Just wanted to see you thoughts...Women in combat

[Dennis G]

What do you all think about women in combat

[FallenAngel]

^ what he said...

Women are allowed in US Navy combat units, and I *think* AF ones as well as they are mentally and physically better suited to it.

As for infantry/armor/artillery/etc....there was already a thread on this topic three weeks or so ago. Several pages long. Look it up :)

[SOG]

i smell a trap. that waskely wabbit.

[Dennis G]

Well, I suppose this is about as good a post as any to make my debut. By combat, are you referring to ground, line units? Or would women in a fighter squadron count? Thanks, and sorry for my confusion/specification request. Have a good one. Just some thoughts.

Well when i made the post I quess I was thinking infantry, special forces kinda thing.


Well, I suppose this is about as good a post as any to make my debut

yes/no women in combat

[a. enders]

This is only about the ninetieth time I've seen this topic.But,here goes,again....

If the woman has the same combat abilities as her team,if she doesn't mind "sexist" jokes,if the men can overcome the need to look down on her (not all,but we all know someone who tinks females are inferior at everything,yes?),and if she can carry the heaviest man in the unit out of combat,why not?

[SOG]

yeah, i think if a woman could meet the requirements and not care about the jokes and talk of a unit then sure. and by requirements i dont mean watered down ones for women like in several branches.

but then again im not a soldier and just thinking about it, it would be very wierd till it comes down to fighting. then its all the same as long as the person carries themsleves as good as the next? if it was done i think it would take quite a period of ..... whats the word..... phasing in with it by personell.

also, just in the back of my mind, its not too good (understatment) to see a soldier on iraqi-vision beaten to phuck, the 1st chick in the same chair, broken, bleeding, raped, tortured, would set the public off in a hellstorm. (understatement)

but i vote no for ground combat for now. the integration would be a huge undertaking of accomadation. possibly letting women in slowly so men are used to them might work. like a slow assimilation. then again the ratio would never come close to 1/10 because 1. more men dig military. 2. genetics and natural strength augmented through training men still come naturally out on top. so less women just naturally physically capable and they would always have to work harder to meet the same requirements in most cases.

but what i think is ****. i say its all up to the warriors period and we should have no say in it. its thier brotherhood, society and life. i dont know if coming from the outside and voting on something like that since this isnt flying at 15,000, its much different. it would take one hell of a research and a thoroughly educated panel to vote. public vote on something this serious (unlike the presidency) should not be public and available to any media to bend.

[Ratamacue]

Women may make better pilots, but men are naturally more aggressive and stronger than women. While most women in the military are by no means weak or "princesses," do you think the average female in the military would be able to carry a wounded man with combat gear a reasonable distance? I don't mean to be sexist, but I don't really think so.

Most women, by the time they're NCO's, would have gotten used to and been able to deal with sexist jokes. The problem is that some men may not take orders as seriously from a woman as they would a man. Things get very complicated.

For now, I would leave ground combat to men. Women physiologically don't have the capabilities to be a strong soldier to the standards of the US Military today.

[Phantom]

I think the real problem isn't finding beefcake women, but finding men that can deal with a woman's death, fighting alongside a women, etc. etc.

[oldsoak]

I dont like the idea, not because I dont think women can do the job, but because of the problems men have fighting alongside them. ( I beleive the Israelis came across this and withdrew their women from the front line to training units - where I am told they do their job very well indeed. ) . I think you can open the door to problems you would rather not have. There is a also another side to this as well. If one supports the idea of women being fully integrated into a front line infantry unit with all that that entails, dont complain if your little girl ends up behaving like your best mate. I knew a girl who was "one of the lads" and really capable. She left because her men couldnt take the idea of missed weekends, long periods away from home, pissups with the lads - they wanted someone fluffy and feminine. She was expected to be two different people and she could not do it. So she left and is trying to settle down. Just my 2p
rgds

[Royal]

Why is it that rape is always wheeled out in this argument?

In post WWII conflicts (particularly in the Middle East) many more male PW's than female have been raped. Rape generally speaking is not a ****** thing, it is a power trip.

And before anyone asks, no I can't back this up with open-source info. Sorry.

