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Women Eyed For Iraq Combat

24 U.S. Women Have Been Killed By Hostile Fire In Iraq

Oct 22, 2004 8:37 pm US/Pacific
WASHINGTON (CBS) The unexpected realities of the war in Iraq are forcing the Pentagon to reexamine its long-standing ban on women in combat in a guerrilla war fought mainly in cities and without front lines.

As CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin reports, the current policy that forbids women from serving in units engaged in direct ground combat might have to be rewritten.

The issue is being brought to a head by the scheduled deployment back to Iraq of the 3rd Infantry Division, the unit that lead the original charge into Baghdad, as part of a larger effort to reorganize the Army into a more combat-ready force.

The division will for the first time have supply companies comprised of men and women directly attached to combat units.

The debate is over whether this new organization violates the letter of the law which bars women from combat. Whatever the outcome of that debate, the fact is women are already in the middle of the fighting.

Although women do not, and will not for the foreseeable future, serve as infantrymen breaking down doors and conducting house-to-house searches or as tankers blasting their way into rebel strongholds, that does not keep them out of combat.

Pvt. Jessica Lynch and the other members of her supply convoy found that out early in the war when they were ambushed by fighters from Saddam's Fedayeen.

The Army has lost nearly 800 soldiers to hostile fire in Iraq - 24 of them women.

Pamela Osborne, a mother of three, was killed in a rocket attack two weeks ago.A roadside bomb hit Jessica Cawvey's convoy. Kimberly Hampton was piloting a scout helicopter for the 82nd Airborne when she was shot down.

It may not be official yet, but women are serving in combat.

(MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc., All Rights Reserved.)

I hope they realize what could happen if they're captured.

Perish the thought!

Or, maybe, we shouldn't let women into the military at all!

this is true equality, I salute all the women in harms way.

Follow the Israelis lead. Women in training roles not combat.

This is CBS . Frankley they could say the Pope is Catholic and I would double check elsewhere.

Quoted: Or, maybe, we shouldn't let women into the military at all!

Using your same logic if we didn't allow males or females into the Military there would be none of our people dying fighting for the U.S.....................................oh wait that sKerrys plan!

Quoted: this is true equality, I salute all the women in harms way.

+1

The Ladies are doing a great job.  Without trying to paint with too wide a brush, the overwhelming majority of the Women I've served with take their military responsibilities VERY seriously and do a hell of a job.

I don't see the big deal, isn't this what the feminist wanted?  Curious also that Kerry just gave a speech concerning women and now CBS puts this out.  I'm like the other poster, if CBS says it, it must be a lie or half truth.

Go ahead and give credit to the womenz in the armed services. They deserve it. They should not however be allowed into direct combat roles. Sorry, it's a big problem. Two words, unit cohesion. A womanz in an infantry unit is poison to unit cohesion. Pure poison. Without unit cohesion, our units are NOT going to function effectively in combat.  That simple.

That and they have a whole lot more sanitary needs that cannot always be addressed on the front lines.

When it was on the news last night, they were talking about women being in units that were in direct contact with Infantry units as support elements.

The Russians and Israelis have tried this and have had horrible results.  They dont do well in organized groups.  Some success with snipers etc but large groups in WWII were wiped out.

I was wondering when that would happen.

In Iraq there is little difference between a combat unit and a support unit as far as the opportuntiy to get shot at.

Women are far too integrated in the military for such a distinction to remain, and removing this barrier will allow all units to be used to used to their fullest.

It also helps build the we-are-all-warriors mindset the military is trying to build.  Remember the Jessica Lynch fiasco?  

Quoted: I was wondering when that would happen. In Iraq there is little difference between a combat unit and a support unit as far as the opportuntiy to get shot at. Women are far too integrated in the military for such a distinction to remain, and removing this barrier will allow all units to be used to used to their fullest. It also helps build the we-are-all-warriors mindset the military is trying to build.  Remember the Jessica Lynch fiasco?

Please read my above post. This is nonsense.

a team is only as strong as it's weakest point. Problem with women in combat is they just can't do the overall job of direct combat, infantry, ect., like a guy can, and it's not even so much that they would get themselves k.i.a., but fact is they'd get a lot of guys k.i.a. with them.
You just can't play this equality women's lib game with a fight to the death.

Quoted: I hope they realize what could happen if they're captured. Perish the thought!

But the NOW gang will call that a significant step FORWARD for women!

Check out the 2nd video in this thread, if you listen carefully, you will hear a woman's voice. She's passing out ammo.
Video from Mosul as posted by thebomber

Quoted: this is true equality, I salute all the women in harms way.

Well, they've been demanding equality- now they'll truly find out what the flip side of the coin of equality looks like and feels like.... "Be careful what you wish for...you might actually get it."