Alexandria Taylor Esquivel
Professor E. Perez Romero
Philosophy 8
4 June 2014
Should Women Serve in Combat?
Whether women should serve in combat has been up for debate for many years. Feminist and equal rights activists argue that women should be allowed to serve in combat, but there are many military and government officials as well as American citizens who feel differently (America’s Military 1).
Some argue that women should not be allowed to serve in combat, although women have served during wartime in roles that have exposed them to combat, death, and capture since the American Revolution (Women’s Memorial: Casualty 1-3; Women’s Memorial: POW’s 1-2).
Women have been serving in combat for years and are capable of doing so without affecting the cohesiveness or combat readiness of the units in which they serve.
Women performed duties of nurses, cooks, and even spies on the battlefield during the American Revolution. They even dressed up like men and served on the front line during the Revolutionary War and Civil War (Adeboyejo 7).
Only after Deborah Sampson became ill and became hospitalized was it revealed that she was a woman. She served for three years as Robert Shutliff with the 4th Massachusetts Regiment before being discovered (Blankenship 12).
Over the years, women’s jobs in the military have changed. They now serve in more significant roles such as guards, truck drivers, machine gun operators, pilots and crew members of jets and helicopters, all of which put them in combat zones although these jobs are considered combat support (Campbell 44).
The Essay on Women in Combat 4
From Kelly Flinn to G.I. Jane, controversy has raged in recent months over whether women are fit for military service (Brown 326). In the articles Women Unfit for Combat? Au Contraire! and Women are not a Warrior Class, both authors convey their thoughts on women in combat. Both authors give many reasons why or why not women should be allowed to fight in combat. Timothy Brown, the author of Women ...
On October 1, 1994, the defense department opened up more jobs for women. They emphasized that no job will be closed to women just because it is dangerous, but their policy falls short of giving women jobs involving direct ground combat (Women 2).
The definition of combat involves operating offensive, line-of-sight weapons, in addition to all positions involving ground fighting and direct combat. Direct combat is further acknowledged as that which takes place while closing with an enemy by fire, maneuver, and shock action to destroy or capture him while repelling his assault by fire or counter attack (Trainor 60).
Identifying front lines is not an easy task in today’s modern battlefield. The lines become blurred when women in combat support roles are sent closer and closer to the front lines and are actually exposed to ground combat. Support roles actually put female soldiers in combat areas. If a female flight surgeon on an Apache helicopter is shot down it would be impossible for her to avoid the combat zone. In Desert Storm, scud missiles were launched deep behind front lines where there were many women soldiers (Campbell 43-44).
One such missile landed in a military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia far behind front lines resulting in three women being killed (Womens Memorial: Casualty 2).
When a woman is put in the position of being hit by a scud missile or having her helicopter shot down, it seems that she surely meets the definition of serving in combat. Although the military does not acknowledge that women serve in combat roles, they have throughout history and have shown to be capable of handling the job. It does not seem fair for the military to enforce the combat exclusion rule when jobs that they are allowing women put them in a position of being in combat. If a woman is capable of serving in combat support roles that may put them in actual combat then she is capable of serving in the actual combat role.
The military has always been concerned about women being captured by the enemy during wartime. They worry that it would cause problems with the moral of the citizens back home (Campbell 46).
The Essay on Women In The Military 4
... exposure to direct combat, hostile fire, or capture” and the restriction that replaced it just prohibited women from “direct ground combat.” As time progressed ... military however there are still restrictions today that bind them to certain duties. Women are not allowed to fight in the front line ... Women roles within the military have been a topic for discussion or a debatable topic ...
Although it is not a widely known fact, women have been held as prisoners of war as far back as the Civil War when the Confederates held Doctor Mary Edward serving with the 52nd Ohio Volunteers with the Union Army for four months. Since that time, there have been eighty-seven women held as prisoners of war in World War II, two in Operation Desert Storm, and two during Operation Iraqi Freedom (Women’s Memorial: Casualty 1-3).
