Do Women Belong In Combat

I,ve been debaiting this isuie and would like your input i can,t help but wounder about this do women belong in combat. After the abuse scandle involveing the 20 year old Girl from w virginia her life is now at center stage and she will probley be court marshaled for following orders. and i do beleave she was following orders, the thing not one offcers name have been Release. But she will be forever known as a abuser and her life is marked for life. :(

My daughter is a Marine there as we speak. The stuff that goes on that the average citizen never hears about would SHOCK you. I can only say that as a woman, from the stories I have heard, the enemy can be closer then you think. Think about it. 90 something percent men, most under 25, away from home and bored. You would never guess what goes on.

There is a very small percentage of women from the States that could handle it, but most could not due to our culture. Plus it is a physical fact that the sexes are built different. So I don't believe a blanket policy is the correct way to go. If I'm on the front lines with my leg blown off, I'd want a man next to me not a woman. I'm sorry if I have offended anyone, but this is the way I feel based on several years in the military and a lot of years of life.

If they chose to , and they have the ability to ,they should have the option. They have the ability to be ruthless and cunning warriors .

I think that with the proper training, they can be as good if not better than men in combat. There are women out there serving in frontline units, just not in infantry units. I know I sound like I'm putting them down but I am not. I'm simply saying that it should be allowed, yes, but they should get a fair chance and go thru training that's designed for women.

"Designed for women"? Nah. One training program... one graduation. If a woman can pass the training program, more power to her. If not, let her choose an alternative career path. If she can't carry an injured comrade who weighs 200 lbs on her shoulders at a full run away from enemy fire, then she doesn't need to be on the front line with an M16 in her hands... she needs to be in a support role behind the lines. I'm not saying some women can't do that, and I'm not saying all men can do that, but if anybody can't meet the standards of the training, there shouldn't be any compromise of standards just because of your sex.

Sorry if I offended anyone, but I live close to a ranger camp, and I watch those guys train constantly. A lot of my good friends are rangers. If a woman can do what those guys can do under the same circumstances, then they deserve to be a ranger... if not, then don't compromize the integrity of the team by lowering the standards for women.

I don't believe that women belong in direct combat. The Israelis tried it early on and the men were more concerned with protecting the women resulting in them being to distracted to be as aggressive as they needed to be.

Sniffing at the XX genes instead of shooting at the XY genes, huh? I can see that. Maybe that's a good counter tactic for your military force. Make half of your force women and teach 'em pole dancing. Then when the opposing army is all hot and bothered, bust a cap in their ass.

As a woman I beleave that women should have the RIGHT to be in combat. Do I think that they should though? Nope. I dont think they can do the same job as a man...they arn't built the same, they dont have the same strength and endurance that a man does. If a woman can prove that she does more power to her...SHE can join. I also think they are too tempting to the enemy...lets face it...there are a lot more nasty things that a man can do (and is willing to do) to a woman then he is to a man. Honestly...if I was ever on the front lines...and faced being captured by the enemy (I was going to be captured no doubt about it) I would blow my head off with my own gun. Even if I knew that there was a posibility of being rescued I would not allow to let myself be captured....death would be better then what I feel they could and probably would do to me.

Nice to hear from a woman on this, thanks. I think I agree with ya too. War is hell!

Keep a few things in mind:
1) It's not a "right" to be in a combat unit... it's a "if qualified" a man has a right to attempt the training. IF he can handle the training and he passes the test, THEN he can be in a combat unit until the military put's him somewhere else they need him.
2) The military is not a democracy.

Could an athletic woman handle the demands of normal line unit. I think so. Could a woman fight as good as a man. I think so. Does a woman belong in combat. I think not. I cannot imagine shooting, shitting, showering, and sleeping with women out in the field. I think most people have NO clue what a combat unit goes through. Women can do a lot of vital roles in the military. Women can do almost anything a man can do, but women do not belong in combat. A woman is a much greater asset to the military in supporting roles. While the word "supporting" may sound demeaning, it's not. The whole military machine is important... from the taxpayer all the way to the bullet.

It may not sound nice, but it is reality.

My 2 Cents,
Mike

Reality is sometimes hard to swollow.

Keep a few things in mind:
1) It's not a "right" to be in a combat unit... it's a "if qualified" a man has a right to attempt the training. IF he can handle the training and he passes the test, THEN he can be in a combat unit until the military put's him somewhere else they need him.
2) The military is not a democracy.

Could an athletic woman handle the demands of normal line unit. I think so. Could a woman fight as good as a man. I think so. Does a woman belong in combat. I think not. I cannot imagine shooting, shitting, showering, and sleeping with women out in the field. I think most people have NO clue what a combat unit goes through. Women can do a lot of vital roles in the military. Women can do almost anything a man can do, but women do not belong in combat. A woman is a much greater asset to the military in supporting roles. While the word "supporting" may sound demeaning, it's not. The whole military machine is important... from the taxpayer all the way to the bullet.

It may not sound nice, but it is reality.

My 2 Cents,
Mike
A well thought out :2cents:

Keep a few things in mind:
1) It's not a "right" to be in a combat unit... it's a "if qualified" a man has a right to attempt the training. IF he can handle the training and he passes the test, THEN he can be in a combat unit until the military put's him somewhere else they need him.
2) The military is not a democracy.

Could an athletic woman handle the demands of normal line unit. I think so. Could a woman fight as good as a man. I think so. Does a woman belong in combat. I think not. I cannot imagine shooting, shitting, showering, and sleeping with women out in the field. I think most people have NO clue what a combat unit goes through. Women can do a lot of vital roles in the military. Women can do almost anything a man can do, but women do not belong in combat. A woman is a much greater asset to the military in supporting roles. While the word "supporting" may sound demeaning, it's not. The whole military machine is important... from the taxpayer all the way to the bullet.

It may not sound nice, but it is reality.

My 2 Cents,
Mike

Great statement...completely true

As a woman, I know I sure as hell don't want to be in combat. I know I could not complete military training. Nor would I even want to try.

HOWEVER (and notice it is a big however) I think that women going into the military at this point are well aware of what could happen to them out there. And if they complete their training, I believe they should be allowed to go. I don't know why they would want to go . . . but I think they should be out there if that is what they trained for.

I appear to be in the minority here with my view, but I really thought many of these posts were thoughtful and well written.

I thought women still served in the Israeli armed forces and fought on the front lines if necessary. No?

I still subscribe to the theory that women who live together 24 hrs a day have a tendency to end up with syncronized "cycles". Put a group of mean ass women together for 24 hrs a day during training for a few months, let 'em get synchronized, then stick 'em on the battlefield for five days a month. That'd be one bad ass fighting force.

The guys better watch out for (less than) friendly fire though!