Combat - males only please

A male veteran friend was chatting with me the other day. He is a heavy duty, gun toating, racially challenged Republican and knows I'm all about Hillary. One of the questions he ask me was, "what do you think about women being allowed into combat?" As a liberal, feminist, and equal rights advocate I jumped at the chance to dive right into my answer and fire back my load of questions on the subject.

I was simple and direct. (who knew!) I told him that I had no problem with it as long as they have been trained properly, demonstrate the commitment required and can perform with equal results to their male counterparts. As his head was shaking with disappointment and his expression, of I knew she would approve of it, washed down his face I paused and then fired back.

I asked him what he thought, as a veteran of combat, about women fighting the enemies side by side with him. Part of his answer surprised me and the rest was a real mind blower. His immediate reply was that he didn't approve of women being in combat, but he quickly deflected a likely anticipated question from me, by saying that the women in combat are equally capable in the majority of the military tactics used. He when on to say that many are better in combat than men. I suspected a bit of attempted defensive maneuvering happening. Unfortunately, I don't remember what examples he sited were specifically.

The rest of his now very lengthy answer was that, "it is too difficult for a man to stay focused on the mission when there is a female in the fight with them." I hope my jaw didn't hit the driveway but it sure felt like it did. He went on to explain that when a man that has been deployed away from home for so long he has needs that are worsened by a woman's presence. I would have slapped him but he probably would have liked it! lol

I threw a few more questions about the impact of feminine hygiene and a woman's physical strength had on his males comerads. The one question that I personally felt to be critical was if he and his fellow male troops felt that they could count on and rely on a female in their combat unit. I was pleased to hear his reply, that yes he didn't have any insecurities regarding females in combat carrying their own and living the code.

To this day I have always felt that women should be provided the same opportunities as are provided men. Let us not forget equal pay for equal work. That law took way too long to pass but I digress. If anyone trying to do a job is unable to it then they don't get the job. That seems pretty simple and efficient to me, of course. To presume that women cannot and should not be in combat is simply ridiculous. Once again, males are still determining and controlling what women are "allowed" to do. I believe the original thought, and I believe to still be an issue, is that a woman role as a mother must be preserved to continue propagation. Therefore, we are not to place women in harms way. Ok now, give me a break, that notion should have been booted out decades ago. I believe that currently the argument remains on the question of a woman's capability to fight in combat. Well hell, if a woman can't do the job then don't give her the job. But to make a blanket assumption is a bit chauvinistic.

To find out, or more acurately to finally admit to thinking, that most male troops in combat can't do their job because they, "haven't seen a woman for so long causing them to be distracted...", was really a shocker. Then to hear my friend add one more stunning comment about how some of the women in combat sleep around with all the male troops, "making the rounds" as he put it, just tipped me over the edge. I think my tongue was bleeding I was biting it so hard. Really? That ended my conversation and I politely excused myself to return inside my house.

So the question remains: It is really simple don't you think, when you really think, hard and seriously? Come on...give me any good reason why women shouldn't be allowed in combat with male counterparts?