Austin female veterans weigh in on draft registration proposal

Top Army and Marine officials say just like men women should be required to register for the draft. Female veterans are now speaking out on both sides of the argument.

Heather Diamani had a dream of joining the army back when she was just a teenager.

“I was in a small town in New Hampshire and I just wanted to get out of there and I was like Army is the way to go and I want some adventure,” Diamani said.

The dreams of adventure led her to Iraq for two tours. Diamani drove trucks in the army and often fought on the ground.

“That was the hard part, was to have to deal with blown up vehicles and people,” she said.

Thirteen-years-later she is still proud of her service in the Army. Military officials are considering making women register for the draft. People like Diamani may be ready to jump on board but she feels other women may not feel the same.

“It really just depends because you can take someone like me who are ready to do this job and you can take someone who doesn't know what they're getting into and they're not going to do as good as the women who's motivated,” she said.

Twenty-five-year Air Force veteran Edith Disler thinks it's a great idea.

“Should we get into situation where we need to use selective service, the upside is we are going to have a segment of society men and women included and women are 51 percent of the population, who knows what it means to be a veteran and knows what it means to serve,” she said.

Both feel women have come a long way in the armed forces.

“People thought  it's not fair she has easier standards and I was like no, I can meet the male standards,” Diamani said.

“When I first went into the Air Force women were restricted on what they could do,” Disler said.

The issue is only being discussed. Although differing views, both women agree it is an honor to serve the USA.

“It is a duty of citizenship to be prepared to do what the nation calls upon you to do,” Disler said.