[Orion78]

Saying women shouldn't fight is like saying that women shouldnt learn, or show thier face. What are we, the Taliban? If a woman wants to fight, let her fight. Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. What if a free woman wants to be brave and fight for her country? Bad move by the Bush Administration IMHO.

[FUSSBALL]

Then they should shave their heads at boot camp(GI means government issue ...everyone is the same) and have to sign up for the draft.

[A. Pole]

If a woman wants to fight, let her fight. Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.

And if there is draft, for women it will be optional? If so it equals pandering to women who want to be with the male soldiers if it is mandatory it does not seem so free and brave.

[this_ol_patriot]

Some of us respect women. Do you want to see any American woman in the hands of the Taliban, as a POW in a Vietnam or in the hands of Saddam? Think.

[nightdriver]

"Saying women shouldn't fight is like saying that women shouldnt learn, or show thier face."

Hardly.

[okie01]

"Saying women shouldn't fight is like saying that women shouldnt learn, or show thier face."

Actually, it's more like saying men shouldn't give birth or nurse the child.

[Oberon]

If a woman wants to fight, let her fight. Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. What if a free woman wants to be brave and fight for her country?

If all our soldiers fought as individual soldiers, I would agree with you. However, our armed forced don't fight as individuals; they fight as a team. The survival and success of a unit, squad, platoon, brigade, or regiment may depend on whether a few soldiers...or one single soldier...can get the job done effectively. In infantry, spec ops, recon, armor, and so on, this effectiveness requires having a big, strong, ugly, testosterone-laced grunt in place to do the work.

Gender equality is for arenas where the genders are, in fact, equal. Combat isn't one of them.

[Parmy]

Twenty-plus year ago, the Israelis tried women in combat units. It was a disaster.

First, the sight of women shot up and in pieces(that is what happens when people get shot by combat weapons) was demoralizing to the male members of the unit. To the point that they were only able to field 40% of the available strength of the integrated units because the men wouldn't allow the women to go on missions.

The Israelis still use women in the armed forces, but not for combat.

[xzins]

Didja ever lift a Ranger's pack, weapons, and ammo? Then jump, march, fight, and rescue a buddy with it on?

Not one woman in 10000 could keep up. Maybe 1 in 1000000....and I'm not sure of that.

[arthurus]

Women should be allowed to fight all they want- just not in the military and nowhere near a battle zone where they degrade the force deployed.

[walden]

"If a woman wants to fight, let her fight. Land of the Free, Home of the Brave."

It's amazing to hear someone else express that. My attitude has always been that I wouldn't be willing to send a child of mine to fight a war that I wasn't willing to fight myself, and that I wouldn't be willing to send a son to fight a war that I wasn't willing to send a daughter to fight. As it is, I'm too old for this war at age 42 and my daughters are too young, at 15 and 16 (I have no sons). But, I so much want to help. I was thinking about talking to the recruiters-- if nothing else, I could handle a desk job and free up a younger person, but a friend told me that the desk jobs have mostly been outsourced to civilians, so there is really nothing I can do.

But, if the time comes that one or both of my daughters chooses (or is drafted) to serve-- I will be proud beyond words. Character and love of country are not boundared by gender.

[Unbeliever]

Saying women shouldn't fight is like saying that women shouldnt learn, or show thier face. What are we, the Taliban? If a woman wants to fight, let her fight. Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. What if a free woman wants to be brave and fight for her country? Bad move by the Bush Administration IMHO.

Uh, they really REALLY miss you at democrats.com.

[Unbeliever]

Orion78 member since May 19th, 2001

Why am I not surprised?

[apackof2]

If a woman wants to fight, let her fight.

Since when is a want a right?

Women, physically, emotionally are not designed for combat
I know because I am one
Not to mention the problems arising from men and women living together in close quarters
95% percent of enlisted women don't even desire to go into combat and they should know!

[Don Myers]

"What if a free woman wants to be brave and fight for her country? Bad move by the Bush Administration IMHO."

And you, of course, are female, and are standing in line to join up?

[varon]

What if a free woman wants to be brave and fight for her country?

So what you're saying is that you would be willing to sacrifice the effectiveness of a well oiled killing machine (combat unit) to satisfy the whim of a woman, a "free woman" at that, who wants to express some belligerance, eh?

[ohioman]

If you think that women are equal in combat, then your momma must have wore Army Boots!

[clamper1797]

NO sir ... a woman in combat endangers that unit. A weak or cowardly man does the same. Granted there is the rare exceptional woman but for the most part women can not carry a wounded comrade AND her equipment to a distant LZ. Also men have the instinct to protect women. They do not have that same level of instinct to protect men . In Vietnam, you did not make friends with the new guys (cherries) because you knew that they were the most vulnerable and most likely to get killed. If the new "guy" is a woman the mens instincts will be to protect her at the expense of what they really should be doing ... watching their own a$$. Lastly ... if any romantic complications arise (which they will) , that can and will seriously damage the cohesiveness of any combat unit. That I HAVE seen personally