So it seems strange for our nation to act surprised when Soshannna Johnson and Jessica Lynch, who both served in combat support units were captured during Operation Iraqi Freedom (Blankenship 14).
As an American citizen, I was just as appalled that there were men captured by the Iraqi’s during Operation Iraqi Freedom, as I was that there were women that were captured. No matter what gender is being held captive, both are still subject to the same atrocities of being a prisoner of war such as starvation, deprivation, psychological and physical torture, and possible rape. Some opposed to women in combat argue that direct combat will put women in positions of becoming prisoners of war. Without a doubt there is much greater probability of acts of sexual molestation and rape with the addition of women on the front line (Women 2).
Is it not possible that men could be sexually molested or raped also? Rape of a male is less likely, but it is still possible. The fear of women being raped in captivity should not be a reason for excluding women from direct combat roles. Major Rhonda Cornum, POW during Operation Iraqi Freedom, states most women in the military recognize that they are engaged in a high-risk occupation, and accept that there is a small but real risk of death and capture (Richard 7).
She was sexually molested while in captivity (Campbell 48).
She is a perfect example of a woman’s ability to cope with capture. Lori Manning, director of Women in the Military Project at the Women’s Research and Education Institute in Washington, D.C. cites the women in the 507 Maintenance that were captured in Operation Iraqi Freedom as examples of bravery (Adeboyejo 7).
Capture by enemy forces is an event that every man and woman serving in the military fears, but it has been shown that women are as capable of handling the stress of captivity as men are.
The Essay on Canadian Women and the Second World War
The changing roles of women throughout history has been drastic, and none more so than the period during and after World War II. The irrevocable changes that occurred once the war started and women went to work were unprecedented. In the end, the changing role of Canada’s women during the War was the beginning of a chain reaction of events that have forever changed the Canadian workplace and also ...
Another issue concerning women in combat is the question of whether or not they have the physical strength needed. We all are aware of the physical conditioning required to complete basic training. It is depicted in movies as being grueling and makes or breaks a soldier. I believe that if women are given the proper training such as at the Parris Island Marine Training Facility, where basic training for men and women is identical, they would be able to obtain the physical requirements needed for combat (Edwards 1).
It is hard to imagine that all men entering basic training courses in the military meet the demanding physical requirements at the start. Not all women would meet the physical requirements either, and that is what the training is for. If men can achieve strength through training, then so can women (America’s Military 1).
Major Rhonda Cornum decided that she wanted to attend a training course to earn the expert field medical badge. At the end of the training, she was required to carry a heavy backpack for a twelve-mile march in less than three hours. Of the sixty people beginning the course, only eight survived to graduate, and she was the only woman (Cornum 95-96).
Some men are stronger than other men and some women are stronger than other women. It is even possible like in the case of Rhonda Cornum; there could be women stronger than some men. Strength and stamina are needed for certain jobs and in others it has no bearing. Men and women should be allowed to compete for the same jobs with the most qualified person, male or female, being given the job opportunity.
Many feel that pregnancy of female soldiers directly effects combat readiness (Women 2).
Women were not allowed to serve during the Gulf War if they were pregnant. After deployment to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm, many women were sent home after learning of their pregnancies. It was thought that this caused a reduction in forces that would directly affect the unit’ s combat readiness (Trainor 60).
Pregnancy of women is not the only factor involved in combat readiness so it should not be considered when deciding if women should serve in combat roles. Actually, I would imagine that for many other reasons such as illness and family problems, men would be considered to be non-deployable which also affects combat readiness. Women on the average spend a mere one fewer hours per month at work than male counterparts. When one excludes pregnancy leave, women have a lower rate of loss time at work than their male counterparts (Women 2).
The Essay on Women In Combat Men Military Male
Women in Front Line Combat When it comes to combat assignments and the needs of the military, men take precedence over all other considerations, including career prospects of female service members. Female military members have been encouraged to pursue opportunities and career enhancement within the armed forces, which limit them only to the needs and good of the service due to women being not as ...
This demonstrates that pregnancy is less of a factor in combat readiness than some would have us believe. One way to resolve the issue would be to require certain methods of birth control to single, young women who are at the highest risk of becoming pregnant during deployment (Richard 7).
