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View Full Version : Should Women Be Fighting On Or Near The Front Lines?



lizbud
03-26-2003, 08:07 PM
Don't know if this topic belongs in the Dog House or not, but
opted on the side of caution. This poll is posted on an msn.com
site & I voted. So far it's about 49% yes,45%no, with 6% not
sure. What would you say to the question? It really made me
think.

babolaypo65
03-26-2003, 08:15 PM
Yes. If a woman joins the military, then yes, combat should be one of the possible assignments she receives.

Soledad
03-26-2003, 08:15 PM
Definitely. Equality is a two way street.

Karen
03-26-2003, 08:18 PM
If anyone is there, women should be allowed to, yes. I wish there were no front lines, but as the captured maintenance crew can attest to, there are no "safe" places when you are in a war.

Miss Meow
03-26-2003, 08:45 PM
Yes. A woman in the defence force is no different than a man in the defence force as far as training and ability to perform the job.

mugsy
03-26-2003, 09:08 PM
Interesting topic. Mike and I vehemently disagree on this one. I say yes, definitely and he says NO definitely. He's been on the front line, but then, he's also a man! lol

I think that if a woman signs up for the military then she should be on the line if that's what she's trained for.

micki76
03-26-2003, 10:25 PM
Originally posted by mugsy
I think that if a woman signs up for the military then she should be on the line if that's what she's trained for.

I agree. Many have brought up the issue of what may potentially happen to a woman if captured, though it's really not relevant. The same things can happen to a man if captured by the enemy.
:(

lynnestankard
03-27-2003, 04:50 AM
I have to agree too - if a woman joins the military, she should be prepared to fight at the front. If I'm not mistaken the women soldiers in Israel fight with the men - wherever they are needed,

Lynne

lizbud
03-27-2003, 09:55 AM
Forgot to mention that I voted No.This was a gut reaction type
response.This reaction suprised me as I'm a firm believer in
equal rights for women.I attended many N.O.W. meetings in the
sixties and worked on campaigns to secure equality for women
in the issues of economic & political equality.But women on the
front lines of combat in a foreign war just goes against the grain
for me.I know all the "logical" reasonings are valid, so this must
touch some personal nerve with me, as I can't agree with it.

Tanya&Fritz
03-27-2003, 10:10 AM
Absolutely :D

Logan
03-27-2003, 10:37 AM
It is a hard question, Liz, and one that I would not want to face, personally, selfishly. But I have to tell you when I saw the face of the woman who is an American POW the other day, I wondered of the horrors she might face. :( But, if they enlist, train for the job, they have just as much right and need to be on the front line as any man does. I can completely understand your reason to say "no", but I guess, in reality, my answer would be "yes". (And I don't like it)

lovemyshiba
03-27-2003, 11:26 AM
Yes, we should. I don't like the idea, but I'm sure there are men who don't want to be there either. If a woman can enlist in the military, there's no reason that with adequate training she shouldn't be right there fighting with the men.

RICHARD
03-27-2003, 11:31 AM
Originally posted by lynnestankard
I have to agree too - if a woman joins the military, she should be prepared to fight at the front. If I'm not mistaken the women soldiers in Israel fight with the men - wherever they are needed,

Lynne

ALL Israelis do a two year hitch. it's mandated by the government!!!

RICHARD
03-27-2003, 12:00 PM
Originally posted by popcornbird
Does that mean that all Israelis are soldiers and there are no civilians there? :eek::eek:

Women are more sensitive, weak, and gentle than men. I find it hard to believe a women could be fighting on the front. I for one would NEVER do it. I think I'd die from a heart attack before anything happened! :eek: No, I don't think women are powerful and strong enough to fight on the front lines. That should be a man's job (in my honest opinion).


i think it was all 18 year olds have to serve two years in the armed forces....i guess technically, all Israelis are soldiers.

Edwina's Secretary
03-27-2003, 02:27 PM
I feel strongly on this. We cannot ask for equal rights if we are not prepared to take equal risk. If a woman is physically capable of performing the task, her gender should not preclude her from it.

mugsy
03-27-2003, 03:34 PM
Amen and well said Sara!

Cataholic
03-28-2003, 08:46 AM
Pops, I, for one, am quite strong, and not weak, and, blah, blah, blah...I think women might be percieved as the 'weaker' sex..but, that isn't really true. Sure, a 200 pound male can probably lift more than me, run faster, etc., just cause his body is bigger, his force stronger...but, today's war really isn't about brute force anymore, arm to arm combat, while it exists, really isn't as prevelant.

If I sign up for the military, then I want to be an equal member.

lizbud
03-28-2003, 12:24 PM
By replying NO to the question does not mean that I think
that women are more sensitive, gentler or weaker emotionally
than men.These traits can be shared by both men & women.

tatsxxx11
03-28-2003, 01:54 PM
I'm not sure how literally one defines "front line." I know that some of the most adept and decorated fighter pilots are women!:) Now that's a job that takes physcial stamina, brains and skill! And I know women who are just as strong, if not stronger and more fit than many men! Women are strong and tough, both in mind and in body. If think if it is their wish to do so, and they meet the rigors and standards of their training, I say yes. And it is a well known fact that women far excel men when it comes to endurance. Remember a while back, all the fuss that was made when women first applied to the A.F. Academy, West Point and the Naval Academy?? The academies and their fellow soldiers made it as tough as they could on the plebes, both mentally and physically, testing their merit, their will and their physical strength. And they proved their worth. I think it was Discovery or TLC that recently had a series of programs documenting the experience of soldiers in boot camp; men and women. The guts, tenacity and determination of the women amazed me. And the "drop out" or "flunk out" rate for the women was at a lower rate than the men. Guess we figure we've got something to prove!:D Women are put in harm's way every day, whether from assault or domestic abuse. At least while serving in the military, should they meet harm, it is of their own choosing. I guess I vote yes.:D

Jessica12345
04-01-2003, 06:46 AM
Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
I feel strongly on this. We cannot ask for equal rights if we are not prepared to take equal risk. If a woman is physically capable of performing the task, her gender should not preclude her from it.

very very well said... i agree.

