As our nation has changed in so many ways in the last few decades, for better or for worse, the better changes have shifted our society and our ways of thinking to a more liberal, open and ideal outlook on many ideas.
20 years ago, having an African-American president and a female secretary of state seemed almost laughable, as they were concepts that have never reached the surface as reality, falling short as just the dreams of many ambitious but unrealistic individuals. The idea that people of the same sex could legally marry, or that marijuana could be sold for recreational use, are just another two outdated ideas in that they are no longer just a dream.
In a society where we have shifted to a liberal social nature, the fact that women could be denied any right a man has is just pure foolishness and a product of those who are still “living in the past.” It is for this mentality, among many logical and obvious reasons that I strongly stand by the implementation of women into the combat arms.
As of more recently, the United States military services have been extensively researching the requirements for the fields that have not been open to women. The bottom line is that all women may not be equipped for combat, but doesn’t that hold true for men as well?
Not every man is capable of fighting in combat, which is why there are countless physical fitness tests coupled with training and vigorous exercise. The decision to let someone fight should not be gender based, but based on physical tests that are given equally to both men and women proving that the most physically capable, regardless of their gender, be permitted to fight.
“There are some women who are as strong, if not stronger than some men,” said senior journalism major Kelly Rowe. “They should, at the very least, have a chance to prove it.”
In addition, being skilled with weapons and technology is not dependent on physical strength, but relies heavily on coordination and mental capabilities, where gender bias is far less prevalent.
With 7% of The Marine Corps being female and 13% of The Army being female, not many women have been given the opportunity to truly prove themselves as individuals and for their gender. However, 292,000 female military personnel have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and 152 have lost their lives.
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