Women in combat?

[Socks]

Any WW2 history buffs. I seem to rember reading about one of the most feared Russian units on the front line, they took no prisoners, they never retreated and they were women!

One of their best snipers was a woman.

[charly_t]

LOL if someone is shootin at your ass you aint worried about the ass next to you. We aint that chivalrous anymore. She would be a soldier. This aint dr nurse 1960.

I have a grandson in the Marines and I do believe he said the ladies were not subject to the same rough training as the guys ( his ex wife was a Marine also by the way ). I have news for you some of the guys' old fashioned upbringing will kick in in spite of the marine training and the shooting going on around them.
Plus some guys just have a stronger urge to protect women than some other guys have. It is what it is.
One way or another the ladies in combat will be a distraction.

[BonMallari]

What's your point? Do you think it would make an Infantry squad better or worse to staff it w/ 50 yr old men? Would anyone argue that's a good idea?

The physical shortcomings of women are only the most obvious reason not to assign them to combat units. The burdens on a combat commander are significant enough w/out adding the complications that come from mixing young men & women together in such a surreal environment. It complicates sleeping arrangements, showers, hygiene, marriages, perceptions of fairness,........

What it doesn't do is increase Combat Effectiveness, but I guess it's naive to think that's what the Military is for. I guess it's really about ensuring that Women have the best opportunity for career advancement.

If women are eligible for combat duty, they need to be required to register for the draft.

Dave you bring up an excellent point...can you imagine a 40 yr old male gunnery sergeant vs a female counterpart of the same age...age 18-30 the women may hold their own, but their physical skills compared to men of the same age will not stand the test...Now a 40-50 yr old woman may be the meanest orneriest foe ever known to modern man, but in a combat situation she would be wiped out easily by her male counterparts

One only has to remember Jessica Lynch the PFC who was captured and raped by her captors, when you ad the fact that our women will be killed along with the fact they will be subject to sexual torture and humiliation by the enemy, you really have to ask yourself if political correctness is worth putting any female thru that kind of nightmare

[road kill]

Call me politically incorrect.

NO women in combat.

And I HAVE been there.

[huntinman]

Unintended pregnancies up in the military...

Unintended pregnancies on the rise in servicewomen | Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...90N1B820130124

[Pete]

I have a grandson in the Marines and I do believe he said the ladies were not subject to the same rough training as the guys ( his ex wife was a Marine also by the way ). I have news for you some of the guys' old fashioned upbringing will kick in in spite of the marine training and the shooting going on around them.
Plus some guys just have a stronger urge to protect women than some other guys have. It is what it is.
One way or another the ladies in combat will be a distraction.

I'm with you Charly,,
and ,may be bull homo sexual woman can be effective on the battle field,, because I doubt most men are attracted to them, but men in general want to make sure the woman is OK and thus becomes a distraction,,,and in times when bullets aren't flying,,,young people would have mostly one thing on their mind,,,I know I did. Keep the gals away from the guys,,,save that stuff for leave. enough social engineering,,,,, Homing Pigeons fly faster when there is a gal waiting for him at the loft. My .02

[duckheads]

I'm with you Charly,,
and ,may be bull homo sexual woman can be effective on the battle field,, because I doubt most men are attracted to them, but men in general want to make sure the woman is OK and thus becomes a distraction,,,and in times when bullets aren't flying,,,young people would have mostly one thing on their mind,,,I know I did. Keep the gals away from the guys,,,save that stuff for leave. enough social engineering,,,,, Homing Pigeons fly faster when there is a gal waiting for him at the loft. My .02

Unfortunately the above is what the progressives have turn our military into!

[Eric Johnson]

I guess my point is to "wait and see".

Panetta's announcement did not say that women would be in combat units, only that the restriction against them serving in these units would be lifted. What he said was that the services will now have to explain why the restriction against women in this or that combat position exists. If the services can show that the cons outweigh the pros for any one "job", then the restriction will still be in place. From that standpoint, maybe women will still be precluded from being an 11B in an infantry company. If women are to be so restricted, it will be based on facts and careful consideration rather than "that's how we've always done it." It's entirely possible that some or all of the arguments in this thread will tip the balance.

Again, we'll just have to "wait and see."

[luvmylabs23139]

Several of the responses talk about strength standards or physical fitness. Please realize that the standards for physical fitness for males go down as they age. Chances are that many young women can meet higher fitness standards than can old men.

Well those standards should not decrease with age, sex race or anything.

[luvmylabs23139]

If women are eligible for combat duty, they need to be required to register for the draft.

Yup that is fair. I'm suprised there hasn't been a lawsuit against the gov't for this. Isn't this sex discrimination at the highest by the federal gov't?