Is it just a matter of time before.....

[MERCY@GRACE]

Women will be allowed into combat? Since we are pretty much under-strengthed do you think it's a possibility? Also why do they train women to use the gunnery if they can't be in combat?

 

[Sybaris]

No
No
Everyone learns to shoot a gun in bootcamp. Though your eventual occupation may not have a thing to do with combat you could be tasked to perform some sort of security function anywhere.

 

[desi]

No, women will not be in combat because the political party of a President who has a dead US female soldier dragged through the gutters of a third world country on his watch would pay dearly.

 

[daveleau]

It is more the emotional aspects of this and the potential for rape when captured that keeps women out of combat in ground companies.
I can't say that I doubt we'll see women anytime soon, because we have already had women in combat- in direct and intended combat roles. My B-52 group has several female pilots, navigators and EWOs. This is a combat group and these women will see combat (some already have. Also, A-10's have had very valiant combat success by women pilots. I'm sure other fighters and bombers can say the same.

 

[LostnFound]

I believe it's only a matter of time. I just don't know how much time. Women have been dying in combat zones since there has been war. I don't know when we are going to be able to move beyond our gender-bias, and get on with it.

 

[Rik]

Got news for you - women are already in combat.

 

[inquisitor_11]

I believe it's only a matter of time. I just don't know how much time. Women have been dying in combat zones since there has been war. I don't know when we are going to be able to move beyond our gender-bias, and get on with it.

It's not all just gender bias. There are still significant practical reasons for excluding women from specific combat roles.

http://www.christianforums.com/t1157148-women-in-military.html

 

[Shown Much Mercy]

Got news for you - women are already in combat.

Your Right! I think many Americans do not realize exactly how much combat women see. I am in a combat arms unit and I saw very little distinction between women and men missions. I will elaborate. While in Iraq, the only time I saw women doing a different mission was on a pre-planned attack. They are normally only assigned to a Brigade (Infantry Units) or higher and at the support level. When an Infantry unit is given a sector, they are still supported by units that have females. These females would sleep in the same camps and subjected to the same dangers. Females still had to man traffic control points and pull guard with machine guns like everyone else. I wonder what some people would think if they knew their daughter was on the Syrian border? If you have Infantry soldiers there then your support companies with females are not far away. I was one that was not a fan in the past of females in direct combat. I now realize that they can and did nearly everything that the rest of the men did. I was greatful that our Commander did not give any special treatment to them over the males. All the male soldiers had the chance to actually see these soldiers carry their own weight and perform just as well. I have served along side them from Kuwait to the Syrian border and I have tons of respect for them now. I remember being in the open desert on a GAC (ground assualt convoy) to Baghdad. There was no privacy anywhere for people to relieve themselves. The area off the roads were possibly mined and unsafe also. Males and females had to do everything in front of each other. No special treatment, just soldiers pulling security while the other handled their business.

 

[MERCY@GRACE]

Thanks ~Inquisitor and ~shownmercy!


Inquisitior I have a question fro one of your quotes:

• Hygine Issues out bush- within the Australian army this is one of the main practical reasons that women are excluded from direct combat roles. According to doctrine, women are supposed to have access to showers every 3(?) days when in the field.
• close interpersonal relationships inevitably form, and within tight-knit groups these can have a negative effect on the group dynamic
• tendency among men to seek to protect a woman more then other men- may result in other people putting themselves unneccasrily at risk

I've heard of the three day woman rule for the women, but I never knew it was biblical. Do you have scripture? Of course there's always baby wipes and something tells me that many women over there have gone more than 3 days w/out showering*shiver*

~Shownmercy-thanks for your perspective.I was cringing when I Read you all pull over and see each other use the restroom. No dignity there lol! I actually don't feel women "need" to be in combat,and don't feel MOMS should be joining the military-simply b/c I feel our first call is to be a wife but secondly which is Just as- or even MORE important.. to be an available mom.

Like others have said this is a different war and men and women face the same dangers. I think this war is just setting up a premise for them to be in the fields that they weren't allowed. If you asked a vietnam vet, ww1 or11 vet if they ever thought they'd see women hostages, or women doing what they are doing now, they would have thought you were from another planet. Soo many changes have been made since then and they will continue to be made. We are at a point now where we are just "used" to seeing women POW'S which in turn will disinsitize the public to women in combat, thus eventually leading to change.

I've actually talked w/ dh about this and he feels women shouldn't be in combat positions. He is actually glad that he doesn't have to work along side women in his field. Not b/c he's a chavinist but b/c of other issues such as being falsley accused of sexual assualt, emotionalism etc.He kinda gave me a glimpse of what some other men think and feel! Anyway we shall see.....

 

[inquisitor_11]

I've heard of the three day woman rule for the women, but I never knew it was biblical. Do you have scripture? Of course there's always baby wipes and something tells me that many women over there have gone more than 3 days w/out showering*shiver*

haha.... sorry, i meant "according to military doctrine" . Thats only out here though. I don't know how it works elsewhere. Also keep in mind that doctrine =/= practice.

 

[Katydid]

Combat YES, they are already there. FRONT LINES, is different. The front lines are exactly that, the people that go in first. They are not on the FRONT LINES yet, that I know of, though they are REALLY REALLY close.

 

[MERCY@GRACE]

Thanks for the clarification inquisitor

Katy-there are no front lines in afghanistan is there

 

[Katydid]

Because war has changed soooo much, right now in Afghanistan and Iraq, the insurgents and terrorists make it difficult to distinguish between front lines and rear support. It is really hard to say a resounding no, but actual front lines in the traditional sense, I would say no. We don't have troops moving forward taking over more land and killing enemy troops. Of course in many cases they can't tell the enemy troops from the residents because they hide and act like regular civilians.

 

[LostnFound]

Ok, MAJOR tangent, here...........We have military technology beyond the comprehension of the average person. You'd think they could come up with a reasonable way to deal with female hygiene (and I ain't talking about showers, here!).

 

[Billnew]

Ok, MAJOR tangent, here...........We have military technology beyond the comprehension of the average person. You'd think they could come up with a reasonable way to deal with female hygiene (and I ain't talking about showers, here!).

Alot of new inventions come from war and dealing with war.
So maybe this war will be the surge forward for Feminine hygeine.

Current technology is what 100 years old?(not counting Doctoring)

 

[MERCY@GRACE]

two words, BABY WIPES!

 

[republican]

Yea seeing these sick poeple drag a women into a streets dead or whatever is dreadful but we have already have jessica lynch and other females shown as POWS in iraq before but I think women should be allowed to do what the men do if they want to be in the service.

 

[alexgb00]

MERCY@GRACE vbmenu_register("postmenu_11112124", true); ,

I don't believe that the American army is stretched beyond its capacity, but the only reason that women might be eventually allowed to participate in combat would be the egalitarian influence. According to some people, it's important to have women, men, children and elderly have the same "opportunities" to experience everything in life.

As far as shooting, i know that everyone has to at least know how to handle a weapon. My father maintenanced submarines in the Soviet navy, Pacific Fleet, and he also had to shoot an AK-74. Not just infantry -- artillery men, tankers, even cooks are trained to shoot, just in case.
vbmenu_register("postmenu_11112124", true);

 

[republican]

They are in combat the air force has female pilots and much more in the military.

 

[WarSong]

Take this for what it's worth.

Here in Kirkuk, women are in just as much danger as men when we come under rocket attack. There are women in EOD, which frequently goes outside the wire and into the towns. Women are locked and loaded when we roll out in convoys to bring humanitarian relief into the country. There are women "gunners" who fire the M-60s & .50-cals on top of Humvees.