“The Few, the Proud, the Forgotten:" The Politics of Healthcare

Mothers of service members stand at the intersection of ideas about citizenship, militarism, and maternalism. When their children return from deployment, mothers of service members take on often invisible care work for the mental and physical wounds of war. During deployment many mothers of service members refrain from criticizing the war and the military institutions in order to support the troops. But, when they find that VA healthcare is inadequate in providing care for their child, they criticize the VA and military, and feel empowered to lobby for better care. Through this act of care giving, mothers find new ways to be civically engaged. Their activism redefines care work as a necessary part of active citizenship, instead of a reason to disengage from politics.

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