Should women be on the front lines in the Infantry?

Question

Would you be for or against women in the military to be in the Infantry and on the front lines fighting right along side the men?

Answer 1

Without changing the curriculum and physical standards....Yes!

Answer 2

women in the infantry ... good question ... i will have to disagree ... not because im sexist ... i believe there are women that can do our job better than we can but at the same time ... theres a emotional attachment that we as the infantry seperate ourselves from ...and with women mixed in in the infantry it would only stir controversy and feelings will grow more than it would with all male soldiers .... i have to say ive lost alot of good freinds that i wouldnt have liked to loose but it happens and theres nothing i can do ... i have to put my gear on everyday and go out and finish my job ... everyday .. even when you loose someone close... yes theres a safety stand down day 24 hours .... then your back on your horse clear minded ... and me i dont know how id do that if i was emotionally attached towards a women that served next to me and something happend to her then how am i supposed to recover from something like that ... i know when i lost my grandma .. i was pretty messed up about it over here.. i wasnt clear minded which i should have been during alot of the missions that followed that ... and alot of times it got me in situations that i could have avoided if i would have had a clear mind ... its all part of our infantry style ... we live together like a family side by side we are alittle more open with each other than say a high school football team ... you have no privacy and expect none in the infantry ... thats taken from you ... and women in some respects would want privacy and then we have a conflict ... not good ... theres alot of MOS's that are combat MOS's like MP's that ive seen women work well in ... but at the same time i dont see how re vamping the infantry would be any of a benefit to the military i apolgize if i affended anyone but its do to my infantry mentality that i feel this way ...

Answer 3

Yes, as long as they can meet the same standards as the men. Hell, my husband, who served two tours in Iraq in an AFAR (airborne field artillery regiment) has said the same. If they can do it w/o compromising the unit, let them. Just don't lower the standards. And for physically intense/demanding MOS's the standards should be even higher. There probably aren't a LOT of women who can do a combat jump with 100+ pounds strapped to them, but if they can (and I'm sure a select few taller, heavier women could), go for it.

Answer 4

I am a woman in the military so there is two reasons as to why I think that we (women) should be able to fight on the front lines.

1. There are some female soldiers that DO indeed shoot better at ranges and training than some male soldiers.

2. Female soldiers have some stronger points than males in some areas and visa versa... when it comes to fighting and things of that nature....

So I feel that female soldiers should be able to, if they can prove with range scores and things like that, become infantry and fight on the front lines.

Answer 5

The Israelis, Russians and Syrians who have had many women in the front lines state that sexual issues aside, the behaviour of male troops changes when females are in their midst. The males tend to see their female comrads as sisters rather than the dude next to them and unnecessarily put themselves into harmsway to help or comfort wounded female comrads or those in trouble thereby adding to the difficulties. Some experts attribute it to a form of chivalry that exists in all cultures, desire to gain favour with her which may see the relationship develop perhaps into one that is closer.

In anyevent, seeing how our laws are moving towards greater equality I'd say "Yes" so long as she is physically able, not just to run, and keep up with the boys with all her geer, but alos be able to carry the biggest dude to safety on the battlefield should he get injured. The boys all gotta, and hey ... war is an equal opportunity killer.

Answer 6

I would personally propose an experiment for sexually segregated combat units (all male units and all female units). Though it would be a flagrant violation of our society's norms (especially the thought of women going into combat and the negative connotation of segregation), it would be interesting to examine the results.

Pre-conditions would be:
1) Physical fitness standards would have to be maintained (if possible raised) and equal for both men and women.
2) There is equal and completely identical training for both the males and females.
3) Both male and female combat units will have identical assets (equipment, vehicles, gear, etc).

Whether one likes it or not, women have taken part in wars for thousands of years (though not as common as men, of course). Today's female suicide bombers, female servicewomen and the Amazon warrior women of yesterday are all challenging old beliefs and established norms/taboos. But also, our society is scientific, not mystical, so let us expand our knowledge base once more.

One of the fundamental lessons of war is to never underestimate anyone. The human dimension is one factor that many neglect and has led to both countless defeats and victories throughout time. The Amazon warriors in ancient Greek times were renowned for their combat skills. The Russians in WWII had female infantry units who fought harder and hardly surrenderred (for obvious reasons) as opposed to some male infantry units. The Viet Cong has female guerillas who fought just as hard and died just as hard as male ones. This is not meant to say that women should be in the combat arms, but the point is... give them a chance. Let's see what they've got. They might just surprise us (though the majority probably won't).

Answer 7

Absolutely for it. If a woman wants to fight, I don't see why she should be stopped. It's always disproportionately reported when a female soldier dies in the war, but that's the main facet of equality - neither a male nor a female life is worth more than the other, so either should be able to lay theirs on the line.

Why does everyone think that a female soldier is more likely to be raped by the enemy in the event of her capture? Presumably it would be an act of aggression and dominance rather than a sexual thing (as rape almost always is anyway) so there's no reason why it wouldn't happen to the men as well.

Answer 8

Before I met my husband I was all for women in combat. If they can truly hack it and truly want to be there I don't think this country should tell them no. However then I met my husband. He started out as army supply so he went through basic with women and worked for two years as reserve with women. He respects them and the job they do. Now he is active duty airborne infantry and has convinced me that women still have no place in infantry units. Not because of the whole sex thing men not being able to control themselves, women having no privacy ect but because it would cost men their lives. Think about if a squad got captured. A squad is a close team of like three soldiers and an NCO. They work closely and live closely together like a family. Now what guy wouldn't protect his sister? My husband would probably even go hand to hand with armed combatants to try to save a female he was close to, it would be sucide. That's why I still don't think it's time to have women in combat roles. If they were allowed they should aways carry side arms so they can make the decision of whether they wanted to be captured. I wouldn't allow my self to be captured alive if it came down to it.

Answer 9

Of course! Israel has done it for years. In fact I read that one of the fiercest regiments they have is all female! I'm sure they thought thru the logistics for doing such a thing. I do not see a man flying a multi-million dollar aircraft thru the sky any better than his female counter part. I'm sure she could learn to put ordinance on target just as well as he can. A tank does not know if it is driven, loaded, gunned, or commanded by either sex. Mixing a single unit of both male and female, however, could create logistical stresses. But if a woman wants to carry a rifle, fly a plane, or gun a tank, I see no reason to prevent that.

Answer 10

I served with women that beat me in my PT test using the male point scales. I also served with women that consistently outscored us guys in every technical test we had to take while in AIT. Give a woman a fair chance to perform and she will kick your ***.

That's all they need, fairness. No favors, no preferences, just fairness.

The most diabolical drill sergeant I ever met was the cutest little thing you could have imagined. She was pettite, athletic, gorgeous and an overachieving, amoral, sadistic *****. Oh, and she was all that and without losing her feminine touch, she was nowhere close to butch. Your first reaction on meeting her is that she was a model playing soldier.

Answer 11

They should be in the military, however, not frontlines.

However, in this new war, there are no frontlines. Everywhere is a battlefield, from in front of embassies, to the streets of baghdad to the airliners and inside the world trade center.


uncle_osbert
Gun powder cant carry a fallen comrade off the battlefield, if you cant, in full gear under fire, Then I dont want you near me when we go in.

Ive been on too many ruck marches, (20k's) when the female beside me couldnt hack it and I end up carrying her weapon and ruck, while she cries on the side of the road. Youve entered a mans profession, its life and death, be a Man or get out.


*IMA
Its not about being equal, THE MILITARY IS ABOUT DEFENDING THE NATION, not about being equal, our job is to kill, not push a social agenda