Women In Combat
By Madison McGregor

This segment is in no way meant to slight or diminish those that have lost their lives during wartime, either for the “good” guys or the “bad” guys. It's merely one writer's opinion of the US views during the Iraq War.

A shortage of trained troops caused by the unexpected length of the Iraq war and has set off a quiet, but highly charged debate within the ranks of the US “Good Ol' Boys” in DC over the role of women in the military. The guerilla tactics being used against US troops during the occupation have blurred the traditional lines between combat and support functions and is expected to prompt a microscopic review of the definition of ground "combat".

Although women are eligible to fill most jobs in the military (by a 1994 law enacted by then-President Clinton), they are barred from the most hazardous positions, including infantry troops, special operations team members, armored and most field artillery units and other jobs that would place them in front-line ground combat. But, they can fly most aircraft, including fighter jets, and serve as MPs, as well as other jobs that put them in harm's way.

Guerrilla wars -- like the one in Iraq -- where front-line and rear-echelon troops often share the same degree of danger, have rendered the military's efforts to regulate risk difficult, if not impossible. Since the Iraq war began, 59 US women have died and over 300 have been wounded. Although several hundred American women lost their lives in previous wars, the vast majority of them were nurses or auxiliary troops assigned to rear areas, and they died from disease and injuries unrelated to combat. To put it in perspective, during Vietnam, the last prolonged ground war, eight American women -- all nurses -- died.

Until the last generation or so, war was considered men's business, with most military moguls keen to keep the horror of war away from the fairer sex -- women. But throughout history, they have not been entirely successful. Across the world and through the centuries, women warriors have gone into battle with their menfolk, through fair means and foul, for the love of their land, their tribe or their honor.

In the 7th century, Nusaybah bint Kaab was one of the most celebrated women warriors. She fought in many of the early Muslim battles, including the gruesome battle of Uhud, when she helped save the Prophet Muhammad's life. In India, Queen Rani Laxmibai's epic battle against the British in 1858 is widely believed to have sown the seeds for the country's successful anti-colonial struggle. Joan of Arc was France's most celebrated female warrior, but the annals of British history are crowded with the exploits of brave women who disguised themselves as men to fight on the battlefront.    more >>