Gayle Tzemach Lemmon: Meet the first women to fight on the front lines of an American war

Translator: Dewi Barnas Reviewer: Henny Widjaja

Every group of female friends has the funny one,

Dalam setiap grup pertemanan wanita pasti ada teman yang humoris,

the one you go to when you need a good cry,

yang anda datangi saat anda sedih,

the one who tells you to suck it up when you've had a hard day.

yang menyuruh anda melupakan masalah di hari yang buruk.

And this group was no different.

Begitu juga kelompok perempuan ini.

Except that this was a community of groundbreaking women

Kecuali bahwa mereka adalah sekelompok wanita pioneer

who came together --

yang pada awalnya berkumpul

first to become teammates, then friends, and then family --

untuk menjadi rekan, lalu sahabat dan akhirnya keluarga --

in the least likely of places:

di tempat yang paling tak lazim:

on the Special Operations battlefield.

yaitu di medan perang Operasi Khusus.

This was a group of women whose friendship and valor was cemented

Mereka sekelompok wanita yang persahabatan dan keberaniannya diikat

tak hanya oleh apa yang mereka lihat dan lakukan di saat genting,

not only by what they had seen and done at the tip of the spear,

but by the fact that they were there

tapi juga oleh fakta bahwa mereka di sana

at a time when women -- officially, at least --

di saat wanita -- setidaknya secara resmi --

masih dilarang di dalam pertempuran,

remained banned from ground combat,

and America had no idea they existed.

dan Amerika tidak tahu mereka ada disana.

This story begins with Special Operations leaders,

Kisah ini berawal dari para pemimpin Operasi Khusus,

some of the most tested men in the United States military, saying,

beberapa pria terunggul dalam uji militer Amerika berkata,

"Kita butuh wanita untuk membantu kita berperang".

"We need women to help us wage this war."

"America would never kill its way to the end of its wars," it argued.

"Amerika takkan pernah berhenti sampai akhir peperangan," katanya.

"Needed more knowledge and more understanding."

"Dibutuhkan lebih banyak lagi pengetahuan dan pemahaman".

And as everyone knows,

Dan seperti yang orang tahu,

if you want to understand what's happening in a community and in a home,

jika anda ingin paham yang terjadi dalam masyarakat dan keluarga,

you talk to women,

bicaralah pada wanita,

whether you're talking about Southern Afghanistan,

apakah anda bicara tentang Afganistan Selatan,

or Southern California.

atau California Selatan.

But in this case, men could not talk to women,

Tapi di sini, pria tak dapat berbicara pada wanita,

because in a conservative and traditional society like Afghanistan,

karena di masyarakat konservatif dan tradisional seperti Afganistan,

that would cause grave offense.

hal itu menyebabkan pelanggaran serius.

So you needed women soldiers out there.

Jadi anda butuh serdadu wanita di sana.

That meant, at this time in the war, that the women who would be recruited

Yang berarti, dalam masa perang ini, wanita yang akan direkrut

untuk mengabdi bersama AD & AL Amerika,

to serve alongside Army Rangers and Navy SEALs,

would be seeing the kind of combat experienced by less than five percent

akan melihat jenis peperangan yang dialami

kurang dari lima persen keseluruhan militer Amerika.

of the entire United States military.

Less than five percent.

Kurang dari lima persen.

So the call went out.

Jadi pengumuman disebarluaskan.

"Female soldiers: Become a part of history.

"Prajurit wanita: Menjadi bagian sejarah.

Join Special Operations on the battlefield in Afghanistan."

Bergabunglah dalam Operasi Khusus di medan perang Afganistan".

This is in 2011.

Waktu itu tahun 2011.

And from Alabama to Alaska,

Dan dari Alabama sampai Alaska,

a group of women who had always wanted to do something that mattered

sejumlah wanita yang bercita-cita untuk melakukan sesuatu yang berarti

alongside the best of the best,

bersama dengan yang terbaik dari yang terbaik,

and to make a difference for their country,

dan untuk membawa perubahan bagi negara,

answered that call to serve.

menjawab panggilan untuk mengabdi.

And for them it was not about politics, it was about serving with purpose.

Bagi mereka, ini bukan tentang politik, tapi mengabdi dengan tujuan.

