Note: look up what Deborah tells Barak in the book of Judges--he can't get honor for the victory because he took a woman to battle with him.
Why Women Should
Not Participate in Combat
Imagine an army filled with men and women engaged in
ground combat. In the heat of battle, a small group of servicewomen get
separated from the rest of the army and are just about to be captured by enemy
forces that are known for raping and torturing female captives; however, their
fellow male soldiers realize what is going on and rush to protect the women
from the advancing enemy. In the course of this action, several men fall down,
wounded, near where the female soldiers are now hiding behind a mound of dirt;
however, the women are not able to bring the fallen men near to them so that
the wounded heroes might obtain some safety amidst the fray. Many of those who
are wounded nearby are shot to death in front of the women’s eyes. The women
morn, guilt-stricken, that they were not able to help their chivalrous
comrades; that they just were not strong enough. In the midst of the effort to
save the women from capture, the mission’s overall purpose is abandoned because
of insufficient living personnel. Women do not belong in combat because they
are physically disadvantaged and upset unit cohesion.
In Feminist Fantasies, Phyllis Schlafly historically
recounts that Israelis and Soviets
have tried putting women into combat and have since changed their stance
because of problems (161-162, 175). The Soviets
had a female army in World War II, but have since changed their stance to only
allowing women in office and medical roles, and the Israelis don’t allow women
to have fighting roles on land and sea (“Feminist and War”). John Luddy, from the
Heritage Foundation, points out that in Israel, because many men naturally want
to protect women, if a woman is in their unit and in danger of capture, the
male soldiers will become distracted trying to defend her (qtd. in “Debunking
the Israeli ‘women in combat’ myth”). Luddy continues to mention a study in
which “unit morale was damaged when men saw women killed and maimed on the
battlefield (qtd. in “Debunking the Israeli ‘women in combat’ myth”),” these
adverse affects lead only to the weakening of a military, not its
strengthening.
Besides the historical evidence, women in
a military unit cause cohesion problems. Men just don’t bond like they do with
a unit made entirely of men when women are present. Instead, they battle with
trying to impress the women or from growing too close to them. Because of this,
sexual immorality arises and it can be a particularly bigger problem than one
thinks since such physical relationships cause a male soldier to strive to protect
his significant other instead of doing his duty and mission. A Navy Special Warfare commander, whose name
is unmentioned, tells The New American
that “Even if some women are strong enough to handle the physical demands of
combat, the introduction of factors such as sexual entanglements and
jealousies...would make the forward commander’s job more difficult (qtd. in “Feminizing
America’s Fighting Force”).” In addition, a Center
for Military Readiness, or CMR, report recounts that military leaders bear
witness that “because of unparalleled physical demands and forced intimacy,
even in training, women would degreed the readiness, cohesion, and
effectiveness of their units (qtd. in “Feminizing America’s Fighting Force”).”
Amidst
all the problems with unit cohesion, sexual problems are the most dangerous of
consequence of placing women in the military. The “USS Enterprise Video
Scandal: Navy Commander Revealed as Mastermind Behind Raunchy Videos” relates
that in 2006 and 2007 sexually perverse videos were made by servicemen and
women for entertainment. This incident is just one of case of sexual problems among
a military unit. Another instance of sexual problems is when 20 women got off
the Yellowstone pregnant and 36 on
off the Acadia (Schlafly 171). Additionally,
Jack Anderson, a journalist, testifies that when interviewing Saudia Arabian
physicians that “their most frequent visitors where women [soldiers] asking for
pregnancy tests” (qtd. in Schalfly 171). Pregnancy results in the inability to
participate in military operations, thus a resignation or temporary leave is
given (Schlafly 170-171).
In
another case, U.S. Airman Gayla Zigo said that “Less than a week after we
arrived on the base, Kelly [Flinn] was in bed with my husband having sex” (qtd.
in Schlafly 183). These examples clearly show that women in the military are
causing cohesion problems among service members. All this could be avoided if
women were simply prohibited from the military. And even though women are
allowed on ships and in the air force, these roles should also be prohibited.
The Kelly Flinn mentioned above was the U.S. Air Force’s poster girl (Schlafly
182) and the pregnant women that got off the Yellowstone and Arcadia
undoubtedly prove that servicewomen in the air and sea forces are causing
problems.
