🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <322ff125.30314810@news.galstar.com>, jmorgan@galstar.com (Jerry Morgan) writes:
|> timd@Starbase.NeoSoft.COM (timd) wrote:
|> 
|> Healthy balanced men would tend to be overly protective of any women
|> that were in their squad. Rather than having a squad that functioned
|> as it was intend it would instead constantly be looking out for its
|> female members, at the expense of accomplishing its primary mission.
|> This is the very reason that the Israeli military *abandoned* the idea
|> of having women in combat units.  It didn't work and probably never
|> will.

First of all, insofar as any military unit is concerned, you
are always protective of everyone in your squad.  If you aren't
then your chance of survival drops to zero.  You have to look out
for each other.  Proper training ensures that you know what each
others capabilities are, which alleviates over protectiveness.

No, the reason was political.  It also had to do with stereotypes
that the military would not combat and are pervasive in many
societies.  Again, where the IDF did try to integrate, and was
serious about the attempt, those roles have been filled and deemed
successful - so much so that they have been expanding the roles
continuously.

|> What is most amusing about this discussion is that the *vast majority*
|> of those that have been in the military and have combat experience are
|> of the opinion that the use of women in combat will never work and
|> those that have the opposing view *have never been in combat* and know
|> nothing of what it's like and never will.

Well, I for one have had combat experience and am of the
opinion that women, if trained and integrated into combat
units properly, can contribute to the unit.  When training
martial arts, I heard the same argument put forth for why
women and men should not spar.  Happily, in our dojo there
was little regard for this.  Once having seen training in
action, you might gain respect for what women are capable of.

	-- Shai

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