Women Serving in Combat Essay Example
Women in the Military
When people think of a soldier, an image comes to mind. Usually it is a man, who has a strong physique, wearing a military uniform. Rarely, do we think of a woman. Women have been a part of the military since before World War I, and have contributed many heroic acts to this country. Unfortunately, still in this day and age, women are banned from serving in combat. Despite what many believe, women should have the same rights and be treated as equals just as men are, and be allowed to serve in combat units. Women are still treated differently in everyday life in many aspects such as physical strength, emotions and stamina. Women’s rights activists have helped throughout the years to gain equality and we are lucky to have people like them. However, in the military there is no such thing. In 1948, legislation allowed women to serve in the military, but were not allowed to serve in combat. These conditions still apply although some branches such as the Army have found ways around this law. A woman will never be assigned to a unit strictly to fight in combat, but they can be used in combat support positions, such as military intelligence and air support positions. Women make up about 14 percent of the military. Of the 2.2 million soldiers that have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, 255,000 have been woman. So, if a woman can be deployed and experience the same horrible conditions, who is to say they cannot survive in combat? Women who join the military start off in basic training, just like the men do. They then continue on to an advanced training in a specific military occupational specialty, otherwise known as a MOS. This is where they will spend weeks, or months depending on their MOS, learning how to do their job. Infantryman, however, do not attend MOS school after basic training. They go to One Station Unit Training, or OSUT where they learn combat skills. Because the average woman is both physically smaller and
When people think of a soldier, an image comes to mind. Usually it is a man, who has a strong physique, wearing a military uniform. Rarely, do we think of a woman. Women have been a part of the military since before World War I, and have contributed many heroic acts to this country. Unfortunately, still in this day and age, women are banned from serving in combat. Despite what many believe, women should have the same rights and be treated as equals just as men are, and be allowed to serve in combat units. Women are still treated differently in everyday life in many aspects such as physical strength, emotions and stamina. Women’s rights activists have helped throughout the years to gain equality and we are lucky to have people like them. However, in the military there is no such thing. In 1948, legislation allowed women to serve in the military, but were not allowed to serve in combat. These conditions still apply although some branches such as the Army have found ways around this law. A woman will never be assigned to a unit strictly to fight in combat, but they can be used in combat support positions, such as military intelligence and air support positions. Women make up about 14 percent of the military. Of the 2.2 million soldiers that have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, 255,000 have been woman. So, if a woman can be deployed and experience the same horrible conditions, who is to say they cannot survive in combat? Women who join the military start off in basic training, just like the men do. They then continue on to an advanced training in a specific military occupational specialty, otherwise known as a MOS. This is where they will spend weeks, or months depending on their MOS, learning how to do their job. Infantryman, however, do not attend MOS school after basic training. They go to One Station Unit Training, or OSUT where they learn combat skills. Because the average woman is both physically smaller and