Female-combat debate focusing on Piestewa

AZCentral.com ^ | 3/10/04 | Billy House

[kattracks]

WASHINGTON - The Army should release details from its investigation into Spc. Lori Piestewa's treatment and death in the hours after her capture by Iraqis nearly a year ago, said the president of a national group that opposes women in combat.

[stevem]

For instance, she said, because of cultural and religious reasons, a U.S. male solider could not perform a body search of an Iraqi woman.

I'm still not sure where I come down on this issue. I have always tended to feel about it the way Elaine Donnelly does, and I surely have been deep in her court regarding other military issues.

This particular sentence stated as a reason why females must be in combat roles is pretty weak.

[David Isaac]

It is very weak, especially in light of an article, whcih was on FR some time ago, concerning the large number of civilian contractors who were and are present in Iraq. The job of searching female captives could have been performed at a secure location by women hired specifically for that purpose. To use this one instance as the basis for an argument for the inclusion of women in combat outfits, only shows the overall weakness of that argument.

[trebb]

"If my child decides that's what she wants to do, fight for her country, then she should be allowed to do it," Piestewa said.

The Dims just hate it when the family of a fallen soldier won't demean the miltary. My hat is off to this lady and my prayers go out to her and her fallen daughter.

[independentmind]

Donnelly is not a Dim, and this has nothing to do with demeaning those who have served in the military. If anything, the Left is using that as an excuse for failing to report the story accurately.

[usmcobra]

Funny how they left out what happen to Shoshanna Johnson entirely.

Next item on their hit parade, preventing women from driving military vehicles.

[ClearCase_guy]

For instance, she said, because of cultural and religious reasons, a U.S. male solider could not perform a body search of an Iraqi woman.

A little historical research shows that victorious armies often do what they want, and do not feel held back by cultural or religious concerns of the vanquished.

I freely acknowledge that having US women avilable to search Iraqi women makes the situation less volatile. But let's not go too far and say that a US male soldier "could not" do the task.

[Piquaboy]

We still have to be PC even with a war going on. Sure would not want to hurt anyones feelings by searching some woman who may want to kill you.

[TheGunny]

But retired Navy Capt. Lory Manning, who directs the Women in the Military Project at the Women's Research and Education Institute in Washington, said the Army "could not be doing what we're doing right now in Iraq and Afghanistan without women being there."

One of the most ignorant statements Ive ever seen! Its more like there are a great many tasks that would be more difficult with out the aid of the Iraqi civilian population, including women hirelings.

[Redbob]

Be interesting to know also what is the cost of maintaining separate ("but equal!") sleeping and toilet facilities, etc. for men and for women in Iraq.
Is the number in the thousands of dollars? Hundreds of thousands?
Tens of millions?

What exactly is the cost, in reduced military preparedness, of this little bit of social engineering?

And how come we haven't heard lately of the deaths of that other group sent to try to rescue Lynch & Piestewa?

[DMZFrank]

"For instance, she said, because of cultural and religious reasons, a U.S. male solider could not perform a body search of an Iraqi woman."

Let me get this straight. The reason that we have to have a high percentage of personnel who are trained to a differential lower standard of physical fitness, are not deployable into direct combat roles as the ASTP personnel during the fighting in the WWII ETO were when we needed large numbers of infantry replacements due to (God forbid) brutal and heavy losses, who encumber the logistic system with unnecessary duplication of infrastructure, and create an atmosphere of sexual tension that corrupts morale because we need BODY SEARCHERS FOR WOMEN?????

Yeah, Right.

[DMZFrank]

"For instance, she said, because of cultural and religious reasons, a U.S. male solider could not perform a body search of an Iraqi woman."

Let me get this straight. The reason that we have to have a high percentage of personnel who are trained to a differential lower standard of physical fitness, are not deployable into direct combat roles as the ASTP personnel during the fighting in the WWII ETO were when we needed large numbers of infantry replacements due to (God forbid) brutal and heavy losses, who encumber the logistic system with unnecessary duplication of infrastructure, and create an atmosphere of sexual tension that corrupts morale because we need BODY SEARCHERS FOR WOMEN?????

Yeah, Right.

[DMZFrank]

"For instance, she said, because of cultural and religious reasons, a U.S. male solider could not perform a body search of an Iraqi woman."

Let me get this straight. The reason that we have to have a high percentage of personnel who are trained to a differential lower standard of physical fitness, are not deployable into direct combat roles as the ASTP personnel during the fighting in the WWII ETO were when we needed large numbers of infantry replacements due to (God forbid) brutal and heavy losses, who encumber the logistic system with unnecessary duplication of infrastructure, and create an atmosphere of sexual tension that corrupts morale because we need BODY SEARCHERS FOR WOMEN?????

Yeah, Right.