“I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.”
Abraham Lincoln
“The Army ain’t what it used to be.” Said John H. Cushman Jr. in The New York Times. Soldiers have been saying that for decades, and it’s truer than ever, now that the Pentagon has unveiled a new policy that allows female members of the Army to take support roles alongside combat infantrymen on the front lines, jobs such as tank mechanic, combat medic, or radio operator. The policy stops short of placing women in direct, ground-combat roles, even though women serving in Afghanistan and Iraq have sometimes come under fire and shot back.
Female officers and staff noncommissioned officers soon will join some of the Marine Corps’ ground combat battalions, a historic institutional shift brought about by the newly approved exception to the longtime Pentagon policy banning women from serving in such a capacity. Beginning in May of this year, female captains, gunnery sergeants, and staff sergeants will be assigned for the first time to a host of billets within these type of battalions: amphibious assault vehicle, artillery, combat assault, combat engineer, low altitude air defense, and tank.
The change will open 371 billets to women, a small step for the Marine Corps compared to the Army, which will open more than 14,000 positions formerly closed to female soldiers. However, this limited introduction for the Corps could lead to more substantial change, officials said. Combat in Afghanistan and Iraq has shown that, with the disappearance of traditional battle lines, all troops face the threat of danger and women have proved themselves a capable, integral part of mission success at all levels, officials acknowledged.
Advocates for female troops welcomed the change as a step in the right direction, but criticized the Pentagon for not opening infantry careers to women. That will perpetuate the “brass ceiling” that keeps women from top military jobs, said Anu Bhagwati, executive director of the Service Women’s Action Network.
Elizabeth Reintjes De Angelo stated to The Washington Post, “As a former Navy officer, I can tell you that most military women do not want to fight on the front lines. We prefer to serve in essential support roles away from the theater of war, where our skills are often superior to men’s.”
“Why deny men and women their differences? Front-line combat isn’t just any job,” said Elaine Donnelly in National Review.com, and the military is not “just another civilian equal opportunity employer. Direct combat missions demand a level of aggression and physical strength beyond the capability of almost all women. Pretending otherwise, for the sake of gender equality, will put lives at risk.”
Combat awards earned by female Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002:
- 10 Air Medals with combat “v”
- 42 Bronze Stars
- 282 Combat Action Ribbons
- 16 Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medals with combat “v”
- 1 Navy and Marine Corps Medal
- 46 Purple Hearts
During World War II women served in many positions in direct support of military efforts. Military women were excluded from combat positions, but that didn’t keep them from being in harm’s way, nurses in or near combat zones or on ships. Others served in military nursing units. During World War II, 140,000 women served in the Army, 100,000 served in the Navy, 74,000 served in the Army and Navy Nurse Corps, 23,000 served in the Marine Corps, and 13,000 served in the Coast Guard.
A Marine who survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was recently interred at the battleship USS Arizona. Pfc. Frank Cabiness’ ashes were placed inside the hull of the Arizona on December 23, 2011 by Navy divers. Cabiness was on the Arizona as part of a flag raising detail when the first Japanese aircraft flew over the harbor, the Marine Corps reported. He was blown from the deck of the ship when the magazine exploded. He’s only the second Marine to be interred there.
The Selective Service System has survived the 2012 budget process, but draft registration may not be around much longer. The Government Accountability Office has been looking into the possibility of putting the agency into “deep standby,” where it has only a few token employees keeping a database of youths who have registered, or having some other federal or state agency maintain such a database.
You seem to be in some distress," said the kindly judge to the witness. "Is anything the matter?" "Well, your Honor," said the witness, "I swore to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but every time I try, some lawyer objects."
Police-Fire Post 456 invites every veteran to join the post. We are particularly anxious to recruit female veterans, who are very under-represented. Contact me at Airport Bureau, Patrol Division, (650) 821-7026, or at gc1207@comcast.net. The post meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 1800 hours. Meetings are at the Veteran’s War Memorial Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue, room 212. Refreshments are served at the conclusion of business. God Bless America!