[Phantom]

this is my final thought on the matter. men are our soldiers, whether women like it or not, they've proven it time and time again, men tend to hold down their emotions, which is a crucial element to remain focused in a battle in my opinion. men can naturally be stronger than women, which makes it easier for them to build themselves up. this is the way things are, it's not that I don't like women or anything, I just think that if it's not broke, don't fix it. Life's not fair, so get used to it, same goes for the army.

[Royal]

Phantom,

When was the last time you were 'in combat', with or without a woman present?

[SOG]

Why is it that rape is always wheeled out in this argument?

1. it wasnt wheeled out. it was presented with many other COMMON things that happen to POW's all of which could happen to a woman. it wasnt given a high chair nor was it emphasized. i see no point in singling out a word in a list of desciptions to point out the obvious "prisoners get raped"?

in todays society everything is magnified when the picture focuses on a woman or child. to see a woman in place of a man in this same position would have a different effect upon people. if your in the military im sure youve been desensitized to the lofy way women are treated in some 3rd world countries but the common 1st world public has not. to think about everything a POW must go through is tremendous therefore multiplied int he case of a woman in the public. such a fiasco would send waves through government and political alliances and sadly could be twisted as a tool for current powers.


Rape generally speaking is not a ****** thing, it is a power trip.

2. thats fine psychology for the rapist but that has nothing to do with the victim aka the POW in which we were talking about?


not to be nosed but i assume you meant my post so i am strongly inclined to respond as you were essentially talking to me?

[ibstolidude]

Across all branches of the military, women carry lighter weights, are given more time to run designated distances, do about half the pushups and do a timed "dead hang" in lieu of pull-ups. The consistent difficulty that women have in throwing a grenade outside of the blast radius, the distance needed to avoid killing themselves, has resulted in the task being made optional. Changes in physical training to focus on "team work" rather than individual effort mask clear gender differences. And a study of 1,000 recruits showed only 15 percent of females meeting the requirements for heavy lifting required of all military occupational specialities. All though there are many other factors to further dissuade agreement to the idea of allowing them, the above clinches it for me.

in my opnion;
in the air, yes.
On the ground, NO.

[Royal]

if your in the military im sure youve been desensitized to the lofy way women are treated in some 3rd world countries but the common 1st world public has not.

I assume that should read in your military? The lofy way? Sorry no comprende. Last time I checked, the UK was in the first world. Or are you telling me otherwise?


not to be nosed but i assume you meant my post so i am strongly inclined to respond as you were essentially talking to me?

??? My answer was not aimed at your post. As has been pointed out, this is not the first time this subject has been aired on this forum.

I was merely stating the fact that in recent conflicts involving both male and female PW's from our countries, statistically the males are more likely to have been raped. Male rape is a subject that society seems unable to handle. Maybe partly because it is very rarely ****** in derivation. We don't like to think that 'our boys' have taken it in the ass.

I've already aired my views on the overall subject, but to reiterate; women flyers okay, women in some front line SF roles (undercover int work in particular) okay, women in front line conventional combat roles not okay. But as your beloved Miss Lynch has proved, there is rarely a deliniated front line in modern combat Ops.

[stuntman]

Here's my chauvinistic view.
They should stay in the kitchen where they belong!
But if they want equal rights like voting and equal pay (WHAT EVA!)then let them fight along side us men. Well we get bored and maybe a little strip show in the middle of a war would be good for moral.

;) woot

[Phantom]

i never said i'd been in combat. i just expressed my opinion based on what I've read. But I agree with the women in the air, not on the ground idea.

[BMF]

hey i dont know about the few other actually military ppl in here, but i know plenty of females who can definetly take care of themselves in the field. personally i'd have no problem whatsoever with a totally co-ed army. the only problem comes in the form of health. females in the field tend to develop infections in several sensitive areas after about 3 days without showering. other'n that i'm all for women in all forms of combat.

drive on

[Phantom]

yeh, periods are a major problem also. aswell as PMT/PMS, basically, it's just going to compromise their concentration and focus, which is a pretty major problem.

[James]

Unit integrity - I think that hits the nail on the head. What if infantry was totally integrated, women meeting the exact same standards as men, and a team leader or squad leader had a crush? Would he send said woman on a patrol, or put her in an observation post? I think that psychology plays a HUGE role in this issue. Some people can handle it - I'd like to think that I could, but it's not something that I've ever experienced. I think that many men might act overly protective.