"Women in combat" is a phrase that creates emotions rooted in people's subconscious. Images of soldiers being brutally and graphically killed race throughout minds. Movies such as "Saving Private Ryan" solidify these emotions as concrete in society's collective minds. However, today's military women are placed in harm's way. This has been proven with the ambush of Jessica Lynch and her fellow soldiers during the War in Iraq.
Today's wars are not fought by hundreds of thousands men storming up a beach head or being dropped from hundreds of planes in the middle of the night. Today's wars are fought with highly independent specialized units. These units include women serving in supportive roles. The units that are involved in the traditional first line of defense continue to be comprised of all male soldiers. Women and men are physically different. The army has conducted hundreds of studies that have shown that on an average, women have less muscle mass, are shorter, and weigh less than men; who put them at a disadvantage while completing tasks that required high levels of strength and aerobic capacity.
Saving Private Ryan
English: A combat camera video shows undated foota...
Combat Sport Medics at AMA 7When comparing the percentages in physical capability of males versus females, the upper five percent of females are equal to the median of the males. This means that in combat the men will be able to sharpen their skills and become stronger while the women are already at their peak potential.
The fact is that women have a severe disadvantage in ground combat while facing the same dangers as men because of the training and preparedness when compared to men. Women have a lower aerobic capacity which means that that they cannot carry as much and as far as men. This also means that they are more susceptible to fatigue. In addition, it has...