And so, the women who came to North Carolina

Dan juga, wanita yang datang ke Carolina Utara

to compete for a spot on these teams

untuk bersaing mendapatkan posisi

pada tim yang akan menempatkan wanita di garis depan Operasi Khusus,

which would put women on the Special Operations front lines,

landed and found very quickly a community,

mendarat dan langsung menemukan komunitas

the likes of which they had never seen.

yang belum pernah mereka lihat.

Full of women who were as fierce and as fit as they were,

Para wanita yang seberani dan setangguh seperti mereka sendiri,

and as driven to make a difference.

dan tergerak untuk membuat perubahan.

Mereka tak perlu menyesali diri mereka yang dulu,

They didn't have to apologize for who they were,

and in fact, they could celebrate it.

dan bahkan mereka boleh merayakannya.

And what they found when they were there was that all of a sudden,

Dan yang mereka temui saat mereka di sana,

ternyata ada banyak orang seperti mereka.

there were lots of people like them.

As one of them said,

Seseorang berkata,

"It was like you looked around and realized

"Seperti melihat sekeliling dan sadar

there was more than one giraffe at the zoo."

ada lebih dari satu jerapah di kebun binatang".

Among this team of standouts was Cassie,

Salah satu di antara tim unggulan ini adalah Cassie,

a young woman who managed to be an ROTC cadet, a sorority sister

wanita yang berhasil menjadi kadet ROTC (pelatihan militer terbesar di Amerika),

mahasiswi yang mempelajari Studi Perempuan, semuanya dalam seseorang.

and a Women's Studies minor, all in one person.

Tristan, a West Point track star, who always ran and road marched

Tristan, seorang bintang trek West Point, yang sering berlari dan pawai jalan kaki

with no socks,

tanpa kaus kaki,

and had shoes whose smell proved it.

dengan sepatu bau yang membuktikannya.

(Laughter)

(Tertawa)

Amber, a Heidi look-alike, who had always wanted to be in the infantry,

Amber, yang mirip Heidi, bercita-cita masuk infanteri,

and when she found out that women couldn't be,

dan ketika ia tahu wanita tak bisa melakukannya,

she decided to become an intel officer.

ia putuskan untuk menjadi petugas intelijen.

She served in Bosnia,

Ia berkarya di Bosnia,

and later helped the FBI to bust drug gangs in Pennsylvania.

dan akhirnya membantu FBI menangkap geng narkoba di Pennsylvania.

And then there was Kate, who played high school football

Lalu ada Kate, yang bermain sepak bola di SMU

all four years,

empat tahun penuh,

and actually wanted to drop out after the first,

dan sebenarnya ingin berhenti di tahun kedua

untuk bergabung dengan klub nyanyi,

to go into the glee club,

but when boys told her that girls couldn't play football,

tapi saat anak laki-laki bilang perempuan tak bisa bermain sepak bola,

she decided to stay

ia memutuskan untuk bertahan

for all the little girls who would come after her.

demi semua gadis kecil yang mengikutinya.

For them, biology had shaped part of their destiny,

Bagi mereka, faktor biologis membentuk sebagian takdir mereka,

and put, as Cassie once said,

dan membuat, seperti yang Cassie katakan,

"Semua hal yang mulia di luar jangkauan perempuan".

"everything noble out of reach for girls."

And yet, here was a chance to serve with the best of the best

Tetapi inilah kesempatan mengabdi bersama yang terbaik dari yang terbaik

on a mission that mattered to their country,

pada suatu misi yang penting bagi negara,

not despite the fact that they were female,

bukan terlepas dari kenyataan bahwa mereka wanita,

but because of it.

tapi justru karenanya.

This team of women, in many ways, was like women everywhere.

Tim wanita ini, dalam berbagai hal, seperti wanita di mana pun.

They wore makeup, and in fact,

Mereka bersolek dan bahkan

they would bond in the ladies' room over eyeliner and eye pencil.

mereka menjalin persahabatan di ruang wanita atas kuas dan pensil mata.

They also wore body armor.

Mereka juga memakai baju zirah.

