Respect for females.

IN the July issue, a female NCO from Fort Drum responded to a March message from the Army leadership about the role of women in the military, and she brought to light an issue that plagues both sexes. My interpretation is that she feels that she is not being supported as a female NCO. Here is my suggestion for dealing with this.

The first rule of thumb as an NCO is "When in charge, take charge and lead by example." I am one of those "old timers" who feels that Soldiers are being promoted ahead of their capabilities and maturity, and this is definitely an example of such.

If she strongly feels that she is being harassed or discriminated against, then she is the only one who can put an end to it. Insubordination from Soldiers is fixable, by taking the time to counsel first and recommending administrative action if the problem continues. If she is receiving this treatment from her superiors, then there are several agencies on Fort Drum that can assist her. Sexual harassment is not tolerable, and she can either call the inspector general or submit a complaint through her unit's equal opportunity office.

But before she ripples the waters, she has to look at herself to see if she is truly presenting herself as an NCO. Is she living the Army Values? She cannot seriously expect the people who work with her to accept her as a leader if she doesn't conduct herself as such.

SFC Michael A. Chesser via e-mail

IN her July letter SGT Carla Marghella stated that she felt that her "position as a female is being abused."

Exactly what MOS is "female?" Could it be that she is a Soldier? She stated that she had to walk around with her head down because of the stares from the infantrymen. I can state that in the 20 years I have been an infantryman, if a female Soldier was in our area, especially in combat or at JRTC, and she was doing her job, we were just way too busy to stare her down.

Marghella also stated that she was informed that she should use her rank to tell the Soldiers when their behavior constituted harassment. This sergeant should learn that rank is worn, but respect has to be earned.

SSG Roger C. Ayscue via e-mail

SGT Carla Marghella said that when she was attached to an infantry unit at JRTC and had to deal with Soldiers' stares, there was nothing she could do.

I do not care how many Soldiers were staring at her, it is her responsibility to take corrective action and inform those men that they were violating the Army's regulations against sexual harassment.

If you are a noncommissioned officer, regardless of which sex you are, it is your job to correct and train Soldiers. If SGT Marghella tried to correct those Soldiers and they continued to stare, then it was her duty to inform their chain of command. If that doesn't work, then you go to the next higher level. You keep doing that until the problem is solved.

All of this is taught in prevention of sexual harassment training that is mandatory for all Soldiers to attend, even those in combat units who do not work with females very often.

SGT Marghella said that there was nothing she could do. When an NCO says that there is nothing he or she can do, that is a sign of a poor NCO, or someone who shouldn't be an NCO in the first place. NCOs don't complain about problems, they solve them. That's what we are paid to do.

SGT Michael A. Porter Jr. via e-mail

AS a female MP at Fort Benning, Ga., "Home of the Infantry," I find that I must disagree with SGT Marghella. I don't clearly see how the roles of females are being abused.

Granted, females are stared at, some even gossiped about. The military has been dominated by males throughout our country's history. Females are now being afforded the opportunity to defend their country (in some cases) right beside their male counterparts. This change is so drastic that most males are shocked.

This is my advice to all females who feel as though they are being ostracized, stared at or outcast: We have earned the right to be here, by fighting and sometimes dying for this nation. This is our country too and we have the right to defend it.

If you truly feel you belong in the greatest army in the world, hold your head high. Be great at your job and the stares will stop and the respect will come.

SGT Heather Awner via e-mail