NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
The idea of women in combat is not unusual anymore. They should be able to hold combat positions because although physical strength matters, the military still needs the intelligence that women can bring. Also, banning women from the combat hurts their military careers. Although women account for a very small percent of the enlisted personnel they are still a major part in the armed forces.
Their performance recently has generated support from Congress and the public for enhancing the role of females in the military. Women fall back on the old "unit cohesion", "male bonding, and "good order" rubbish that is left over from the Roman Empire. It's rather like saying that women can't play major league baseball because they can't spit, scratch and rearrange their cod pieces as well as the boys - regardless of whether or not they can throw a baseball from left field to third base. Units made of women and men have bonded, cohered, and maintained good order for centuries.
Military units of mixed sexes have quietly maintained order, accomplished missions, and passed operational readiness inspections with flying colors. They " re too busy doing their jobs to worry about which latrine to use. Desert Storm is a classic example of mixed units performing as cohesive and effective teams even under fire. Yet a problem with bonding is that too much bonding might occur, as to where it becomes sexual tension, where one might risk their life over another soldiers life. During the Persian Gulf War, women were sent to the Middle East to fly helicopters, service combat jets, refuel tankers, and load laser-guided bombs. Their performance has led the world to realize that women are extremely useful in combat.
Defense secretary Dick Chaney said "Women have made a major contribution to this [war] effort. We could not have won without them. " Leaders in the field agreed. The Gulf War had the largest deployment of women in the armed forces in history. These women encountered the same risks as the men they served with. Twenty-one females lost their lives In spite of their record as able combat personnel, there are laws and policies that restrict women in the United States Military from serving in positions that require them to engage in direct combat. Women in the Air Force and Navy are barred from aircraft and vessels that have a chance to be exposed to combat.
The official, established policies of the Army and Marine Corps exclude women from combat. These policies prohibit women, on the basis of gender only, from over twelve percent of the skill positions and thirty-nine percent of the total positions offered by the Department of Defense. Such policies excluding women from combat need to be repealed by Congress. The Fourteenth Amendment's "Equal Protection Clause" insures every citizen "the equal protection of the laws. " Although the clause is not applicable to Federal government, the Supreme Court said the Due Process Clause in the Fifth Amendment prohibits the federal government from making unreasonable classifications. Therefore the set laws and policies that exclude women from combat not only violate the Fifth Amendment, but also deny women their fundamental right to engage and excel in their chosen occupation. The combat-exclusion legislation supports the continuing discrimination against females in the Air Force, and it is outdated based on the Equal Employment Act of 1972.
Many social values and attitudes changed between 1948 and 1972, which is why Congress passed such strong legislation for equal opportunity. For unknown reasons, Congress cannot accept that these societal changes also encompass the idea of Air Force females in combat. All female pilots in the Air Force today are volunteers, and for the first time in history, they are joining without a national wartime emergency in the making. Today women join the Air Force for the same reasons other females become policewomen or fire fighters simply because they have the ability to do the job and want to serve their country. They are not blind to the possible consequences of war or police action. Yet Congress continues to stick to the tired story that "society" will not accept its "daughters" coming home in body bags.
When will Congress stop thinking of women who devote 20 years of their life in training to defend their country as someones daughter instead of the military professionals they are proud to be? The record of Civil War nurses provides one of the finest examples of dedication, ability, and simple courage to be found in American military history. Yet military leaders were not ready to accept the fact that female nurses were an integral part of an effective medical service. So, when the war ended in 1865, the Army reverted to the practice of using enlisted men for patient care and sent the females home. (During the Spanish-American War, more than 1, 500 female nurses volunteered to serve at home and abroad.
Opposition to granting military status to nurses was again strong. Surgeon General George Sternberg was reluctant to have women with the troops in the field, expressing concern that women would probably need luxury items not necessary for men. In spite of his concerns, he soon found female nurses were invaluable in the field and requested commissions for female doctors. Congress responded that only persons "physically, mentally and morally qualified. " could be commissioned, and women were obviously not physically qualified. That was accepted as fact in 1917. In 1948 Congress exempted Air Force female medical personnel from the combat exclusion so they could serve aboard aircraft flying into combat areas and in war zone field hospitals.
American women in military uniform were rare at the beginning of World War II. On July 30, 1942, The Marine Corps Womens Reserve was established as part of the Marine Corps Reserve. The mission of the Marine Corps Womens Reserve was to provide qualified women for duty at shore establishments of the Marine Corps, releasing men for combat duty. By February 1943, American forces wiped out all enemy opposition on Guadalcanal. The bitter fighting there made it apparent that many more Marines would be needed to continue the war in the Pacific. The Marine Corps would soon learn that there were no differences between men and women with respect to their fierce pride in the Marine Corps and that special "Once a Marine, Always a Marine" brand of loyalty.
So the questions remain, with the only possible answer being the same one that has plagued mankind for centuries: resistance to change for no real reason at all; resistance to a modern military where smarts and skills are more important than biceps; resistance to the fact that brains do not have gender and great leaders can be male or female; resistance to the fact that the last defensive stronghold of male chauvinism, flying combat aircraft, is slipping away; and resistance to the fact that "the right stuff" has no gender. One thing is for sure though, if a woman is capable to do what she wants, she will do her best as to what she does on or off the field of combat.
Free research essays on topics related to: fifth amendment, armed forces, marine corps, equal protection, air force
Research essay sample on Marine Corps Fifth Amendment
