A photo has been added to a gallery of pictures showing women breastfeeding their children but this new photo has already caused a major stir. It features two women with their children, with the women wearing their Air Force uniforms. There is a list of at least 11 things that servicemen and servicewomen are not permitted to do while in military uniform and this includes eating, talking on a cell phone while walking, holding hands, chewing gum, having the hands in the pockets or kissing and hugging, according to Veterans United. The pictures are a part of a campaign that was created by a support group known as Mom2Mom on the Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington state.
One of the women in the photo, Terran Echegoyen McCabe, was interviewed on the ‘Today Show’ recently and said the following about when and where she breastfeeds: “in our lobby, in my car, in the park. I’m proud to be wearing a uniform while breastfeeding. I’m proud of the photo and I hope it encourages other women to know they can breastfeed whether they’re active duty, guard or civilian.”
The other woman in the photo is Christina Luna, both of whom have been receiving an incredible amount of criticism to go along with just as much support. The photo began circulating last week. “I breastfed and it didn’t matter where or when,” veteran Tish Karhoff wrote on the website for Mom2Mom. “If any of my children were hungry I fed them, with my breast, but I didn’t take pictures of me doing it and I wasn’t trying to prove a point… There is a certain level of responsibilitiy that comes with wearing that uniform… Cover up if you are going to be partly naked in a military uniform out of respect for your country and uniform…”
Eric Hobard, another veteran, disagreed on the site, saying, “I salute them both, as soldiers and free American mothers. I’ve fought for people that I do not know, in countries that have nothing in common with me, and for reasons that our politicians can not justify. Considering this fact, I’d fight to defend the rights of these two Americans every day of the week.”
The group Mom2Mom was surprised with all of the attention it is seeing right now and posted the following on its website: “We have done nothing wrong and we hope this will make changes to protect ALL women to breastfeed in public, in uniform or out.”
Photo Credit: Brynja Sigurdardottir Photography