RICHARD
04-01-2003, 03:53 PM
there are women serving as pilots/co pilots on the Apache
helicopters and fighter pilots.

there are also quite a few women flying support craft!!

lizbud
04-01-2003, 07:59 PM
For The Record:

The question was not whether woman ARE on the front lines,
but rather SHOULD they be. This was a poll I saw elsewhere
and the voting was surprisingly close In percentage for and
against the idea, not the practice.

mugsy
04-01-2003, 08:38 PM
Like I said before, Mike and I are on totally opposite sides on this issue. He is absolutely totally against it, but I am totally for it, so this thread made for some lively conversation at our house! :D ;)

RICHARD
04-01-2003, 08:44 PM
Originally posted by lizbud
For The Record:

The question was not whether woman ARE on the front lines,
but rather SHOULD they be. This was a poll I saw elsewhere
and the voting was surprisingly close In percentage for and
against the idea, not the practice.




liz,

YOU tell them to come home......i am afraid to.....



mike, you are on your own.......liz already yelled at me;)

Dakota's Mommy
04-02-2003, 02:21 PM
Personally, I don't know Brian's views on this! However, I feel that if woman sign up, they should be trained just as the men are and they should be ready to serve on the front lines. In war, they can easily run into a situation where they need this training and are basically on the front lines even if they were not meant to be. So, as long as woman are serving along with men, I feel that they should be trained and on the front lines with the men. Not that I like either gender on the front lines, but right now it's happening! But, that's just my opinion!

Tubby & Peanut's Mom
04-02-2003, 04:26 PM
If a woman can enlist in the military, there's no reason that with adequate training she shouldn't be right there fighting with the men.
and

If a woman is physically capable of performing the task, her gender should not preclude her from it.

I am unsure on this one. I agree with Sara that "We cannot ask for equal rights if we are not prepared to take equal risk." And I don't believe that "equal" rights mean "special" rights. But the quotes above are what I would be concerned about. I think it is an indisputable fact that in more cases than not, men are bigger and stronger than women and if it came down to hand to hand combat, what chance would a woman have? Of course she would have adrenaline on her side, but so would the guy on the other side. A very big part of being in the military is putting your life in your "brother's" hands and trusting him to watch your back. If a woman is overpowered, how can she be watching her "brother's" back, and how can the "brother" feel confident that his back is being watched?

I think the only way I could go for it is if all armies had women in their forces so things would be equalized somewhat. I've got no problem with women being in as much danger as men and things like that, but it's the physical power that men have over women that would worry me. And believe me, I'm 5'10" tall and no light weight and I wouldn't want to be out there!

So as you can see, I would have to vote "unsure."

:)

RICHARD
04-02-2003, 04:59 PM
Originally posted by Tubby & Peanut's Mom

I think the only way I could go for it is if all armies had women in their forces so things would be equalized somewhat. I've got no problem with women being in as much danger as men and things like that, but it's the physical power that men have over women that would worry me. And believe me, I'm 5'10" tall and no light weight and I wouldn't want to be out there!

So as you can see, I would have to vote "unsure."

:)



it takes less that 10 lbs of pressure to pull the trigger on an
M16.

it takes far more strength to wrap your brain around the fact that
you are about to kill someone.

it takes inhuman strength to live with shooting someone for the rest of your life.

it is a matter of perspective

mugsy
04-02-2003, 05:54 PM
Good point Richard

lizbud
04-02-2003, 08:05 PM
It also takes a tremendous amount of strength to carry
around a growing human life inside you and adjust to an ever
changing body form . Nine months later it takes a super human
effort to give birth to that life. It's a different kind of strength.
While I do think I'd be perfectly capable of killing in defensive
of my life. I could never continue killing over & over,day after
day as is sometimes required in war.That I could never "wrap
my brain around". I don't see how a guy could live with it either.
Boy, I'll bet they're glad I'm not at the front.

RICHARD
04-02-2003, 08:19 PM
Originally posted by lizbud
It also takes a tremendous amount of strength to carry
around a growing human life inside you and adjust to an ever
changing body form . Nine months later it takes a super human
effort to give birth to that life. It's a different kind of strength.
While I do think I'd be perfectly capable of killing in defensive
of my life. I could never continue killing over & over,day after
day as is sometimes required in war.That I could never "wrap
my brain around". I don't see how a guy could live with it either.
Boy, I'll bet they're glad I'm not at the front.

where does the stork come in?:eek:

lizbud
04-02-2003, 08:27 PM
Richard,

He arrives later, to mop your brow & offer roses. :)

RICHARD
04-02-2003, 08:29 PM
i worked down the hall from L&D i heard a woman screaming bloody murder thru three fire doors and 40 feet.......preaching to the choir..........

i understand.....


what kind of roses?:D

mugsy
04-02-2003, 08:35 PM
I prefer yellow myself

iceyshiver21
04-02-2003, 09:06 PM
I think Women should be treated equally.

iceyshiver21
04-02-2003, 09:11 PM
I myslef made a promise to a friend that if the war went on long enough and they got drafted that I would enlist. Im not afraid of the thought of loseing my life, I figure It will go sooner or later, anyway. I have lived most people dont even get the chance to do that, for different reasons. I in all of my 15 years have done everything Ive truelly wanted to in my power, besieds vote. I say "come as I come, Leave as I will, over all Im a happy person."