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TROOPS

Women Sue to Serve in Ground Combat Units

They say female soldiers are in combat already - though far fewer are killed than men

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by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t

Image: AP

Four female military members, all of whom served in Iraq or Afghanistan, have filed a lawsuit challenging the ban on women in ground combat.

The women want to change the rule because, they say, it prevents women from advancing through the ranks. The lawsuit claims that 238,000 Armed Forces roles are currently closed to women.

One of the women bringing the suit, Marine Corps Capt. Zoe Bedell, said many women are effectively in ground combat already - it's just not acknowledged in their job titles. Yet another of the women proves Bedell's point. Air National Guard Major Mary Jennings Hegar received a Purple Heart for injuries sustained during ground combat, when she exchanged fire on the ground after her helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan in 2009.

Servicemen are killed in combat seven times more often than women, since servicewomen account for 14% of the military but only 2% of the deaths. Around 150 female troops have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since the wars began, according to the NYTimes. That's compared to a total of 6,614 troops of both genders killed in the two wars.

Via the New York Times.
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Should female troops be allowed to serve in ground combat units?

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Comments (view in Forum)

  • o
    Zoe2012
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    Who cares? If they can do the job, let them put themselves in harm's way!

    Walk like a man, talk like a man, walk like a man, my son!
  • CanisCanemEdit
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    I don't like the idea either, but after serving 24 years with multiple trips to the sand I can say that I have served with women that were better fit and better equipped to deal with the horrors of war than some of the men I served with.

    IMO - Combat duty for women should be made availible but IF and only IF that particular woman can pass the same physical requirements that the men pass.

    NO modifications.

    Combat doesn't discriminate based on chromosones.
  • u
    Nemesis3X
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    If it isn't broke, don't try and fix it!!!! As much as it pains me to say this, the Marine Corps gave a couple of women the opportunity to "try out" for a combat MOS and they failed and have had no other volunteers. Women, you're different than men! Get over it! Changing the greatest fighting force in the world for a few "butch" anomalies is utter stupidity!!!!!
  • DerivePI
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    It's not so much that they couldn't do as good a job, it's the change in chemistry. It's difficult enough (should be) for an officer to order a soldier to draw fire and take risks for the unit. To order a female unit into that position would compound the difficulties. Man's role has always been to sacrifice for the woman and family.
  • PayThatCEO
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    @Denizen_Kate

    I'm fine with it. I'm just wondering what the long term effects will be. We have so many men now who are battle-scarred, suffering from TSD, homeless because they are mentally ill from war. Is this something women really want to subject themselves to?

