Thursday, October 4, 2001

Women battle sterotypes for right to fight
By Jacque Petersell
Staff Reporter

The role of women in combat is a new thought in some Americans’ minds after the recent terrorist attacks and President Bush’s subsequent deployment of troops to the Middle East and call up of 50,000 active reserves.

Lt. Col. James House, a professor of military science, said one of the biggest problems facing women in combat is the social issue.

“Many Americans would not like to see women, rightly or wrongly, (in combat),” he said.

When looking at women in combat, House said he can understand society’s fear, because he has some of his own.

“I’m looking at this as a father of two high school daughters,” he said. I wouldn’t want to see them in direct combat. I wouldn’t want to see anyone in combat.”

Women have been a part of the armed services for a many years, said Capt. Doug Owens, an assistant professor of military science. Most worked as nurses or in administrative positions, he said.

In 1994, then Secretary of the U.S. Army Togo West announced the Army would assign some limited combat assignments to women. Positions available to women include combat engineers, air defense artillery specialists, pilots and crew members of helicopters on special operations missions.

Also in 1994, then Secretary of Defense Les Aspin rescinded the Army’s “risk rule,” which prevented women from being assigned to support units, such as engineering, supply and military police forces. However, jobs that involved direct ground combat would remain closed to women.

According to the Pentagon’s direct ground combat definition and assignment rule, direct combat involves any mission “engaging an enemy on the ground with individual or crew-served weapons (such as machine guns and rifles), while being exposed to hostile fire and to a high probability of direct physical contact with the hostile force’s personnel.”

Despite the restrictions placed on where women can and cannot serve, Owens said women are trained the same as men.

“We train our people (with the) same standards here,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what gender they are. We do the same physical fitness, same exercises.

“Everyone who is in the Army has the potential exposure to combat. It is important to have training in combat operations and tactics. The bottom line is that if we think women won’t be involved in ground combat, then we’re fooling ourselves.”

House said one problem involving women in combat is the amount of physical pressure put on women. During training and combat, soldiers must carry rucksacks, containing supplies and ammunition, which may weigh between 80 and 130 pounds.
“You need a lot of upper body strength,” House said. “That’s quite a load to carry for an extended period of time. Do I think some women (are strong enough for combat)? Yes. Do I think the majority are? No.”

According to the 1992 Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces, the top 20 percent of women at West Point that year achieved scores on the Army Physical Fitness Test equivalent to the bottom 20 percent of male cadets.

As of August 2001, there were 644 females enrolled at West Point out of a total of 4,189 cadets.

Owens said he has read a number of studies that show there is no difference between men and women in combat situations.

“I’ve worked with women in combat positions (in army hospitals),” Owens said. “I saw no differences (between men and women) in emotional or physical strength.”

Another controversy about women in combat is the readiness to deploy at a moments notice, which is necessary for combat assignments.

“There is a readiness issue you must address,” House said. “At any time, 8 to 12 percent of women (in the armed forces) are pregnant.”

Owens said the same issue is brought up when there is a single father that may be deployed, so it is not a gender specific issue.

“Some people have felt that having children would affect (a soldier’s) readiness, but studies have shown that the argument is not valid,” he said.

House said the armed forces is not gender specific. People are not trained or recruited differently, he said.

“When I look at someone in a uniform, I don’t see a male or female,” Owens said. “I see a soldier.”

Jacque Petersell
j.s.petersell@student.tcu.edu