They would put 50 pounds of weight on their backs,

Mereka bisa membawa bobot 22.7 kg di punggung mereka,

and board the helicopter for an operation,

dan naik helikopter untuk operasi militer,

dan mereka akan pulang, dan menonton film "Bridesmaids".

and they would come back and watch a movie called "Bridesmaids."

(Tertawa)

(Laughter)

They even wore a thing called Spanx,

Mereka bahkan memakai sesuatu yang disebut Spanx,

because, as they found very quickly,

karena mereka tiba-tiba sadar,

the uniforms made for men were big where they should be small,

seragam yang dibuat untuk pria itu besar di tempat yang seharusnya kecil,

and small where they should be big.

dan kecil yang seharusnya besar untuk mereka.

So Lane, an Iraq War veteran -- you see her here on my left --

Jadi, Lane, seorang veteran Perang Irak -- Anda lihat di sisi kiri saya --

decided she was going to go on Amazon

memutuskan untuk membuka situs Amazon

and order a pair of Spanx to her base,

dan memesan sepasang Spanx ke markasnya,

so that her pants would fit better when she went out on mission each night.

sehingga celananya bisa lebih pas ketika ia menjalankan misi setiap malam.

These women would get together over video conference

Wanita ini berkumpul pada konferensi video

di seluruh Afganistan dari berbagai markas,

from all around Afghanistan from their various bases,

and they would talk about what it was like

mereka akan mengobrol tentang rasanya

to be one of the only women doing what they were doing.

menjadi salah satu wanita langka dengan pekerjaan seperti mereka.

They would swap jokes,

Mereka bersenda gurau,

they would talk about what was working, what wasn't,

mereka membincangkan apa yang berhasil dan yang tidak,

what they had learned to do well, what they needed to do better.

apa yang telah mereka kuasai, apa yang harus diperbaiki.

Dan mereka berbicara tentang peran wanita yang lebih ringan

And they would talk about some of the lighter moments of being women

out on the Special Operations front lines,

saat tak berada di garis depan Operasi Khusus,

termasuk Shewee,

including the Shewee,

which was a tool that let you pee like a guy,

yaitu alat bantu buang air kecil seperti laki-laki,

although it's said to have had only a 40 percent accuracy rate out there.

meskipun dikatakan rasio akurasinya hanya 40%.

(Laughter)

(Tertawa)

These women lived in the "and."

Wanita ini hidup dalam dua keadaan.

They proved you could be fierce and you could be feminine.

Mereka membuktikan bahwa mereka bisa garang dan bisa feminin juga.

You could wear mascara and body armor.

Anda bisa saja memakai maskara dan baju zirah

You could love CrossFit, and really like cross-stitch.

Anda bisa saja suka CrossFit, tapi juga menyukai setik silang.

You could love to climb out of helicopters and you could also love to bake cookies.

Anda bisa saja suka keluar helikopter dan suka juga memanggang kue.

Women live in the and every single day,

Wanita hidup dalam dua keadaan setiap hari,

dan para wanita ini membawanya pula ke misi ini.

and these women brought that to this mission as well.

On this life and death battlefield they never forgot

Di medan perang antara hidup dan mati mereka tak pernah lupa

that being female may have brought them to the front lines,

sebagai wanitalah yang mungkin membawa mereka ke garis depan,

but being a soldier is what would prove themselves there.

tapi menjadi prajuritlah yang akan membuktikan diri mereka di sana.

There was the night Amber went out on mission,

Ada suatu malam saat Amber melaksanakan misi,

and in talking to the women of the house,

dan saat berbicara pada wanita di rumah itu,

realized that there was a barricaded shooter lying in wait

ia menyadari ada penembak barikade berbaring menunggu

for the Afghan and American forces who were waiting to enter the home.

jika ada tentara Afganistan dan Amerika yang akan masuk ke rumah.

Another night it was Tristan who found out

Di malam lainnya ada Tristan yang mengetahui

that there were pieces that make up explosives

ada bahan-bahan peledak

all around the house in which they were standing,

berserakan di sebuah rumah di mana mereka berada,

and that in fact, explosives lay all the way between there

dan bahkan peledak tergeletak di sana

and where they were about to head that night.

sampai pada tempat tujuan mereka malam itu.

