[Vigilanteman]

There is one, and only one purpose for putting women in combat:

So that they can get some cameo combat experience to enable them to leapfrog over men for military promotions. This will make the feminazis feel good about having more women bossing men around.

Compromised missions and dead sisters, mothers, daughters and girl friends is just too high a price to pay so a few feminazis can have a power trip.

[USAF80]

I think a lot of women in the Marines and Army will not re-up. The AF and Navy will not be affected much because they have very few ground combat units.

They want to cut 80,000 troops anyway.

[darrellmaurina]

Here's something else interesting on the women-in-combat issue, from one of the first female generals in the military, USAF BG Wilma Vaught (Ret.), who now heads the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington, Va. She talks about how she was taught how to sit and how to put on makeup because female officers had to be “attractive and charming,” but not how to salute or shoot:

“Vaught broke her fair share of glass ceilings. She was the first woman to deploy with an Air Force bomber wing. She was promoted to brigadier general in 1980, and when she retired five years later, she was only one of seven female generals or admirals in all the armed forces. But in close to 30 years of military service, she never had to fire a gun. In fact, she got her brother-in-law to teach her how to use one because the Air Force wouldn't. But today, hundreds of thousands of women have served in wars with no clear front lines, often caught up in direct combat. Vaught wonders aloud, ‘If I were in the military today, would I be able to do these things? I would like to think I would, but I don't know, because, you know, the challenges are just so great. It's a different military. It really is.’”

http://www.npr.org/2011/02/23/133966767/general-remembers-her-different-military-days

I think virtually all of us can agree that the 1950s-era attitudes toward women in the military were wrong. Women are capable of doing much more than sitting pretty and being charming.

And as for the idea voiced by members of Congress that women shouldn't be allowed to become generals because by the time they were in their 50s they'd be in menopause and making irrational decisions... well... what I want to say can't be printed. I'll let women like Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann say what needs to be said about mature women in leadership roles.

I guess I'm glad I didn't live back then since I'd be accused of being a liberal for saying women should have the right to choose whatever careers they want as long as they can meet the standards to do the job.