In
addition to sexual problems, there are physical differences between men and
women that can make all the difference on the battlefield. Also, in modern
warfare there is still a huge demand on the body and its capacities: soldiers
have to carry heavy gear and protective equipment, in addition to having to be
able to fight in hand to hand or close encounters at a moment’s notice. Colonel
Ron Ray, a veteran of Vietnam, tells The
New American that “Men and women are profoundly different and those
differences have military significance” (qtd. in “Feminizing America’s Fighting
Force”). He continues to relate how women and men are split up in athletics
while they grow up, the reason only being based of the physical differences
between the genders (qtd. in “Feminizing America’s Fighting Force”). It has
been estimated that women have much lower body strength than men. The CMR,
states that women have “45-50% less upper body strength” than men (“Center for
Military Readiness: Women in Combat”). In addition, women are more susceptible
to injuries and generally cannot carry a fallen male soldier to safety whereas
most men can (“Feminizing America’s Fighting Force”). This inability will cost
lives and can keep valuable military resources from protecting the people or
fulfilling the military mission at hand. For example, women are generally not
strong enough for military tests. The New
American, referencing the CMR, says,
1) ‘Women are shorter, have less muscle mass and
weigh less than men’; 2) ‘Female aerobic capacity is approximately 70-75 percent
that of males’; 3) women are at twice the risk for injures to their lower
extremities and at nearly five times the risk for stress fractures, according
to a 1988 Army study (qtd. in “Feminizing America’s Fighting Force”).
In
another instance, the CMR states that “Of the 103 women recruited for infantry
training after Canada repealed its combat rules in 1989, only one woman
succeeded in meeting the physical requirements necessary to complete the
training (qtd. in “Feminizing America’s Fighting Force”).” Although, the United
States military does not allow women to fight on the ground at this time (“GI
Jane, Again”), they are allowed to fight in aircraft, boats, and submarines.
However, because of the physical demands of
ground combat, it is prohibited for the women in the United States. The CMR
states “The ground combatant relies heavily on his physical strength and
stamina to survive, fight, and win (“Feminizing America’s Fighting Force”),”
because of these demands, women should continue to be barred from combat.
Not
everyone agrees with this evidence though. For example, the feminist push for
equality has spread to combat issues. Colonel Ron Ray states that
This [push for women in war] is really the
culmination of a 60-year effort to promote the…equal opportunity for women, so
that it predominates of the vital traditional and uncompromising American
military effectiveness. And the ultimate consequences of this campaign will be
the uncompromising of America’s historic ability to defend her vital national
interests in peace and war (qtd. in “Feminizing America’s Fighting Force”).
In
light of the evidence against women being in combat, it is reasonable to
conclude that female presence in combat only weakens a military, not strengthen
it. Opponents claim that women can do just as well as men in combat and that
they have just as much ability to fight, however the evidence aforementioned
shows that women are at serious physical disadvantages in hand to hand combat.
Another argument is that women have a right to serve in combat if they want;
however, some of the women currently serving in the United States Navy and Air
Force have gotten pregnant on board a vessel or engaged in adulterous acts when
not in the cockpit. Because servicewomen have done these things, what assurance
can be found in letting them fight and live next to their male soldiers in war?
The stakes are too high, and even if women did have the right, few can pass the
military requirements set for men, as mentioned in the CMR report on Canada.
In light of the facts, people must conclude
that women are not designed for war physically, while men are created for such
purposes. The historic role of men as defender and warrior is actually
factually based and will protect us the best.
Works
Cited
Bohon,
Dave. “Feminizing America’s Fighting Force.” The New American 21 February 2011.
Opposing Viewpoints Resource
Center. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.
“Center
for Military Readiness: Women in Combat.” Center for Military Readiness. CMR,
22
Nov.
2004. Web. 2 Dec. 2011.
Doughtery,
Jon. “Debunking the Israeli ‘women in combat’ myth.” World Daily Net. World
Daily
Net, 2 Aug. 2001. Web. 3 Dec. 2011.
Elshtain,
Jean Bethke. “Feminism and War.” Progressive
Sept. 1991. Points of View Resource
Center.
Web. 29 Nov. 2011.
Owens,
Thomas Mackubin. “GI Jane, Again.” National
Review 6 June 2005. Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center.
Web. 29 Nov. 2011.
Schlafly,
Phyllis. Feminist Fantasies. Dallas:
Spence, 2003. Print.
“USS
Enterprise Video Scandal: Navy Commander Revealed as Mastermind Behind Raunchy
Videos.” huggingtonpost.com
Huffington Post, 25 May 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.
