[man_in_tx]

I called a “conservative” senator’s local office here in Texas to protest the Obama Admins plans to begin integrating women into the Infantry. The young “Republican” staffer could not get past the “equal rights” meme.

Combat is not about “rights.” Defending our country is not about “rights.” Gaining a spot in our combat units is not a “right.”

Equal right to have your body blown up?

Women in combat is not a sign of greatness. Doubly so, when less than 1% of our population is actually in combat units.

[man_in_tx]

Granted: This brave female KIA was probably a combat medic, who will be surely missed. But, why do we have to expose our women to this? My heart goes out to her family.

Our country can do better, or it used to, at least.

[sargon]

In some cases, such as Lexington/Concord, women fought during the American Revolution. "Even the weamin had firelocks" one British soldier was quoted in a letter home. Guerrilla warfare sometimes produces this situation.

Additionally, during WWII, some of the best snipers in the entire war were Russian women. It's difficult to argue that women cannot perform, and perform quite well, in at least some combat roles.

The fact is, sometimes a woman can have the heart of a warrior. Joan of Arc, Molly Pitcher, the aforementioned female Russian snipers, and other such anomalies sometimes come along during the course of warfare.

I learned long ago to resist overly dogmatic conclusions with respect to women's suitability for combat.

There are undoubtedly some females capable of legitimately outperforming an average (or below average) male infantryman with respect to combat duty.

While it will obviously never be commonplace, I believe that in cases where a female can meet the same criteria that are in place for a male regarding qualification for any military role, they should be permitted to do so.

A warrior is a warrior, and men do not have a monopoly on the occupation, or its practical requirements.

[MSF BU]

Go to a GOP event and try to find a younger male who was man enough to serve in uniform. I can’t speak for Texas, but I can tell you that my experiences in Virginia, New Hampshire and Massachusetts have indicated to me most YR’s don’t have spine enough to serve in any capacity. It’s just anecdotal and I may be wrong, but I don’t think so.

[rabidralph]

Maybe if there were enough men in the service to save these women from having to do this duty. It seems that men are more interested in sitting behind a computer and complaining about stuff.