News Women in Combat: Equal Rights, Equal Responsibilities

[drag]

N_Quire,
you are of course aware of the very strange fact,
in my opinion, that you're compairing climbing with
warfare...

 

[Kerrie]

i am very pleased with all of your responses to this topic, as i think it is definitely an important issue in general...

Pauly Man brings up some very good points...just because a physical test is designed for the endurance/strength of a man does not mean a woman is not capable of passing it...after many years of the traditional *male* military, it has been assumed that women would not be able to uphold to the same standards...i say that the military should begin to give women a chance and see what we are capable of...

as far as a woman's hormones in combat goes, i think most women are aware that it is their body that is in control of that aspect, and not their mind...

 

[N_Quire]

Drag, I am not comparing climbing with warfare. Nor am I talking about short climbing trips, but rather long expeditions which test your resources to the limit. The so-called personal and hygiene problems associated with menstruation can be dealt with if a woman is motivated to do so. I am sure that many women could cope with a combat role.

We should also not forget that there are many, many men who could not pass the physical or mental requirements for combat. There are no doubt women who would compete better than some men even in combat roles.

If you have ever had to work with women athletes, climbers, etc, you would know that some women can be very tough, with excellent endurance and stress-management skills. These skills don't suddenly disappear because the situation is a combat one.

 

[Njorl]

One thing that is happening in the US military at the moment is the push to lighten divisions. It is actually a very big source of friction between Rumsfeld and the generals. The push is to make lighter, but more lethal, weapons, ammo, batteries etc so that more fighting abilitiy can be transported quickly by plane. This push might make female combat soldiers slightly more feasible.

Njorl

 

[drag]

Greetings !

N_Quire, like I said before the differences
are not that large and there are always
exceptions.

As for "long climbing trips" :
First, I was never talking about menstruation
or hygiene problems. Those were other people.
In WW2 USSR women infantry units fought along
side men and such problems were simply allowed
to exist (if you understand what I mean)because
no one had the time nor the means to prevent them
and because no one cared about it in combat.
Second, the demands are completely different.
In a battle your mind races like crazy and
all the mental and physical "brakes" are gone.
It is not merely an extremely intense physical
experience. Men on average are simply more evolved
for such situations.

Live long and prosper.

 

[N_Quire]

Drag wrote: "Men on average are simply more evolved
for such situations."
----------------------------------------------------

Perhaps you are right. There again, if there are women who wish to join frontline, combat troops and are able to pass all the medical and physical tests, I don't know why they should be prohibited from doing so. In addition to the numerous examples of women fighters that have been mentioned, there are also the many guerilla groups in which women have a combat role. I am sure women can shoot straight enough, be brave enough, carry enough, withstand enough, etc, etc.

The decision not to give them combat status is a political one, in which the reasons/excuses are dressed up as physical and mental inability.

 

[drag]

Greetings !

Originally posted by N_Quire
Perhaps you are right. There again, if there are women who wish to join frontline, combat troops and are able to pass all the medical and physical tests, I don't know why they should be prohibited from doing so.

There are a number of other issues involved
which are also the reason that where female
infantry units do exist they are ussualy separate
from men.

It requires additional investment to maintain
privacy in "mingled" units. Also, men can
sometimes be distracted by the presense of women
and act differently when fighting alongside them.

Live long and prosper.

 

[Kerrie]

Originally posted by Kerrie
What do you think of women in combat? After the rescue of Jessica Lynch, the female POW rescued the other day, I think women are very capable of combat as men are. I think if their training accommodated their strength (in comparison to men), they are perfectly able of handling the stress of war.

Besides, if we women want equal rights, then we have to have equal responsibilities

ok, i am truly discouraged by the american media...i am sure most of you have heard (at least in america) how the resuce of j. lynch was "exaggerated"...i had to bring this up after being so proud of the american woman "in combat"...i guess i will listen to my own advice a lot more now...

QUESTION EVERYTHING

 

[russ_watters]

Originally posted by Kerrie
ok, i am truly discouraged by the american media...i am sure most of you have heard (at least in america) how the resuce of j. lynch was "exaggerated"...i had to bring this up after being so proud of the american woman "in combat"...i guess i will listen to my own advice a lot more now...

The media overreaction isn't Jessica Lynch's fault - she was barely conscious. The media simply watches events happen and renders opinions on things they can't comprehend. For some reason, despite the military advisors they have, they have no comprehension of how the military works.

In a situation such as the Lynch rescue, you must remember that regardless of how the situation looks in 20/20 hindsight, it was war at the time. In war, you DO NOT KNOW how bad ANY situation is, so you approach EVERY situation as a worst case scenario. Underestimating a threat is the surest way to get yourself killed. The media saw the military approach the situation as if it were a battle because that's how the military MUST operate for the safety of the troops. The media, not understanding this, made the assumption that since the military approached it like a battle, that it WAS a battle. Oops.

Some civilians in the hospital complained about the incursion - for example, I heard they refused a key and instead broke down a door. But the civilans made the same mistake the media made. The military must assume that EVERY civilian could be springing a trap on them (many soldiers died at checkpoints for letting their guard down). In a situation like that, the best thing for a civilian to do is shut up and stay out of the way.