should women be able to go into combat?

Question

my uncle seems to think women should not be able to go into combat cause theyll get raped and just get in the way he thinks a womens place is in the kitchen cooking cleaning all the stuff that "women" are supposed to do i think if they want to go into combat its their right and they should be just as welcome to go in as men are

Answer 1

Before I answer, let me say that I am now a traditional, loving stay-at-home wife with one son and another child on the way. But a little over a year ago, I was a soldier in Iraq for the second time. And I wasn't one of the ones who stayed inside the gates. I was an MP, resposible for convoy escorts, POW escorts and training Iraqi Police. I've been shot at, ambushed, and threatened, but never by my own soldiers. I believe that there is a certain mentality that goes along with being a female in combat..In a way we loose our femininity during missions like that. But when we come home, many of us come home to be mothers, sisters, girlfriends and wives. Some wear skirts, some cook for their significant others when they come home, others drink and dance....The army, and combat can not deny a woman her domesticity, or her femininity. Only a woman can decide where she stands in those realms.
Some women, like myself, can live in duality. I used to tell my soldiers: I wear the pants at work, and the apron in the household. They were all men, but because I had put in the hours, the sweat, and the blood...they understood.
As for women in combat being threatened. Well, rape was the last of my worries. I won't say it doesn't happen, but I will say this: women are not the only ones. That is why all soldiers train in self-defense

Answer 2

I believe women should not be in the Combat Arms (Infantry, Armor, Combat Engineers, most Field Artillery). The Air Defense Artillery is another matter, but in the main, women have no business at the front lines.

However, due to the fluid nature of battle, any combat support or combat service support unit may find itself in combat. All women should have basic combat training.

Any female service member may find herself in combat. We have female pilots. There are females serving in missile batteries. We have females serving as commanders of certain combat units.

If they are the best persons for the jobs, so be it.

However, in the trenches (or in the tanks and tracks), this is and should be an exclusively all male show.

Been there, done that. In combat units, women would be distinctly unwelcome.

Women do not have a "right" to go into combat. When their "right" compromises the ability of the unit to effeciently conduct combat operations, it endangers the entire unit.

In certain instances, women were allowed into direct combat. The forces facing the units with women ALWAYS have fought harder because the men did not want to be defeated by women.

If you can show me from experience a single instance where the presence of women in combat has enhanced the combat readiness and efficiency of a combat unit I would be willing to rethink this issue.

Theory is theory and all well and good.

In the real world, the only thing that matters is achieving success in combat. Social Engineering gets people killed.

Show me otherwise.

Answer 3

Your uncle has old but good reasons behind what he says, however, I believe that a woman could be just as effective in combat as a man. The old double standards are no longer legal in the military. However, PRT tests in the military are a big difference. A male 18-21 has a little over 7 minutes to run a mile and a half. A female of the same age has a little over 15 minutes for the same distance. I believe women can measure up to the men, if given a chance.

Answer 4

I agree with your concept but there are actually valid health reasons why women should not be in 'guerilla' environments.

A woman's body holds more bacteria which causes infections when it is not kept clean. There was a few studies done on this issue about 15 years ago when women in combat was a hot topic. That is why some of the first women in combat were kept to jobs like helicopter pilots and now truck drivers, etc...

In the military, you never get advanced to the upper ranks unless you have combat experience. That is what started the entire argument really.

Answer 5

If you set aside prejudice there are really only three issues involved.

First is public opinion. Congress isn't authorizing females in combat because of the large number of voters who oppose it. The first hurdle is changing public perception.

The second issue is the difference in strength between men and women. Combat is not about what a person can do at their strongest, but about what they can do at their weakest. There are a large number of combat jobs that are going to remain closed to women because it is more efficient to limit the jobs to men. I'm not saying there aren't some women who can do these jobs, but that you would have to change your training programs from bringing everyone up to standard to flunking out people who can't do it.

And third is the issues involving stress, discipline, and male/female relationships. Military discipline in a combat zone requires that leaders have a lot of authority over their subordinates. A poor leader can use this to sexually harass a subordinate. Conversely, a poor subordinate can blackmail a leader with false accusations.

These are three tough issues to resolve. I think that women should be afforded the opportunity to excel in whatever job they want, but when it comes to combat the first thought must always be to providing the military with the most effective way to win quickly with the least amount of damage on all sides.

Answer 6

This whole question is kind of a joke, because if you are in a hot zone, you are in combat. The whole idea of "should" we be allowed is a moot point since we are and have been there for some time now! Unless you have a med patch on or are a religious leader, you are a viable target. So screw Uncle Sam! I'm a woman in the military and I meet the male requirements as far as PT and strength training. They aren't that much harder than what is expected of the women anyways. Women who cannot meet the same standards as men should not join the military. I hate the fact that I have to prove I am "as good as the guys" because the military requires less of me at basic training. Petition your senators and representatives to have the limits on women revoked so that we are required to meet the same standards as men.

Answer 7

Yes, we can and we do. I'm going to the desert soon.

I can tell that your uncle is old fashioned. That is his own problem. You can let your uncle know that there are thousands of women in the military and we all do very important things. He's probably just threatened. It's also not all his fault. His parents also must have this oppinion or similar old fashioned beliefs. But I can tell you that I load bombs, missiles (some of both by hand, too), trouble shoot wires and mechanical problems and do basic mechanics on the F-15 fighter jet. Can he do that? I can turn a wrench probably better than he can. I can guarantee you that I can hit his *** with an M-16 while he's running at 75ft away...or my 9, 30-30,12 Gage, or either of my 22 riffles.

Good for you to have a mind of your own

Answer 8

it didn't enlist because of that, i wanted to go into combat, the look on the recruiters face was priceless. I'm one of those people born wrong place and wrong time, I'm sure i was meant to be a gladiator, or a khan soldier, oh well. i digress, i totally understand that there are more cons(good ones) that pros on this issue.

America and the guys fighting next to you are not ready for the visual that would bring, dead women all over...
what guy wants to have their a s s kicked by a bunch of females, i think that would make it much harder on women than men, rape would also be used as a weapon, by both sides I'm sorry to say

but would i still do it, Yes! in a new york minute

Answer 9

I agree with you to some point. a woman has every right to defend her country as a man does. women tend to be very emotional, have you ever seen the beginning of saving private ryan? most women can't stand to watch that. if you were in combat you would see it first hand, and higher ups in the military don't think a woman can handle it on an emotional level, that they would break down emotionally, and essentially be useless to a combat unit. another reason is that politicians and others in the government don't want women coming home in bodybags to their families. if women were allowed into combat, at least in this time period, it sure would help out alot, not that women aren't fighting in iraq. there are female MP's who see almost as much combat as men in the infantry.

Answer 10

Sounds like your uncle needs to get in his time-machine and go back to 1950 when most women did just stay in the kitchen and cook and took care of the family! There is nothing wrong with taking care of your family, I do it, but THANK GOD I have the choice to work outside the home if I want.
I know that my husband has worked with many women during his Military career, and he has said that if he was in the middle of a war, he would definitely want some of those women there because they were so good at their jobs, and they could kick some serious @ss! He has complained about women that he has worked with, but not because their women, but because they were lazy, or not doing their job right. I have heard him gripe about men he works with as well.
Any guy that doesn't think a women can fight a war, is simply threatened by her. I've see some of these Military Girls, and I wouldn't want to mess with them! I admire those woman! Personally, I'm not sure I could do it, but I'm kind of prissy! LOL! I don't like to get dirty, and my hair and makeup always has to be done!
Without a doubt, we have some outstanding women in the United States Military! And I'm so proud of them.