I'm not questioning her patriotism or her worth, J; both are beyond reproach. I'm just saying that her *physical endurance and stamina* could be a problem for the others in a very heated situation, as compared to a man's. (Yeah, I know; lousy sentence, but it's 5:15am and time to go back to sleep) I feel women are better served in support positions.
It's not a woman, BTW; I saw the video of that still, and it's a young man.
http://tv.reuters.com/notenabled.jsp?miss=wr&fr=111204_094330_17d5d2ax1002eb39822x3a8e
click 'enter' and go to the 2 links for fallujah fighting. awesome videos... pass it on before it's gone.
I understand some of what you are saying, but there is one thing I must say in response to your post- there are men I have met throughout my life that I would not want beside me in a rope pulling contest, much less in battle, physical endurance and stamina be damned. And there are women that I would pick over those men any day.