I am all for equality, but equality needs to be across the board- meaning not lowering the physical standards necessary for women to serve on the front line. If anything, women physically need to be even stronger per pound, if you will, than a man considering that a 125 pound woman may need to be able to pick up and carry a 185 pound man to safety.

If we don't approve of child soldiers will some call us agist ?
If we don't approve of women taking up arms we offend feminists.
If we don't believe that anyone should resort to killing anyone else we are called pacifists.
For thousands of years the vast majority of women who went to war were called camp followers or whores. They cooked food, often had babies and sometimes married the warriors.
Now women (often very young women) who are present in the theater of war suffer a shocking amount of sexual abuse and often rape resulting in severe sexual trauma.
It is understood that young men who are in the fear and insecurity of combat will feel like leaving an offspring behind and might be looking for comfort. It is a possibility that it may be too much to ask young men to come to an awareness of the necessity to regard young women to be a fellow soldier. What do you think?
Just stuff to think about....

I find it interesting that the door is opening for the acknowledgement of women and their abilities in the military just when we are moving into an age where an increasing part of combat will be done not by men or women,... but by ROBOTS. (DRONES)

Jorge: our women are already there on the front lines. It's not like old time wars with trenches and women nurses safely away from the front. Our women serve right along side men. They just don't do it "officially" and they haven't been allowed to command (which they might do better than some men) nor do they get much credit. Get into the now.

I have no problem with women serving if they want to in the front lines, BUT if a woman falls into enemy hand and becomes a POW. Do you have any idea what some of these pigs might do to them ??? Are we ready to see a mother come back home to a family raped, beaten, shot. Woman are nurturing beings, when we see a woman we think of love, tender and care. Womanhood, motherhood....are we as a society ready for what is coming ??

Women are already acting in these capacities but not being allowed the same opportunities for career advancements. Further, with more women in charge, will we decrease the number of rapes perpetrated (on our own service women)? I think this is overdue.

Men should be banned from fighting altogether. I bet the women will be better killers and end wars quicker

I understand the context of this discussion, However, I do think that we need to look at the underlying values that are driving this discussion. It seems to me very unfortunate that we are discussing equality in terms of who should be allowed to kill and attempt to kill other human beings. I am not a pacifist, and do believe in the unfortunate neccessity of war in this day and age. I also believe that when a country goes to war it should be with a heavy heart and a sence of responsibility. This notion that we should all be able to participated in fighting on the front lines as the greatest expression of ones loyality and patriotism disturbs me. We have followed this ideology too long.

I knew this would happen 'cause James Cameron told me so! In 1986, the movie Aliens showed us female soldiers, both enlisted and officers, fighting tooth 'n nail as government marines against overwhelming odds. What was once a fantasy is now a reality! Though a highly-skilled combat chick is still a good fantasy *wink*.