On Wednesday, military officials announced that the United States will formally lift the ban on women serving in front line combat. Women have served in hostile combat before, but this announcement tears down another societal military barrier, especially following the Pentagon's decision to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and allow openly gay people to serve in the military. According to the article, 84 women have died in combat in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 11 years, accounting for two percent of all casualties. A few countries have allowed women to serve on the front lines, such as Canada and Israel, but the need for women to fill these roles is apparently marginal.
I feel that if women do well in their training exercises and perform well in all the categories their superiors will be comparing them to other soldiers, then they should be allowed to fight in more hostile, combat situations, provided they want to. I think more monumental changes like this and the scrapping of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will continue to open up job opportunities and break down discriminatory boundaries. How do you feel about the Pentagon's most recent announcement?
You said that they should be allowed to be in more intense combat "if they want to." I don't think that's what you meant but they are in the military, if they (the women) are the among the best in their training I would expect them to be on the front lines. The way you phrased it made it seem as though women could ask not to be on the front lines; while that concern is warranted, if they didn't want to be there then why did they enlist?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Pentagon has made the right choice by giving women the choice in the matter and putting, but also by holding them to the same standards of any soldier. The women have to train with the same expectancies as the men, and if they can do that they should be in the military for combat. The bottom line is that women are becoming, and they are allowed to be, more involved in this nation’s military, and that’s great.
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