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Lionesses: Female Soldiers Are Seeing Combat

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GirlFailer
11/05/08

In reply to Lionesses: Female Soldiers Are Seeing Combat
"As a result, more female soldiers than ever before have ended up in combat, often without adequate training"

The training that females are getting is the same training their male counterparts are. Most of the time units that are deploying together, go through the pre-deployment training together. It's not just the women who are unprepared for combat, it's everyone. It's frustrating to hear people saying that WOMEN are unprepared. No one is prepared for that shit.
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MagentaOpel
11/05/08

In reply to Lionesses: Female Soldiers Are Seeing Combat
Why are women prohibited from direct combat? I would never in a million years want to be a front line soldier, but should a solider be prohibited from that because she has a vag? This seems like an accepted form of discrimination and it bothers me that a woman would be prevented from doing something she wants because of gender
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Jeremy
11/05/08

@MagentaOpel: The military is filled with ridiculous rules. Apparently it's like, a jailable, seriously punishable offense to commit adultery in the military. You also can't be friends with people higher up the food chain, even while on leave.

It's just...just...surreal. Though I suppose when you're asking a bunch of teenagers to go kill other teenagers who they've never met, you deal in the surreal.
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ShadowWylde
11/05/08

@MagentaOpel: yes, it is a form of discrimination. this country still puts women on the pedestal of being fragile and needing to be protected.

in israel there are women in their combat forces.
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PeteRR
11/05/08

@MagentaOpel:

The only valid reason that comes to mind is physical, upper body strength. Leg infantry hump 80+ lbs packs on a regular basis.
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Jeremy
11/05/08

@ShadowWylde: And they don't get equal billing there, either. While they can end up on the front lines, it's not common.
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GirlFailer
11/05/08

@PeteRR: I am not attacking you here, but I just wanted to say that that isn't really a valid reason. I knew male Marines who could not hump 80+ lbs. Those males weren't serving in an infantry MOS. I think if a woman can hump her 80+ lbs, WTF shouldn't she be able to serve in an infantry MOS?
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Adah
11/06/08

@MagentaOpel: The chemistry of an infantry unit (or an armored unit, etc.) is a strange, delicate thing. I'm not automatically opposed to women in combat, but I think it's worth thinking long and hard about integrating women into front lines positions, which are often with a small group of aggressive young men, in remote locations. The range of issues is enormous - from increased hygeine needs (You want to go six weeks without a shower, and possibly have two periods during that time?) to the physical ability of a woman to climb to those locations with the amount of required equipment. Then there is the psychological impact on the rest of the unit - from how they will react should the woman be injured, to how they will react if she flirts with them or she rejects their flirtations, to what happens if she should enter a relationship with a member of the small unit, and then that relationship ended. What would she do if she got raped, and there were no close, safe options to turn to? After a couple of months, these issues would start to pile up.

Again, I'm not automatically against women in combat, and the vast majority of men in these units would probably treat the woman with the respect she deserved, as long as she could keep up (the same as they do to men, who get mocked mercilessly if they fall out). But not all men in these units are decent; some are immature, aggresive and not very bright teenagers, who are also much stronger physically than the average woman. When we have a large epidemic of sexual assaults and harrassments in Iraq as it is, with the vast majority of these occurring on major bases, do we really want to start sending women out with the front lines, to camp on top of a mountain for weeks at a time?
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GirlFailer
11/06/08

@Adah: "do we really want to start sending women out with the front lines, to camp on top of a mountain for weeks at a time?"

I think most women in the military (speaking from experience here) understand the conditions of war, as well as the overall personality of her male comrades during war. They deserve to have a choice to camp out on top of a mountain top not have that decision made for them. Some women are physically capable of doing all the things that men can. I am not saying every woman is suited for war, but for goodness sakes thats why there are screening processes (physical, mental) before you are even allowed to join the military. Every serviceperson deserves to live out their military career how they deem fit, regardless of gender.
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sybann
11/05/08

In reply to Lionesses: Female Soldiers Are Seeing Combat
Any time I see soldiers (like the one above) I want like hell to snatch them out of there. She's not old enough to shave.
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BlondeGrlz
11/05/08

In reply to Lionesses: Female Soldiers Are Seeing Combat
I think the amount of training they get depends on what these female soldier's "actual" jobs are. My very best friend is Air Force, and she went through the same boot camp, weapons training and survival school as any man. The AF wanted to prepare her for the possibility that the plane she was on would be attacked or shot down while deployed. But the Air Force doesn't prepare anyone for real ground combat like these women are seeing, so I don't know if the Army handles things differently.
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CreoleSugar
11/05/08

@BlondeGrlz: My friend serving received the same training as male soldiers. My selfish hope is that she does not see combat. But I understand that women are soldiers too and are tasked with jobs that many of us would never want to do.
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returnofthemac
11/05/08

In reply to Lionesses: Female Soldiers Are Seeing Combat
I will say ONE thing. I would much rather go into combat with a few of my hand picked "beeyoches" than anyone else. An armed well trained woman is a dangerous thing!

k that's actually 2 things
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