Book Launch with Female Marine

At the launch of her book, “Hesitation Kills”, on June 7, Jane Blair talked about her experience as a military officer in Iraq and her opinions about women’s role in the military.

Brought up in both New York City and Miami Beach, Blair described herself as the typical spoiled art student. However, her later experience of living abroad in Greece, Egypt, Jordan and Israel during the Gulf War and working in the Human Resources field at Fortune 100 companies changed her perspective about life.

Blair joined the United States Marine Corps in 1999 and advanced to become a Lieutenant. Her aerial reconnaissance unit was assigned to travel with a combat unit throughout Iraq so she was able to experience combat firsthand. In her book, she provides a personal perspective and a deep insight into the mission in Iraq.

Blair shared her thoughts about how women can act positively in the military. According to her, for a woman to be treated as an officer, the best policy is “having no excuses”. “I don’t feel good today” is not something to be said to gain extra privilege as a female officer, in her view.

Women are an active part in modern wars. Modern wars are more cyber-oriented than traditional ones, therefore, the engagement of both men and women is extremely valuable. Intelligence and caution are the main characteristics essential to ultimate success. Moreover, how to avoid unnecessary casualties and protect civilians, or, how to achieve the balance between efficiency and humanity has aroused more and more attention.

Blair discussed these issues and more in her book, which is the first book written by a female Marine about the Iraq War.