Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military
From: sylvain@udcps3.cps.udayton.edu (Nicholas Sylvain)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Soldiers cry off mission
Keywords: female troops
Message-ID: <13766@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 6 Feb 90 03:42:34 GMT
References: <13421@cbnews.ATT.COM> <13491@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: University of Dayton Computer Science Department, Dayton, Ohio
Lines: 46
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: sylvain@udcps3.cps.udayton.edu (Nicholas Sylvain)
>In article <13491@cbnews.ATT.COM> gross@dg-rtp.dg.com (Gene Gross) writes:
>>In article <13421@cbnews.ATT.COM> djh@tcom.stc.co.uk (David Homon) writes:
>>
>>Sunday newspaper report:  Two female American soldiers
>>who refused to drive into downtown Panama City at the peak
>>of the U.S. invasion could face charges.
>>  The women "feared for their lives", defence sources said,
>>  adding: "Tears were involved". The missin was to ferry
>>  troops into the sniper-filled city on the first day of
>>  the invasion.
>
>I have given a great deal of thought to women in combat and have to say
>that I do believe that there are many who could be excellent combat
>soldiers.  I'm not sure that this will happen in my lifetime, but one
>day we will field co-ed units.  This has been done in other countries.

A recent article in the Washington Times that noted Israel initially used
women in combat units, but abandoned the practice in 1948 after it was
learned that Arabs fought harder against women to avoid losing face.

How do you take into account fundamental physical differences? Do you 
allow double standards for physical requirements? With 10-15% of women
in the services pregant at any given time, how do you handle that situation?

You state that modern warfare has eliminated the significance of these
(or any other) differences. How so?

>While we are on the topic of women fighting in Panama, I find it hard to
>believe that the ones who did engage in fighting will not receive the
>CIB.  The men who fought are getting theirs, why shouldn't the women?

All of the women were Military Police, and not Infantry. According to Army
regulations, only combat soldiers (infantry) can get the CIB. So none of 
the MPs, male as well as female, will get the CIB. They will be given the
permission to switch their unit patches from one shoulder to another
(I forget the exact positionings), which is a sign of combat experience.
(Or something like that).

-- 
"If you want to play the game, you better know the rules."
                          -- Inspector Harry Callahan (_The Dead Pool_)

Nicholas Sylvain     sylvain@udcps2.cps.udayton.edu or sylvain$n@dayton.bitnet