Education and family planning services should be required also. This would reduce the pregnancy rate for deployed females and would ensure combat readiness. If this idea was to be enforced, then pregnancy no longer remains an issue against women in combat.
Some believe that even a few women in a battalion would adversely affect the cohesion of the group (Trainor 60).
In order to obtain cohesion, experts agree that all members of the military must be treated equally. A standard must be maintained to make every member feel as if he/she is part of one single unit, not separated by gender. Some feel that it would be difficult for men to trust women in combat (Women 2).
Others argue that cohesion among a military unit is much more involved than whether or not the gender is male or female. Major Rhonda Cornum states, It’s much deeper than that. Going to war with a unit, risking your life with them, builds an intimate and intense relationship. The soldiers don’t all have to be men for that to happen. As long as you are doing your job, whether you are a man or woman should not be an issue (Cornum 68).
Major Cornum was on maneuvers with her assigned platoon while in airborne school at Fort Benning and did not do particularly well on a task. She was reprimanded by her instructor and ordered to do pushups. As soon as she hit the ground, her entire platoon joined her (Cornum 98).
The Essay on Should Women Participate in Military Combat?
Should Women Participate in Military Combat? Boykin, J. (2013). Women in combat a dangerous experiment. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition. cnn. com/2013/01/25/opinion/boykin-women-in-combat Boykin explains combats including both sexes will not only bring a huge burden on combat officers but also bring sexual tension between both male and female in a dangerous environment. The author however ...
She had earned their respect and therefore created cohesion among her unit. Proof that cohesion and unit bonding can take place is shown in the Officer Evaluation Report issued for Major Rhonda Cornum for her service in Desert Storm until her helicopter was downed by hostile fire. Lieutenant Colonel Bryan stated,
Outstanding performance in combat. Rhonda Cornum is the finest aviation medical officer in the Army. She is a tough, no-nonsense officer who has demonstrated magnificent technical skill combined with outstanding leadership. Rhonda had the most profound impact on the combat effectiveness of my battalion. Rhonda Cornum makes things happen. People follow her anywhere. She goes where soldiers need her. A true ultimate warrior.
Another example of developing cohesion is participating in war games. This helps men to become accustomed to having women at their sides during combat and learning to depend on them for survival. It fosters teamwork among men and women and creates cohesion (Cornum 94-95).
Men have a difficult time getting past the idea that they are known as the warriors in society and are expected to be the ones to fight (Trainor 60).
Society trains us as we are growing up that men are the aggressors and that women do not fight. Men need to accept that some women are willing to fight beside them and are capable of performing the task. Men in the military could actually accomplish more working with women instead of working against them. The issue of women serving in combat is not going to go away because there are about one-hundred and forty-thousand women in today’s military representing a total of fifteen percent of active duty personnel (Blankenship 12).
These women are needed to serve in the vital roles in non-combat and combat positions. Women have proven that given the opportunity, they are capable of performing well in combat and that they can actually contribute to the cohesiveness and combat readiness of their units.
Yet the real question has never been whether women can fight, although finding capable women for all-volunteer forces would be a monumental waste of money, given that so few women can, and that the military does not need women in combat roles. “Rather, the question is whether women should. That’s how former Marine Col. Ron Ray, a Silver Star recipient who served on the commission in 1992, put it.
The Essay on Women And Men Communicate Differently
Women and Men Communicate Differently The process of neo-Liberal dogmas, such as celebration of diversity and elimination of sexism, being showed up peoples throats, brought about a situation, when employment policies correspond less and less to the objective reality of interaction between genders at workplace. Men and women are expected to execute their professional duties with the same ...
