As a woman in the military, I was always fighting the stereotypes. I saw the combat exclusion rule as institutionalized sexism. At one point, as a reservist engineer, I was offered a promotion. I accepted, but then was told that it was a mistake, because the company offering the promotion was a combat engineer company. I had to wait for a non-combat opening before I could be promoted.

I have also been in combat in Afghanistan, and performed as well or better than the men. I just wasn't allowed in a combat specialty.

Now the ban has finally been lifted. It almost makes me want to get back in the military.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/us/politics/formally-lifting-a-combat-ban-military-chiefs-stress-equal-opportunity.html?_r=0

I read your post from the other thread. Very very impressive and thank you for your service. I have a son in the USMC. He is in the infantry in a Weapons Co. He has been in heavy combat situations. I asked his opinion yesterday about it.

I don't think the problem is sexism, but rather sex. You get these young 20 year old guys out there, w/o females for days on end. Don't you think "focus" or rather "lack of focus." If you have an attractive athletic private in the same fox hole, and 2 or 3 guys who are attracted to her - don't you think their minds would wander? Competetion? Jealosy? What about milatary wives? I heard a "major" on the radio today talking about how Europe is so much more progressive than the US. I don't wonder if it's the US though, that is more progressive and in tune (well, that is before the ban was lifted).

Yeah, the young guys are going to be thinking about sex, there's no getting past that. If it's not the female soldiers they're looking at, it would be the nurses, the local girls - or in the Navy, maybe the other males.(j/k) It's not an issue of distracting them, it's just a matter of what they focus their attention on.
Competition isn't necessarily such a bad thing. If the guys are competing over a female, and suddenly notice that she's doing better than they are, that might get them to focus on their training even more.
As for jealousy, the military wives just need to get over it. Men are working with women in the civilian world. Do we ban secretaries because the businessman's wife might be jealous?
My sister is a military spouse, and her husband works with women. She's never thought twice about it, because she trusts him.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2013 11:45AM by Naomi.

Naomi makes a good point about military wives needing to get over being jealous. I am myself an Army wife and I have seen how some of the spouses behave, especially when they're living on an installation. When my husband and I lived in Germany, a bunch of wives were all upset because an Italian woman who was married to a sergeant had made a sexy calendar and wanted to sell it in AAFES. It was kind of embarrassing to read all the comments by the wives who were upset about it. Personally, I trust my husband and never worry about him screwing around. But I know I'm not necessarily representing the norm.

Attractive people are everywhere in the real world. People who are adults have to learn how to control themselves. I don't think sex is a reason to segregate men and women in combat. I've known several female officers who were not people I would want to get on the wrong side of.

I never had the opportunity to serve in the armed forces, but I have always been fascinated by it. I have lots of friends in the military. Yes, having women in the military means that there is going to be sex in the units. This is already going on in the non-combat units, and most of the troops involved are being real careful in order to not get pregnant, and this has actually had several positives.

First, prostitution around military bases in combat zones has gone down from what it has been historically, though there are some military women who go into business for themselves. This has led to improved base security, better relations with locals who often resent the prostitution problems of foreign armies, and a decrease in STDs (though this is still an ongoing challenge).

The second positive, is that it has decreased the number of war brides. Marrying a local girl is not necessary a bad thing, but there has always been something of a problem after wars with ten or hundreds of thousands of marriages to girls with very few skills needed to function in western society, that then go bad after a few years ending in divorce. Again nothing wrong with people of mixed races or backgrounds getting together, but it takes a special kind of person to overcome cultural differences, and not all young people have that maturity.

First....thank you for your service to our country. That is a little fact that CANNOT ever be taken from you, no matter what MOS you were assigned to. O.K,, I was never in the military and my birthdate sort of fell in some little crack as I was born approximately six weeks or so before the manditory sign up for selective service.

I do not begrudge anyone that wants to be able to change their MOS (Military Occupation Speciality for those who never served) to increase their promotional opportunity.

I think the change is a good one and have never served, though I've been involved with the British Army for 8 years. With all that said, what do you, Naomi, think of the emotional argument, i.e. that guys are more likely to risk themselves in battle for an injured female/will be more affected by a female colleague dying?

They don't already risk themselves for injured male soldiers? Did you ever see the movie "Black Hawk Down" and what they went through to get to their buddies? I think when the bullets are flying, and people you know and work with are bleeding, their sex, and your personal feelings about them go out the window, and you just do what you have to do.

Of course soldiers are going to risk themselves for their buddies and will be affected when members of their squad are injured or killed. Gender has nothing to do with it.
FWIW, I had buddies who said they would prefer to have me next to them in combat. There are many amazing individuals in the military, male and female. I've also seen plenty of male soldiers who don't have what it takes. Hiding in the turret when shot at, instead of returning fire. All the training in the world can't cure cowardice. So, not all soldiers will fight to protect their buddies - but all good soldiers will.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2013 01:07PM by Naomi.

People love to talk about why women shouldn't be in combat. But it no longer matters. Because women are finally being given a chance. And even though it won't be me, there will be women who will prove that they have what it takes, and nothing will stop them now.

Naomi, thanks for keeping the rest of us safe.

And thank you for bringing me up to speed on the realities of the modern battlefield.

My perspective is peacetime Navy 36 years ago.