Ada malam di mana seorang rekan membuktikan sendiri

There was the night another one of their teammates proved herself

kepada tim SEAL yang skeptis,

to a decidedly skeptical team of SEALs,

when she found the intel item they were looking for

ketika ia menemukan barang intelijen yang mereka cari

terbungkus dalam popok bayi yang basah.

wrapped up in a baby's wet diaper.

And there was the night that Isabel, another one of their teammates,

Dan ada malam di mana Isabel, rekan lainnya,

found the things that they were looking for,

menemukan barang yang mereka cari,

and received an Impact Award from the Rangers

dan menerima Impact Award dari tim Rangers

who said that without her,

yang menyatakan bahwa tanpanya,

the things and the people they were looking for that night

barang itu dan orang-orang yang mereka cari malam itu

takkan ditemukan.

would never have been found.

That night and so many others,

Malam itu dan banyak malam lainnya,

they went out to prove themselves, not only for one another,

mereka keluar membuktikan diri, tak hanya untuk satu sama lain,

but for everybody who would come after them.

tapi untuk semua yang akan mengikuti jejak mereka.

And also for the men alongside whom they served.

Dan juga untuk para pria di samping mereka pada siapa mereka mengabdi.

We talk a lot about how behind every great man is a good woman.

Kami berbicara banyak tentang bagaimana di balik pria hebat ada wanita yang baik.

And in this case,

Dan dalam kasus ini,

next to these women stood men who wanted to see them succeed.

di samping para wanita ini berdiri pria yang ingin melihat mereka berhasil.

The Army Ranger who trained them had served 12 deployments.

Resimen Rangers yang melatih mereka telah mengabdi selama 12 kali pengutusan.

And when they told him that he had to go train girls,

Dan ketika ia diberitahu bahwa ia harus melatih perempuan,

he had no idea what to expect.

ia tak tahu harus berharap apa.

Tapi pada akhir delapan harinya dengan para wanita ini di musim panas 2011,

But at the end of eight days with these women in the summer of 2011,

he told his fellow Ranger, "We have just witnessed history.

ia berkata kepada prajuritnya, "Kita baru saja menyaksikan sejarah.

These may well be our own Tuskegee Airmen."

Mereka juga dapat menjadi bagian Pasukan Udara Tuskegee kita".

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)

At the heart of this team was the one person

Di dalam hati tim ini ada satu orang

who everyone called "the best of us."

yang dijuluki "yang terbaik dari kami".

She was a petite blonde dynamo,

Ia adalah si tangguh pirang mungil,

who barely reached five-foot-three.

yang bahkan tingginya tak sampai 160 cm.

And she was this wild mix of Martha Stewart,

Dan ia paduan antara Martha Stewart,

and what we know as G.I. Jane.

dan apa yang kita kenal sebagai G.I. Jane.

She was someone who loved to make dinner for her husband,

Ia adalah seseorang yang suka memasak makan malam untuk suaminya,

her Kent State ROTC sweetheart who pushed her to be her best,

kekasih ROTC Kent State-nya yang menggemblengnya menjadi yang terbaik,

and to trust herself,

dan percaya pada dirinya sendiri,

and to test every limit she could.

dan untuk menguji setiap batas kemampuannya.

She also loved to put 50 pounds of weight on her back and run for miles,

Ia juga suka membawa bobot 22.7 kg di punggungnya dan lari jauh,

and she loved to be a soldier.

dan ia suka menjadi prajurit.

Ia adalah orang yang punya pembuat roti di kantornya di Kandahar,

She was somebody who had a bread maker in her office in Kandahar,

and would bake a batch of raisin bread, and then go to the gym

memanggang satu loyang roti kismis, lalu pergi ke sasana

dan mengangkat diri 25 atau 30 kali di tiang gantungan.

and bust out 25 or 30 pull-ups from a dead hang.

She was the person who, if you needed an extra pair of boots

Ia orang yang, jika anda butuh sepasang sepatu bot tambahan

atau masakan rumahan untuk makan malam, akan ada di tombol cepat anda.

or a home-cooked dinner, would be on your speed dial.

Because she never, ever would talk to you

Karena ia tak akan pernah bilang pada anda

about how good she was,

tentang betapa hebatnya dia

but let her character speak through action.

tapi membiarkan karakter berbicara melalui tindakannya.

