Interesting: Sec Of Defense Panetta Say's Hillary Clinton 'Inspired' His Women-In-Combat Decision

[Dale Cooper]

Originally Posted by AONE

If Paneta looks at Ms. Clinton as an inspiration so be it. She is a very competent woman. I think she would be a good president as well.

The only thing Hillary is competent at is lying. Well...and screeching.

[Ollie1946]

I have had women in a combat environment in Desert Storm and well within range of enemy weapons. To a person they performed with distinction. There were no separate facilities for them nor did they ask for any. No whining. No crying. Just doing their job. One of my slightest built women, very petite, drove a fuel truck which is essentially driving a bomb. They can do the job.

The underlying problem is being captured. Recall the female doctor captured when her chopper went down in Iraq. Both arms/shoulders busted up. She was "used" a lot by her captors. Risky for anyone, worse for females I think.

Female Air Force pilots have been flying fighter/bomber acft for a long time now. Just not shot down---yet.

In today's environment, pretty much everyone is exposed. Strength is an issue but that will have to be resolved by those in leadership and authority as are all other changes. I still contend there will not be a flood of women signing up for the duty.

[Wapasha]

Originally Posted by Dane_in_LA

Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star (x2), Bronze Star (x2), Purple Heart (x3), to say nothing of the Legion of Honor, Croix de Guerre (France, x2) and Croix de Guerre (Belgium). It's almost as if there are qualities apart from "upper body strength" that can make a distinguished soldier.

Quite apart from the fact that there are of course thousands of female soldiers who can quite easily best the average American male in upper body strength.

Female servicemembers are being killed in the line of duty as it is. They're just not getting the recognition, promotion and career opportunities.

Women do not have the strength and stamina to be front line infantry, it's just that simple.

We had women in the units i have been in, and units i have worked with, where women were excused from washing vehicles, handling hydraulic fluid because they were having sexual relations and the MSDS sheet says "Do not expose contact with the skin if are or may become pregnant." So if they can be excused from certain tasks because of that, what do you think the will do when given a rifle and told to engage in combat??

Most times though, women are excused from performing certain physical tasks because it's just too heavy for them, or they don't have the stamina to perform the task long enough to be safe, even though every single man in the unit can do the task.

Just because women can die in combat like a man, is not a justification for putting them into combat.