“How will the military train men and women for combat? If standards change — meaning they are lowered — military preparedness, unit cohesion, and morale will suffer. If the standards are the same, women will fail. As well, sex-segregated training can no longer be allowed. Women will have to grapple with men in training with such implements as pugil sticks. That means a young man whose mother has taught him, as mothers have often taught sons, never to strike a woman, must become inured to harming women without compunction. Granted, some men have already become inured to it, thanks to our culture of violence and mayhem. But most haven’t, and they, ultimately, must learn to watch women die while doing nothing to help them. A man will be told he may not sacrifice his mission by responding to his natural and maternally reinforced instinct to protect women. But regardless of what they are told, many men will sacrifice the mission and even their own lives trying to assist the women” (American).
How will the military accommodate women in combat operations? Will women with debilitating menstrual periods be shipped out of a combat zone? Then there’s pregnancy. As Elaine Donnelly, president of CMR, has noted, during the 1990s about 15 percent of military women were nondeployable because of pregnancy. Another snapshot came from the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier. She reported, 45 of 300 women did not deploy or complete the cruise due to impending childbirth. Eleven of the 45 were flown off the ship while underway. If men want to get out of their combat tour, it is nigh unto impossible unless they complete their tour or get injured. Women need only to become pregnant.
The military must grab the nettle of simple modesty and decency in the field, along with feminine hygiene, which doesn’t much bother the radical egalitarians, but might well bother a young man or woman raised in a Christian household. Women in the field will be a particular problem if two men in the unit are competing for her attention or sexual favors, a problem that leadership will not solve, despite what the supporters of women in combat told the commission 20 years ago. As well, married men and women will be deployed for long periods of time away from husbands and wives, which will put the deployed spouses in captive and nearly irresistible situations of temptation to adultery. This, of course, happens now.
Yet even these matters are in some sense still practical. So again, the real question is moral: Should women serve in combat? If not, why not? The answer is that assigning women to combat is a moral outrage. Assigning women to combat is egalitarianism of a different order than permitting them to be doctors, lawyers, and journalists. Assigning women to combat is a radical attack on the natural complementarity of the sexes; that is, that God created men and women differently for a good reason, that one sex can do things for which nature has not prepared the other.
Petrino noted that none of the military women she knew were pushing for combat assignments. Twenty years ago, the commission learned that the most hardened combat vets, almost to a man, strongly opposed opening combat roles to women. There’s a reason for that: It’s dangerous for the women, the men around them, the military, and the country.
Works Cited
Adeboyejo, Betsy. Women in the Military Face Increasing Opportunity and Risk. Crisis. May/June 2003: 7-8.
America’s Military. MonsterPapers.com. 2 Apr 2004 < ;
Blakenship, Janie. Women Change Face of Military. VFW, Veterans of Foreign Wars Magazine (March 2004): 12-17. Galileo. 14 March 2004 < http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&sid=1&srchmode=1&vinst=PROD&fmt=4&st… >
Campbell, Geoffrey A. The Persian Gulf War: Life of an American Soldier. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2001.
Cornum, Rhonda. She Went to War. Novato: Presidio Press, 1992.
Edwards, Bob. Women in the Military Part 4. Morning Edition. 15 May 1997. Transcript. 14 March 2004. < http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=18&sid=2&srchmode=1&vinst=PROD&fmt=3&s…>
Richard, Diane. POW Catch-22: Is the Risk of Rape Worth Keeping Women From the Front Line? Contemporary Sexuality July 2003: 7.
Trainor, Bernard E. Women in the Military. Marine Corps Gazette (November 1997): 60-64. Galileo. 14 March 2004 http://proquest.umi.com…
Women in the Military: Combat Roles Considered. World Eagle (May 1999): 9-11. Galileo. Document ID 41225359. 14 Mar 2004 < http://proquest.umi.com… >
Women’s Memorial: Casualty Figures. Women in the Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, Inc. 23 Mar 2004 < http://womensmemorial.org/historyandcollections/history/Irnmreqacasualty.html>
Women’s Memorial: POW’s. Women in the Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, Inc. 23 Mar 2004 < http://womensmemorial.org/historyandcollections/history/Irnmreqapow/html>
“Women in Combat: War for and Against Women.” Women in Combat: War for and Against Women. N.p., 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 01 June 2014. <http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/item/15012-women-in-combat-war-for-and-against-women>.
