“Marine Corps headquarters established an operational planning team in January that meets weekly to explore whether any changes to its policies for women are necessary, and Commandant Gen. Jim Amos is personally reviewing recommendations — made by a congressionally appointed panel — that call for the ban on women in combat to end.” Quote from Marine Corps Times.
I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I feel that many of the people who state that women shouldn’t be in combat because the men will feel the need to protect them, are fooling themselves. Don’t the men who are in combat, feel the need to protect their fellow troops? Isn’t that what teamwork is about? Having the back of your fellow Soldier/Marine so that you can finish the mission and come back in one piece?
“ By his extraordinary heroism, presence of mind amidst chaos and death, and unselfish devotion to his comrades in the face of great danger…” Excerpt from Medal of Honor Citation.
Unselfish devotion to his comrades….who were men and so shouldn’t have “needed” protection, or devotion. Would the outcome have been different if the comrades in question, had been female? Or would it just have been the publicity that was different?
On the other hand, females generally are not as strong as males making carrying an infantry load nearly impossible for most women. Not every women fits this definition – I used to work with a women that could have picked the boss up and thrown him over the press that he said she wasn’t strong enough to run…. The constant pounding that infantry positions cause a body to take would probably result in more injuries to females, simply because females are not built the same. Although this argument is pretty bogus, also, because many men have back and leg injuries caused from these stresses.
And the biggee….. SEX!!! The average age of the military male in an infantry unit is fairly young 19-22 or so. And regardless of any prohibitions against fraternization, we all know that it happens and will continue to happen as long as human nature doesn’t change!! This could have serious implications with concerns of unit cohesion and discipline.
One argument I totally had to laugh at, is the one that because a female couldn’t take a shower for extended periods of time (like the males in infantry units) it makes them unsuited for combat. WTF? Do these people think if a girl can’t bath she will self destruct? Hello, that’s what wet wipes are for. Sure you won’t smell to great if you don’t get a shower frequently. I think it’s a male problem, also. And a pretty stupid argument, to boot.
As a women, I resent the people who think that I couldn’t do the job simply because I am female. I don’t love my country any less than any man and training to fight is largely training a mindset. Yes, you need the physical ability, but without the correct mindset, anyone, Man or Woman will not have what it takes to be in the fight.
What I really don’t want to see, is the politicians forcing this change on the Military because it’s “politically correct”. That is a bullshit reason to do anything and in this case could result in Soldiers/Marines getting killed. But, I see the need for more aggressive training of women to be in combat, simply because in the wars we are fighting right now, there are no front lines and there are no “safe” jobs for women. Better to be prepared and never need your training than to wish you had that training when it’s to late.
This is not an easy problem and there are no easy answers. Lets just hope the politicians can resist the temptation to meddle.
