Article

2007-04-24 Iraq

Interview with Soldiers Serving in ME, Twins

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Posted by Chuck Simmins 2007-04-24 09:57|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Interesting interview. They seem like they have their heads on straight--except for wanting women in combat. That is absolutely wrong and nothing anyone can argue will change it. When it comes to close-quarter fighting, women AREN'T equal to men and that's just how it is. Period. Any military policy that contradicts that basic fact is wrong and puts both sexes at greater risk.

Posted by Mac 2007-04-24 11:25|| 2007-04-24 11:25|| Front Page Top

#2 Pass me a couple pickles, please!

Posted by USMC6743 2007-04-24 13:37|| 2007-04-24 13:37|| Front Page Top

#3 Hey, Mac.

First of all, say it to their faces. I wanna watch.

Second, Leigh Anne Hester did ok "for a woman", didn't she?

Posted by Chuck Simmins">Chuck Simmins 2007-04-24 13:54|| http://northshorejournal.org]">[http://northshorejournal.org] 2007-04-24 13:54|| Front Page Top

#4 Excellent interview, Chuck. I'm going to make sure my daughter reads this one.

Posted by Steve White">Steve White 2007-04-24 14:37|| 2007-04-24 14:37|| Front Page Top

#5 Sure will, Chuck. Tell them to come to South Korea and I'll be glad to. I'll come prepared with the information from the Israelis about what happened when they had a position loaded with women overrun in the 73 war. I'll also have the information on what happened when the morticians started dealing with the female corpses after the SCUD hit in Gulf War I. They may think it's a good idea now; I think this stuff would change their mind. It's not a good idea for a lot of reasons, most of which have to do with their male comrades' response to what will happen to them once captured by the enemy.

Posted by Mac 2007-04-24 15:40|| 2007-04-24 15:40|| Front Page Top

#6 information from the Israelis about what happened when they had a position loaded with women overrun in the 73 war

Jeez, what you got on that? They manned the Bar-Lev forts? The Golan? Is it secret? I really would like to know about this. IDF policy since 1949 is to keep women away from combat.....

Posted by Shipman">Shipman 2007-04-24 18:04|| 2007-04-24 18:04|| Front Page Top

#7 Ship, I'm not home now so I don't have access to the article I read. The gist, though, was that (I believe) Egyptians overran a position in the rear that had numerous IDF women soldiers in it. They were abused and killed, IIRC, and it left some serious scars on those who had to deal with both the action and its aftermath.

The IDF, to that point, had been very up-front with women soldiers, not to the point of deliberately having them in combat but allowing them to serve in close support. After the 1973 war they quietly decided to place women in situations where they would be much less likely to be caught up in direct combat.

I read this quite some time ago. That was why it didn't surprise me when I read about the Reserve morticians at Dover AFB who also had some real problems with seeing women ripped apart by the Scud that hit the occupied building in the first Gulf War. Those guys also needed psychiatric counseling after dealing with the carnage. I gather it's something having to do with the fact that lots of men get really hammered when trying to deal with the ugly things that happen in combat happening to women. There was a long article in Proceedings about this incident in probably 1993-4 or so.

Posted by Mac 2007-04-24 18:51|| 2007-04-24 18:51|| Front Page Top

#8 I really would like to know about this. IDF policy since 1949 is to keep women away from combat.....

Seems I read somewhere about IDF units taking heavier casualties than the norm, 'cause Arabs didn't want to be 'captured by a girl'.

Posted by Pappy 2007-04-24 21:45|| 2007-04-24 21:45|| Front Page Top

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