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Lift of Ban on Women Serving in Combat Brings Mixed ReactionSome say it was a long time coming, others are wondering just exactly what it will meanANCHORAGE - Some would say it was a long time coming, others are wondering just exactly what it will mean. Today the formal ban on women serving in combat was lifted, and in some spots, that was the talk of the town. The Qdoba restaurant in Muldoon is a busy lunch spot, catering to service members from the nearby base. On the menu today, a hot topic: lifting the ban on female fighters in the military. “We don't look at ourselves like females in the army,” said Sergeant Celene Connell, who was enjoying her lunch with a friend. “We've always been told through basic and all of our training that we are soldiers, we're not females.” Now, some are soldiers who want to be considered for some of the toughest jobs in the military. But if women like the idea, what about the men they’ll fight beside? Some women soldiers say they’ve already heard opposition. Specialist Jason Givinski has heard it too, but said a recent attack in Afghanistan changed his mind. “I looked over and I saw someone on a machine gun just pounding this hill. It turns out a few days later we were talking about it and it was her,” said Givinski, pointing to his lunch companion, Specialist Sydney Miles. “I carried a big machine gun all over Afghanistan and it's hard, it’s hard for a female to do something like that,” said Miles. “So I think if they want to be Infantry or they want to go Rangers they are going to have to pass at the same standard as the men.” Miles thinks some women will be up for the job but all of them should be given the opportunity to try. And some already have. Women have been fighting alongside men on recent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, but today’s change would open up hundreds of thousands of new frontline positions. Military leaders are being asked to report by mid-May on how some of these changes might take place. They have until 2015 to fully implement them. |
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Not Likely said on Thursday, Jan 24 at 7:39 PM
"pass at the same standard as the men" Has never been the same standard, but would be nice. How long before they start signing up for selective service too? You go gals, good luck and be safe.
112120831TommyO said on Thursday, Jan 24 at 11:04 PM
Well girls...the next big war and guess what... your drafted for combat - PERIOD! You can thank your local women's movement for fighting for your rights the last forty years!
112128271About time said on Friday, Jan 25 at 12:59 AM
Good for them. Women's rights have finally entered the current century. And when they are POWs and raped and decapitated I don't want to hear any bleeding heart stories. I just want to see how brave they were and are equal. No feel good stories about how lil Timmy misses his mommy and how hard she had it in combat, and how mean the mil is because she had to go 3 times in 2 years. I just want to see news how she didn't get anyone killed and did her job.
112131811Shamrock said on Friday, Jan 25 at 1:02 AM
"Bless 'em all. Bless 'em all..the lean and the short and the tall...there'll be no promotion this side of the ocean so cheer up my lads Bless 'em all"!
112131891ScaryTimes said on Friday, Jan 25 at 2:48 AM
This actually frightens me abit. Sounds like we're falling short on frontline soldiers and may need more to either continue this war or to start a much greater war. Is this a great step forward for women, or a terrible omen?
112134681TedtheBear said on Saturday, Jan 26 at 5:07 PM
From case studies, females can fight with the men but they are more prone to stress, mental fatigue and I hate to say it but emotional outburst. It take a certain type of woman to look a man in an eye and stab him in the guts, not once but many times. It hard enough for a guy to do it. Ever wonder why there are so few female mass murderers or serial killers compared to men?? History tell us that when nation put a women in combat duty, they were in very desperate straits. Manpower shortage, losing the war, needing cannon foddler to stem the tide. In medieval or ancient period, women often fought on walls because they knew their fate if their city fell. Are we at that stage now that our nation are so desperate for combat manpower that we must enlist females???
112258391Mike said on Sunday, Jan 27 at 5:20 PM
All of the services met or exceeded annual recruiting goals last year (at least the articles I've read) so I think it's a great step. Not to mention that males and females all get the same pay and benefits in the military so why not make it an even playing field.
112318921TedtheBear said on Tuesday, Jan 29 at 10:01 AM
At the risk of sounding politically incorrect, I am against woman in combat unless as a last resort. To be frank, men and women are not created equal in all things. Isn't that the reason why there is not a single woman playing in the NFL or NHL or MLB?? Isn't that why you don't have a big guy playing in woman's lacrosse team? Separate women and men foot races, tennis matches and so on? Combat is matter of endurance, physical as well as mental. Strength to endure force marches and that sort of thing. Equality got limitation like all things, combat is one area where equality don't work. (Not to say, there are a very small percentage of women who may be equal to men in this.)
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