In the Men's House: An Inside Account of Life in the Army by One of West Point's First Female Graduates

by Carol Barkalow

Book Overview

One of the first female graduates from West Point shares some of the heat-of-the-moment entries from her journals to chronicle the pioneering achievements of the women who first successfully hurdled... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671673122
• ISBN13: 9780671673123
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Poseidon Press
• Length: 283 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Well worth the read!

Carol Barkalow was raised about 25 miles from where I live. She became one of the first women to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1976 and graduate from there in 1980. As I began reading "In The Men's House" I wondered how in depth Carol would go with the things I wanted to learn about West Point and her military career. She wrote about Beast Barracks, the summer session held before classes actually began in the fall, I soon learned the terminology used for the four classes of cadets. The freshmen are called Plebes, sometimes referred to as Fourth Class men. As sophomores in their second year at the academy they were called Yearlings or Third Class. The third year at the academy is when the cadet is really in his/her second year which is called Cow. Their senior year, the last year they are at West Point, these young men and women are called a Firstie-go figure! Carol wrote about her Reception Day and how "dehumanizing" it was. She covered how the new cadets were treated that day-the first time 119 women were allowed into West Point. At the end of her Plebe Year she looked forward to Recognition Day. This was when upperclassmen finally addressed them by their first names! Carol wrote about her second summer's communications training along with Infantry-Recondo training. She wrote about the good and bad things that she experienced during that year as well as the remaining two years at West Point. Her third summer she went south to Fort Benning, Georgia for Jump School. Carol wrote about the tower, the jumps and the cake presented to the female cadets from their lieutenant, which was marked "Congratulations Whiskeys" with the "W" meaning women. By the time Carol entered her Firstie Year there were only sixty-two women left in her class out of the original "119 who entered, each of us had fought her own dragons." In January 1980 the cadets chose their future branches. They were given two choices and then the assignments were based on academic rank. Carol requested Transportation Corp first then Air Defense Artillery. While her request was filled it was her second choice that she was assigned. By February she found out that following graduation she was headed for Germany. Her first assignment was with Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion, 71st Air Defense Artillery that was headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Carol stated that she "looked to her platoon sergeant...to be my teacher." Some things don't change. Her next duty station was Fort Lee, Virginia. She had requested a branch transfer from ADA to Transportation and received it. She was headed for the 57th Transportation Company. Throughout her book Carol pointed out many things that affected her time in West Point, Germany and Virginia. She wrote of things that I knew nothing about so I learned from reading this book. She wrote of things that I had forgotten with time so it was nice to be reminded once again of my own service and some of the things I went t

Great Book - Great Person

I was fortunate enough to know Cpt Barkalow while stationed in Germany. She was a fair and honest officer who held her troops in high regard. I will always honor the time I spent with her and highly recommend her book.

Former squad mate at West Point

I was a Plebe (freshman) at West Point when Cpt. Barkalow was a junior. I served in the same company (A-3) as she did and was also in the same squad for a time. She was a no nonsense person of absolute integrity. I'm glad to see this story get out because even at the time of these events they were not common knowledge to fellow cadets. Recommended reading reading for anyone interested in how females have integrated into the military. Would be interested in an update given the current Iraq war in which women are in the front lines.

Good Example of a Woman's Experience at West Point

I read this book in 1990 while a cadet at West Point. I found CPT Carol Barkalow's experience to be somewhat similar to my own. It was a fairly good representation of what a woman would experience at the United States Military Academy, at Airborne Training and in the United States Army upon commissioning as an officer. I would recommend this book to a young woman (high school--15-21 years old) who was considering attending any of the United States Service Academies and I would practically mandate it for a woman who desires to go to the United States Military Academy at West Point. This book may also prove interesting for others who are interested in the military or in general leadership principles. Things have definitely changed at West Point these days but this book still portrays a very realistic view of what a female cadet would currently experience.

An excellent book which is very factual yet entertaining

Until I read this book I had no real idea what it's like for a woman in the military. I always harbored dreams of a military career, but it was an idealistic dream. I assumed that prejudice wouldn't exist because the military was integrated. Cpt. Barkalow's stark account of her experience in the Army, both at West Point and within her tour, showed me the reality of the military. Not only does she include her experiences and opinion, but she includes many co-workers, male and female alike. She presents a well rounded perspective on the integration of women in West Point and women in command. She does not shy away from the rough stuff, but tells it exactly as it happened. I believe this book conains valuable information for any woman interesting in enlisting, or for anyone who would like a female officers perspective on many issues dealing with women in the military. Cpt. Barkolow has done an outstanding job portraying the facts. This is why I rate this book overall a 10. I've passed this book along to many friends and there are still more who want to read it. It's a must read. Try to find it if you can.