Women In Combat
Are you against women serving in roles that permit or necessitate participation in combat? Are you against women in the infantry, even though women have served in special missions units or have accompanied infantry in various roles throughout the Global War on Terror? Are you on the fence — uncertain if they should or should not be provided such an opportunity? Do you know that women have fought and died during these prolonged counterinsurgencies? Did you notice that women have completed Ranger School? Are you aware that two women have earned the Silver Star, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan?
If you are aware of all this, are you also aware that combat assignments not only are important for career progression but they are also important for professional development — for the development of capable leaders who are knowledgeable about all aspects of soldiering?
If you are currently deployed as a keyboard warrior haranguing civilians for stating that women should have an opportunity to serve in combat, I suggest you sit down with some civilians and try to explain to them why women — in the year 2015 — should not be permitted the same opportunities that men are afforded to develop professionally. Tackle that one point. Don’t tread into any other discussions, first explain that inequality.
I’ll be waiting.
Chris Zeitz is a former member of the U.S. Army who served in military intelligence. He deployed for one year to Kunar, Afghanistan, from Spring 2010 to Spring 2011. While in the Army, he attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey and studied Arabic. He also has a Master’s degree in Diplomacy from Norwich University. The opinions expressed are his alone, and do not reflect those of the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
Follow Point of Decision on Medium for more on National Defense and the Middle East. Recommend this story if you believe it should see a wider audience. Thank you.
