[Caesar Soze]

I'm a bit unclear. You say you've always wanted to serve in the country, presumably in the armed forces, then go on with your doctrine regarding women in the military, which is a bit confused in the nomenclature department, but I'll let that slide. Are you saying that you are a woman (with some affinity for Italian explorers or pool games), and unwilling to serve because there is a chance you might get a job you think women are unfit for? Or that you are a man, and unwilling to serve because you might have to work with (or subordinated to) women? Or am I completely misreading you?

[rabidralph]

If you want to serve away from women, be a submariner. Or join one of the infantry units of the other services, or go special forces. but you will certainly run into women serving in support positions in all of those areas when you're not in the field. As an aside, you should be more intent on serving your country, no matter who you serve alongside. We all bleed the same color.

[TheFilter]

I am a female veteran.

Women don't serve in combat roles; most of the positions are in support. You don't have to join the infantry! I would encourage you to go for it, and specify the job you would like to do. Every position, from finance, to working in safety, keeps the military running smoothly.

Many women are fliers, for example, but usually in refuelers and the like.

There is no squadron for women only, but then life isn't like that either, unless you're a nun. ;)

[navygal]

Some jobs are perormed better by men like for example navy seals.

[HairOfTheDog]

If you join the military you will go through the same basic training that all soldiers receive. You will have to crawl in the mud and carry a gun in training.

After that, there are many branches and types of service you can opt for that are support roles. How well you do in training, and your level of education determines your choices in where you get stationed and in what role. But any soldier might conceivably be attacked, it would be silly to not train you to be a soldier too, even as a nurse.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

Seeing the all women crew makes me cringe. First, they may be very capable pilots & flight crew members, then again maybe not. Thanks to the PC army you never know.

Having women fly combat aircraft is now PC driven. The military wants to see bottom line numbers. Flight training is difficult & wash out rates are high for the average man. Women are given several more chances than men who would have otherwise washed out.

This is first hand and examples are numerous..

[callthemlikeyouseethem]

I am female and a vet (USA ret.). There are a lot of jobs in the military available to females. But not one of them that doesn't require you fulfill the basic requirements. I was primarily an interrogator/interpreter/translator (MI). Utilizing those skills I was in PSYOPS (lot of good PSYOPS used in the past months!). I was also a SERE instructor. I don't think Mike Durant cared that he was instructed by some females when it came to using what he learned from us. Bottom line, if you wanna be a service member, there are certain things you need to do, one of them is learning basic soldiering. My suggestion, go see a recruiter and find what is available in the fields you are interesting in serving. Good luck. No shame in being a "female" soldier. JMVHO

[ChuckHam]

My personal observations during the first Gulf War lead me to believe most women aren't cut to fight. One evening during Desert Shield we received an alarm that stated that a group of heavily armed men had penetrated the perimeter and we were to take cover. I was standing in line at the chow tent with my sidearm when this occured. As I ran back to my barricaded tent I picked up several (3 or 4) women along the way. I entered the tent (I was a weapons courier and had to guard 100's of weapons prior to our armory opening) and told my men to arm up and prepare to defend our weapons and personnel. My men locked and loaded and we set up a perimeter around the tent. All this time the women were in the tent crying and hiding, they were totally worthless to me.

[Iscool]

Look at the positive side...What chance would the Republican Guard have against a female fighter pilot or tank commander with PMS???

Shoot, my wife would drive a tank right into downtown Bagdhad under the right circumstances...

[Check6]

IMHO, fems in uniform are a huge PITA. They benefit from a double standard weighed heavily in their favor. They are a distraction. They are dangerous. The destroy the warrior mentality. They have destroyed the service academies. Send them home.

[Porterville]

I was with an ex-Army chick a while back; and she had the tightest abs, red hair, and beautiful face; now, if she wasn't in shape, how would we have had such a good night??

God bless the military and the women in it. I love a healthy girl.

[philetus]

I don't know if this will help, but while I was at Ft. Rucker, many moons ago, I had a woman Lt. Colonel, scream in my face "DON'T CALL ME MAAM, CALL ME SIR".

scared the bejesus out of me.

[Capitalism2003]

[Seeking to remain informed]

How strange to come across your thread since this has been on my mind since I first heard that a female has been captured and is a POW. I had always been one to say that women should be able to fight side by side with any man - however, I had never given much thought to a female being captured. A female casualty is one thing but to be captured by people as crazy as this - it is scary - there is just too much torturing that could be done to a woman - more than a man do you presume? I may have to alter my thinking after this - especially if she does not come home to us. I am afraid that I may feel differently now.

[Morrigan]

Well Marco, two of my sisters are lifer Marines, my cousin is a lifer in the Air Force (a high position, she can't even tell her own family what she does), one of my best friends served for five years in the U.S. Navy.....women can contribute to this country's defense too.

[wardaddy]

Good query.