclude a mother existence.
Combining work and family is an ideal concept in Germany. Careers and children are no longer mutually exclusive today. But does that also apply to the military? Women in military uniforms still seem strange to us at first. Conscription has been suspended in Germany. That a mother voluntarily goes to the military sounds incomprehensible to many. But sober, soldier is first of all a profession like any other. Why should a woman not pursue her dream job, even if this means being a soldier?
Even if the photo of breastfeeding female servicemen may seem unusual to us at first, the message should be positive: women are open to all means of self-realization. Even in an area like the military, it is no longer impossible to unite child and career.
I posted this on last night at 11:59 pm. It has since disappeared from my feed and my wall. So we are posting this ...
Posted by Tara Ruby Photography on Friday, September 11, 2015