She was famous for taking the hard right over the easy wrong.

Ia terkenal memilih yang benar walau berat daripada yang mudah tapi salah.

And she was also famous for walking up to a 15-foot rope,

Dan ia juga terkenal dapat naik pada tali sampai 4.5 meter,

climbing it using only her arms,

memanjatnya hanya dengan lengannya,

and then shuffling away and apologizing,

dan kemudian pergi meminta maaf,

because she knew she was supposed to use both her arms and her legs,

karena ia tahu seharusnya ia menggunakan kedua tangan dan kakinya,

as the Rangers had trained them.

seperti tim Rangers yang telah melatihnya.

(tertawa)

(Laughter)

Some of our heroes return home to tell their stories.

Beberapa pahlawan pulang untuk menuturkan kisah mereka.

And some of them don't.

Dan beberapa tidak.

And on October 22, 2011,

Dan pada 22 Oktober 2011,

First Lieutenant Ashley White was killed alongside two Rangers,

Letnan Satu Ashley White terbunuh bersama dua Prajurit,

Christopher Horns

Christopher Horns

and Kristoffer Domeij.

dan Kristoffer Domeij.

Her death threw this program built for the shadows

Kematiannya membuat program yang dibangun untuk menjadi bayangan

into a very public spotlight.

menjadi paparan publik.

Because after all,

Karena biar bagaimana pun juga,

the ban on women in combat was still very much in place.

larangan wanita untuk bertempur masih sangat ada.

And at her funeral,

Dan di hari pemakamannya,

the head of Army Special Operations came, and gave a public testimony

kepala Operasi Khusus Tentara datang dan memberikan testimoni publik

not just to the courage of Ashley White,

tak hanya untuk keberanian Ashley White,

but to all her team of sisters.

tapi juga untuk semua tim saudara perempuannya.

"Make no mistake about it," he said, "these women are warriors,

"Jangan salah", ia bilang, "Para wanita ini adalah prajurit,

and they have written a new chapter in what it means to be a female

dan mereka telah menulis bab baru mengenai apa artinya menjadi wanita

in the United States Army."

di Militer Amerika".

Ashley's mom is a teacher's aide and a school bus driver,

Ibu Ashley adalah seorang ajudan guru dan sopir bis sekolah,

who bakes cookies on the side.

yang membuat kue sebagai sampingan.

She doesn't remember much about that overwhelming set of days,

Ia tak ingat banyak tentang hari-hari yang membingungkan itu,

in which grief -- enormous grief --

di mana duka -- duka yang amat dalam --

mixed with pride.

bercampur dengan kebanggaan.

But she does remember one moment.

Tapi ia ingat satu momen.

A stranger with a child in her hand came up to her

Seorang asing yang menggandeng seorang anak datang padanya

and she said, "Mrs. White,

dan ia bilang, "Nyonya White,

I brought my daughter here today,

aku membawa putriku ke sini hari ini,

because I wanted her to know what a hero was.

karena aku ingin ia tahu seperti apa pahlawan itu.

And I wanted her to know that heroes could be women, too."

Dan aku ingin ia tahu pahlawan itu bisa jadi seorang wanita juga".

It is time to celebrate all the unsung heroines

Inilah saatnya untuk merayakan semua pahlawan yang tak terdengar

who reach into their guts

yang meraih keberaniannya

and find the heart and the grit to keep going and to test every limit.

dan menemukan cinta dan keuletan untuk terus berjuang dan menguji setiap batasan.

This very unlikely band of sisters bound forever in life and afterward

Persaudaran wanita tak lazim ini terikat selamanya di kehidupan dan setelahnya

did indeed become part of history,

yang sungguh menjadi bagian sejarah,

and they paved the way for so many who would come after them,

dan mereka membuka jalan bagi wanita yang ingin mengikuti mereka,

as much as they stood on the shoulders of those who had come before.

seperti mereka pun mengikuti jejak pendahulunya.

These women showed that warriors come in all shapes and sizes.

Para wanita ini menunjukkan prajurit ada dalam berbagai bentuk dan ukuran.

And women can be heroes, too.

Dan wanita dapat menjadi pahlawan juga.

Thank you so much.

Terima kasih banyak.

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)