Monday, February 2, 2009
Women serving in combat roles?
A bit of a scattered monologue- just writing while i think-My first question related to this topic is- Why... you want to be in a combat role in the first place? Mind you i dont mind the idea of women in combat situations- i would have much preferred it if a woman was drafted in place of my uncle(who i guess was a pretty amazing guy) in the Vietnam war. I might have actually gotten a chance to meet him apart from just hearing the stories of mischief him and my dad would get into when they were kids. The only reason this topic frustrates me is that people(well women in particular) seem to gravitate to the INCORRECT assumption that an AVERAGE women can compare to an AVERAGE man when it comes to anything extremely physically demanding- i.e. they might be able to do it- even do it well- but they will not be able to be as efficient as a man in the same situation if they have both had the same training, knowledge, fitness ect...This is not my opinion.... this is not a theory.... its a biological fact that an AVERAGE man has a higher muscle to fat ratio then an AVERAGE women- this also applies to both extremely fit men and women and non-fit men and women. Why does basic training (unless something has changed in the last month or so) have different personal fitness tests for women and men if they are both capable of the same level of fitness....? For an example... say the level of fitness squat lift for a man is idk 250 lbs.... and for a women its 200 lbs.... if i weigh 185 lbs and am wearing a backpack that weighs 50-65 more lbs would i want there to be a women right next to me that has to try to carry me to safety when i just got kneecapped or a man? Put yourself in that situation and the answer is obvious. I'm not saying a situation like this occurs often- all im saying is that as it is now having all men units reduce the POSSIBILITY of an "accident" that can happen from direct result of someone not measuring up fitness/strength wise in a combat situation. This of course applies to all physically demanding jobs firefighters, policemen, emts, ect... If i was a 400 lb guy in a car accident, I would prefer it if 2 men stepped out of the ambulance to try to lift me onto a stretcher compared to two women. I urge you to remember i am not AGAINST women serving in combat or any of the other jobs i mentioned, it just seems downright irresponsible to allow them too.... unless they take steriods. Ummm... yea i think im probably deep enough now.... Thoughts, opinions, apethetic murmurs, death-threats all accepted.
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I can see your point of view.
ReplyDeleteI personally have no desire nor will I ever have the desire to be in combat or carry any heavy equipment. I admire the women that are that strong and sucessful in the military.
I think for SOME women, not ALL women it is a status of pride; to show themself and others that they are not weak. It can be a way of a woman liberating herself and showing that she can be just as good as a man if not better. For some women it is a way of them breaking the rules of status of what a woman is suppose to be; feminine, gentle, homemaker.
My cousin was in the guards and she will be the first to say that it was very difficult for her. She called home many times crying to her Mom and wanting to come home from training; but her Mom wouldn't let her and in the end she thanks her for that, because it made her a very strong person, of course physically but most of all emotionally. Also by her being in the Guards she got a great education and became a very successful nurse.
That is just my thoughts on the subject.
http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Mankato-Minnesota.html
ReplyDeleteCheck this site out. it has a lot of interesting stats for the mankato area for all different types of households.
i do see your point of view... but if we start saying that women can't be firefighters, emts, or in combat, then we are going to end up banning women from other jobs where they might not "measure up". and i really don't think that men would ever let it get to the point where they (men) were banned from any occupations. so i think that women being able to serve has alot to do with equality. and think about it... in a time of need, and with her adrenalin pumping, i'm sure a women (a trained women) would be able to lift an extra 50 pounds.
ReplyDeleteand this next statement is totally contridicting everything i just said, but as far as the government drafting a women instead of your uncle, what if that women had been your mom, then you wouldn't even be here.
i don't know just random thoughts.
I support all women who are in front line or want to be in front line. I do not think all women want to do it or are able to do it just as there are men who want to do it and are able. I know if I was doing that I would probably run in a corner and cry. That is serious and scarey stuff. I support everyone serving for our country and if I had to I would do it, but there is no way I would want to be front line.
ReplyDeleteI agree when you say the average woman doesn't 'stand up' compared to the average man, and thats straight up genitics. The women who are serving usually are training for this lifestyle for most of their lives and are the hybrid women in a sense.
ReplyDeleteWomen SHOULD have the right to decide if they so fit the standards, but the standards should not be lowered. Would I want to serve ever?..NO would I want any of the women I know serving, definatly not. I think the whole situation is glorified by the GI Jane complex.
I believe that women should be able to be at the front of the line in combat. Because there are women and men out there that are devoted to that. I personally say that women if they put their heart in soul into this for their country that they could be there. They would not have them in the army if they knew that they couldn't do it. Many women get the typical stay at home mom, well there are those women out there that can do “manly jobs”. So I do think that if people do put everything they got into it women can be just as hard workers as the men in combat. Yes women cannot lift as much weight as a man but they can come close.
ReplyDeleteI agree with erica, that women should be allowed to fight in combat along side men if they choose to. I dont think it should be something that they should be ever FORCED to do though. If a woman is physically fit enough to handle the job then there is no reason that she should not be allowed to, but I also feel that not just any women should be allowed to serve in the front line, that she would be mentally and physically qualified.
ReplyDeleteI agree that yes the average man, by nature, is stronger and faster than the average woman but there are some women who are stronger than men. I think that the fitness tests should be the same in the army because then people are not judged by their sex. If there were the same standards this would keep not only the women who are not physically equipped out of the service but also the men who are not. The standards for fitness should be the same no matter what sex.
ReplyDeletei would never want to fight in combat i dont think i could kill anybody unless they hurt someone i love or hurt a child. so i dont think i would be any good in combat but i think if a women wanted to why not letter if she has gone through all the training that the men have and is capable of it then she should defently have that option! but i dont think women should be drafed i dont think anyone should be drafted really the only people that should be able to fight in combat should be the ones that choice to!
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