Some say that is appropriate. But others say women should be permitted to serve
wherever they meet qualifications.
The services continue to grapple with questions about women in combat arms,
along with the potential cultural clashes.
The Gulf War resulted in major breakthroughs for women, but their presence in
desert states "stirred things up," said Dr. John Spero, a former civilian
strategic planner in the Pentagon who teaches political science at Merrimack
College in North Andover, Mass.
"One of the reasons Osama bin Laden is so angry is because [U.S.] troops
remained deployed in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War. It reinforces in his mind
the infringement of the West. To his thinking, women in the military is an
affront. It represents the disrespect of the West," he said.
Elaine Donnelly, who heads the Center for Military Readiness, a military
personnel issues policy group, fears that any military women in Afghanistan
could "work against U.S. objectives."
"I'm not excusing the attitude of that part of the world toward women, but
changing that is not our mission. Female soldiers may be counterproductive
through no fault of their own," she said.
Afghan soldiers, she said, "will not respect men who take orders from women."
'More equal now'
Some analysts say gender sensitivities were addressed in Saudi Arabia during the
Gulf War and continue to be.
"Our military people on the ground over there are quite attuned to that and very
careful," said Dr. Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist
University.
Women credit their performance in the Gulf War with the policy changes that
opened up new career fields.
"We're treated more equal now because they've seen we can function in a wartime
situation," said Staff Sgt. Patricia M. Alberter, 43, who was called up from the
Army Reserves to serve in Saudi Arabia.
"When we were Scudded, we had to don our mask and MOPP [chemical-protection]
gear just like the males did. It wasn't a problem," said Sgt. Alberter, who now
serves in the Texas Army National Guard in San Antonio.
Maj. Gen. Marianne Mathewson-Chapman of St. Petersburg, Fla., the first female
two-star general in the Army National Guard and deputy surgeon general, was sent
to the Persian Gulf a decade ago to organize hospitals in five Muslim countries.
"We tried to follow the customs the best we could. We tried not to offend
anyone," she said.
Saudi women are not allowed to drive, or bare their arms or heads in public. But
American women in uniform – with sleeves rolled down and hat on – drove military
vehicles. Outside military compounds, they also wore uniforms – or, in some
places, were expected to wear an abaya , the traditional black robe women wear.
Staff Sgt. Martha James, who maintains Army National Guard helicopters at the
Dallas Army Aviation Support Facility in Grand Prairie, served five months in
Saudi Arabia.