Men And Women Male Counterparts Essay - 1,133 words

... bat billets argue that it is too dangerous to put women in the position of becoming prisoners of war. Without a doubt, there is a much greater probability for acts of sexual molestation and rape with the addition of women to the front lines. Although they were technically in support roles, two female U. S. soldiers were taken captive and the Iraqis in the Gulf War sexually abused one.


This situation made those who were already skeptical about putting women in such a compromising position further question whether women should be subjected to the horrors of combat. Many, however, argue that adult women who make the decision to join the military are aware of the consequences (Minerva, Spring 1994). Show me a woman in the military who desires a position that would require direct combat involvement, and I will show you a women who falls under the dont ask dont tell policy. I am not typecasting, however, in my twenty-years in the military I have not met a straight female soldier desiring front line combat duty. I asked SGT Monique Roddie, a Logistics Specialist, what her feelings were on Women in Combat.


She stated the following: Women in combat roles should not be considered because of personal hygiene issues, you cannot expect a women to go to the field during Menstruation and provide the support to her fellow soldiers that they should and do expect. It is impossible for a woman to know exactly when an accident may occur and that would eliminate any chance of a seamless whole. Another argument against women in combat is that they simply do not have the physical strength and endurance needed. Without a doubt, being in the military is a physically demanding job that not everyone is fit to handle. Despite this, all experts agree that there are some women, although perhaps small in numbers, who have the physical strength and endurance to be soldiers (Army Times, July 29, 1996). Concerning combat aviation some question whether women can handle the gravitational forces of an aircraft, but there is absolutely no evidence that says they cannot.


It is interesting to note that everyone, including women, believe the physical standards for military occupational specialties (MOS) should be identical for both men and women. Currently, all members of the armed services must pass a semi-annual physical fitness test, which is scaled according to age and gender. There are no current tests that specifically measure the physical skills required for each military occupational specialty (MOS) -- the only way to test this is have the soldiers simply go out and perform their task. The goal is to create these gender-blind specific tests that more accurately predict a soldier's success in combat. Another argument used to keep women out of combat billets is that they would disrupt the cohesive unit and undermine the esprit de corps. The effectiveness of the military hinges on cohesion -- every member must completely trust and respect one another.


Many argue men would not be able to trust women to be capable of accomplishing the physical demands of combat, which could lead to serious problems. In order to maintain cohesion, experts agree that all members of the military must be treat ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: gulf war, physical strength, male counterparts, men and women, front lines

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