    Were we not such a war-crazy nation I guess I wouldn't think twice about it. But the US can't seem to stay out of war, so the chances of women being placed in combat are a lot higher here than in many other countries.
  • Leatheryman
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    Just watch your average female fire fighter kick a door down.. She can't! These women are privileged with biased training and recruitment criteria, they want the same pay, because they can do the same job. They are wrong. They simply cannot do the same job physically that a man can do and accepting them for any job, where a man could be used to his optimum potential physically is a disservice to the Armed Forces and America as a nation. Accept your limitations and when to stop ladies. It's time you pulled your heads in.
  • Penn1699
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    I must agree with you here. Yes they are put in combat positions by fate not purpose. In general they do not have the physical make up for the job. Question: Are they trying for combat pay here?
  • Denizen_Kate
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    @Penn1699 - I believe the issue, as stated in this article, is the lack of progression through the ranks without those combat positions.
  • Denizen_Kate
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    @Penn1699 - I believe the issue is the lack of avenues to progress through the military ranks without the availability of those ground combat positions.
  • u
    Hireman
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    I have a problem with anyone not being recognized in combat. However, I think if females can handle the EXACT same physical and mental requirements of men for combat, let them go. We need the best out there, always.
  • Penn1699
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    That's the point. They are thrown into combat by fate. When that happens they should be recognized. Women can not meet the physical demands that men can. There is always an exception of course.
  • u
    RobertJHarsh
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    If they want to kill...let them. I am all about equal opportunity. The IDF chicks don't seem to have any problems laying waste to the Palestinians. I have talked with some of them on IRC and they have gotten pretty graphic about it. Of course, I'll omit what they have said since this is a G-rated site. I wonder though if more women got to shoot guns would that help to defeat this anti-gun agenda from the left?
  • Denizen_Kate
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    Chicks? Really? Sigh ... As for more women shooting guns and thereby strengthening support for 2nd amendment rights, you could be on to something. It works for me.:)
  • Keyjo
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    @Denizen_Kate
    Off topic a bit, but why do chicks hate being called "chicks," when dudes don't typically mind being called "dudes?"
  • Keyjo
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    @Denizen_Kate
    But how about, "Stud!?" I mean people are constantly calling me, "Stud!" That refers to an animal, an adult horse. And I don't find that offensive. LOL
    Ah well, to each his own, I guess! LOL
  • u
    S-N-A-F-U
    !
    Yes they should, to satisfy looney political correctness - to make it fair to be killed in equal numbers as their male counterparts, Plus, as a bonus, to be raped too... Isn't liberal warfare exciting, hmmm?
  • u
    S-N-A-F-U
    !
    However,there are extenuating circumstance in a country such as Israel. They have a shortage of manpower in their military to stave off the menacing hordes of A-rabs that surrounds them that want them dead at any cost. It's either women in combat or succumb to these 16th century Neanderthals.....
  • Speedieg
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    Women are just as capable as men, if the women wanting to do this are physically and mentally up to the challenge why should their gender stand in the way? It's a crazy hold over.
  • Mbjhug
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    Everyone should be treated as equals. To say they shouldn't have this or that role based upon the assumed roles they served in the past is quite unintelligent. These are the times NOW, not back in the day. Equality means at every turn.
  • u
    TeresaJ
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    Women don't belong in the military. Our security is not a place to trifle with, and definitely with some non-existent "equality" mumbo-jumbo. It's not just about whether she can do the job (which has been proven over and over she can't), it's about menstruation, pregnancy, rape, unity, and strength in the ranks.

    Do you think the enemy really cares if we have PC running our troops? "Thank you kindly for giving us the edge over you." Do you think they care that woman are "equal" and should be treated like a male POW? No they don't.

    Woman do not belong there, and enough people in the military need to get a backbone to not only say so, but demand the PC to take a walk.
  • u
    Yatasaurus
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    Man or woman, the best person should get the job, not some arbitrary percentage contrived upon someones idea of fairness. We should put the best team on the field.
  • u
    JtoZ
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    No. Ground combat is much more than shooting at an enemy. If you don't know then don't be mad that they don't allow them.
  • Thegrif
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    Not a smart idea. I totally agree that women can be trained as men and complete missions as men do, but there is the basic instint of man to consider. Men in the unit may be put in situations of duty to complete mission or alter mission to protect or save a women. Even though men and women both assume the risk, at the end of the day most men would alter plans for a female member, possibly endanger lives or die for no reason other than it is a women.
    Not being sexest here just keepin it real.
  • Thegrif
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    @woodtick57 point was we don't compremise the unit for one man, but we (men) are much more likely to do so for a woman
  • 4moreyears
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    Agreed.....
    If women want to be put in harms way, I feel that's totally up to them. There are physiological differences between men and women. If I am in the line of fire, would I want a man fighting next to me, or a woman? Now that's not to say that this is the case every time. But for the most part, men are stronger than women. And if you dont know my answer to the previous question, my answer is that I want a guy fighting next to me.

    What if I am wounded and cant walk? Can a woman carry me just as easily as a guy would?
  • Denizen_Kate
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    I understand the need men feel, on a basic biological level, to defend females, but isn't this a little like saying that black people should not be in positions of power because we just aren't ready for it yet? I think if she wants to fight and can pass the physical tests, let her fight, and let the guys get used to it. They will, you know. We humans are endlessly adaptable.

  • View all 9 replies >

  • DogLady_1
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    @Denizen_Kate - It would be the logical next step, wouldnt it? If women want total equality in the military, they must be willing to sign 18 year old females up for selective service...
  • Keyjo
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    I absolutely think that females should be required to sign up for selective service. I have always believed that they should. Even if they don't serve in combat roles, women have for decades served proudly and competently. And if families are asked to sacrifice their sons, and young men are asked to sacrifice their lives, then in a nation of equality, the same for women.
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