Stealth Plan for Women in Combat

The Washington Times ^ | May 8, 2005 | Elaine Donnelly

[mike6181]

Lots of views on this, glad to hear from dad's of combat experienced daughters in the Army. Courage resides in women too. The question: Who said women in combat is ok? Was that part of the understood contract when these female soldiers signed on? If this is done, let it be done with the full permission of the American people, not slipped in with a regulation modification behind closed doors!

[Bombardier]

The worst officers I ever served with were the following:
1.USAFA graduates
2.Career-oriented females
3.Female USAFA graduates.

Female enlisted troops were generally pretty good, but there are plenty who know how to game the system. An example: After I left my beloved Air Force and was working on my teaching certificate, there was a female SSGT in one of my classes (I was taking classes through a state college, but held on the base I used to be stationed on, so there was a high percentage of Air Force personnel in each class). She was a crewmember on a Rivet Joint aircraft, and wore the wings of a senior enlisted aircrew member. She had just gotten word that she should be preparing for a European deployment, and was talking about it to a female second lieutenant (weather officer) in the same class. When the lieutenant asked the SSGT if she was prepared for getting sent overseas, the SSGT replied that she was indeed. She said she had gone off the pill and expected to be pregnant within a month. She further stated that, "That was how I got out of Desert Shield and two deployments for Southern Watch." The lieutenant gave a grin and said that since she was supposed to be heading to Ramstein and didn't want to leave her civilian boyfriend, she might have to try the same thing.

I stepped around from the soda machine where I was getting a Mountain Dew, and looked at both women and said "Just be glad that I'm no longer in, or I would be prepared to file charges of dereliction of duty against both of you. I know it's just hearsay, and would be my word against yours, but you both are perfect examples of the worst of the Air Force and why some of us are offended that you are even allowed in. I was never able to render myself non-deployable, and I would never have dreamed of letting my crew, squadron or wing down by pulling the kind of stunts you two are willing to pull. You're a disgrace to your NCO status and commission, a disgrace to your wing, a disgrace to your uniforms, and a disgrace to your country. I'm embarassed to have been in the same Air Force you're in." The lieutenant's response? "That's a sexist thing to say." In disgust, I walked away. I was so disgusted at what had happened to my Air Force, I was almost ashamed to admit I ever had been in.

Mark my words: If women are formally allowed to enter combat, the actual deployable strength of a unit will be diminished by the precise percentage of females assigned to said unit, and what I described will become commonplace.....and there won't be a thing we can do about it. The WACs, WAVEs, WAAFs, WMs and SPARS were the best employment of women in the military: "Free a man to fight." What we have now is a disaster waiting to happen. Wait until we have to go up a competant enemy who doesn't use PC in organizing his army. We will rue the day that we allowed females onto warships, into aircrew positions and into ground combat slots.

[JCEccles]

I realize the main pressure is from female officers wanting to get their combat tickets punched for the sake of their careers.

And from fathers ambitious for their daughters' success. I discount every father's praise of his own daughter's performance on or near the front line of combat, not because I don't think he is sincere, but because I know his bias tends to cause him to overlook the real and substantial minuses that women bring to combat.

I also don't buy the argument that women are there only because not enough men have volunteered to fught. When our country is involved in combat there are always claims that we don't have enough combat troops to get the job done. And yet we always succeed with what we have.

[William Terrell]

Thank God for the women who step up, willingly and knowing full well what their duty may demand, and doing it with excellence.

My steel U-joint clamp breaks and I replace it with one made of wood. It does an excellent job. . .for about two revolutions.

Saying women in combat are doing an "excellent job" is supporting the reduction in our military effectiveness. Let's look at it logically:

If a two equally equipped, equally experienced, equally populated forces met, one entirely of men and the other entirely of women met on the field of battle, it is certain that the force of men would win hands down.

Given this fact, any woman in a combat unit ipso facto reduces the effectiveness of the unit.

If we need more men, get them, by award or by draft. I served 13 months in a Marine unit in South Viet Nam with a large proportion of draftees. They did their job just as well as any of the volunteers (I was a volunteer).

It is the duty of males to defend their country. Hold them to it, like you hold them to pay taxes. It is the duty of women to bear and nurture the next generation of men and women to defend the nation and raise the next generation.

Sexist? Form follows function and function follows form. There is nothing more liberal than to deny that maxim.

[metalcor]

Put down the bottle and you may find it easier to type---takes all kinds to make a world, and you are one of them. Discretion dictates I not specify what kind.

[metalcor]

Thanks in all respects for your comments and you sons' service. This sin't the first itme I've encountered such ridiculous comments on this legitimate issue. Often I ask the most disrespectful how many son's-nephews-grandsons of military age they have, and find out the have little to say afterwards. I have had soldiers of the 1-24 in Mosul tell me they admire my girl, and their opinion holds far more weight than any critic I could ever encounter here.

[TheLostBoy]

When my unit of 300 people deployed to Iraq out of 30 females 8 of them decided to get pregnant with in 3 to 4 months prior to our deployment, it makes me furious that they can just skip out on the risks that all the rest of us assume on this deployment and when we return they will be more eligible for promotion then me simply because they are female.

[Finalapproach29er]

I agree. We're a little late to lament this; the women in combat question has been settled because they are in combat already.

There are no front lines in the W.O.T.

[metalcor]

My daughter shares your opinion on that matter. Pregnancey test are in short supply on her FOB, and one of her roomates has already been sent home after becoming pregnant. Makes her furious. But she also sees some guys come in with dubious complaints of injury or mental illness in an effort to do the same thing.

[The Great RJ]

There are no "non combat" positions in the military as is evidenced by the female casualties and their involvement in fire fights. Women in the military means women in combat.

[rbg81]

I salute your daughter for serving bravely in Iraq. But just because women are in combat, doesn't mean they should be. Call me old fashioned, but I think only men should be in harms way. If they are in hand-to-hand combat with men, women are at a distinct disadvantage. If they are captured, they are certain to be raped or worse. It is a sad commentary that we have to put women in situations where they are exposed to enemy fire, but the only solution I see to to have another draft--something that isn't likely to happe soon.

[bannie]

It's not that women are bad at their jobs...it's not that they don't work hard...it's not that they can't perform as well as some of the men. It IS that they are in the way; and they make the military missions less effective by their presence.

[R. Scott]

…a questioner who rightly praised the courage of female soldiers but expressed concern about the unprecedented number of women maimed or killed in Iraq …

What’s the solution? Absolutely no women in the military. We couldn’t even go back to a separate military for women – the WAC and WAAF. The women who have died over there are not “combat” soldiers. They are truck drivers, MPs, maybe even a clerk or two. I know there are some who would love to see an all male military, and not even a separate military for women, but we have to be realistic. Women have died in war for a long time, and will continue to do so.

[R. Scott]

Oh,never mind.Just pass the kotex

Great for cleaning the tube of a 60 mm mortar.

[R. Scott]

will u mind if they rape and kill ur daughter?

Will you mind if they rape and kill your son?