Enlist In The Military example essay topic

America's Military For decades, America's Military Essay, Research Paper For decades, America's military, and it's citizens, have been grappling with a very important decision: should women be allowed to serve in combat? This issue has been in the media since I was in elementary school, and so far there is no end in sight. Although there are many advocator's for allowing women to fight in the military conflicts, such as liberal feminists and equal rights activists, there is a great number of people, including military and government figureheads, who strongly disagree. Which leads me to ask the question, ? what's the big deal?? Why is it that there is such controversy about this topic?

The pro- arguments are pretty straight-forward, mostly stemming from equal rights for women. But what I want to learn is what is the underlying basis for peoples desire to keep women out of combat? They have to have more legitimate reasons than just being chauvinistic. In this paper, I will use government documents, independent studies, as well as media articles to explore the reasons that women should not be allowed on the front lines, as well as why they should.

One of the strongest arguments against allowing women in combat is physical inadequacies. Antagonists argue that women are not physically qualified to serve in combat situations. In her article, ? Sex and the Soldier? , Stephanie Gutmann claims that, The female soldier is on average, about 5 inches shorter than the male soldier, has half the upper-body strenght, lower aerobic capacity, and 37% less muscle mass. She cannot pee standing up She tends to get pregnant.

Whereas these are all facts, do they really impact a woman? t ability to perform routine military duties? There is proof that they do not. In the Israeli army, women are? perfectly capable of handling a tank many are better shots than men, and others are certainly more courageous? (Newsweek, 72). I find it difficult to believe that all men who enlist in the armed forces have the required strenght when they first enlist.

Gaining the necessary strenght is part of training. If men can achieve the strength through training, then so can women. There is also the inevitable issue of menstruation and pregnancy. A retired Special Forces colonel stated that, ? most females just aren? t physically prepared to live in the woods the way we do; they can? t shower; they? ve got female problems every month?

(ORBIS, 453). Although going through menstruation without showering can be uncomfortable, it is by no means unbearable. And women who are willing to fight in combat are probably prepared for those aspects. But what about pregnancy? Undoubtedly, this is an important issue. During U.S. deployment in Bosnia, starting in December 1995 and ending in July 1996,118 women soldiers had to be sent back to the U.S. due to pregnancies.

Furthermore, during pregnancy, ? a woman must be exempted progressively from routine duties? (Human Life Review, 37). Problems such as these affect the unit from which the soldier was removed, because they operate as a team, each member being integral to the whole. The apparent solution to this is just to not get pregnant, but as many know, this is easier said than done. In this case, the military could help prevent pregnancies by standard ly issuing various methods of birth control to its soldiers, both male and female. Perhaps the greatest argument against allowing women in combat is the ensuing effect of military cohesion.

Cohesion is defined as Shared committment among members to achieving a goal that requires the collective efforts of the group. A group with high task cohesion is composed of members who share a common goal and who are motivated to coordinate their efforts as a team to achieve the goal. (MacCoun, 291) The military aims for moderate cohesion, because high cohesion can promote prioritization of friendships and social activities over military responsibility. Many people believe that allowing women in combat is detrimental to the ideal level of cohesion, threatening to raise it, therefore downgrading military readiness.

Placing male and female soldiers together in mixed units inevitably presents sexual attraction. Wether or not these attractions are acted upon does not change the fact that cohesion is altered.? sexual competition would wreck comradeship and discipline? (ORBIS, 452). However, in a study by the National Defense Research Institute, Margaret C. Harrell reports that, ? our overall research findings are that gender differences alone did not appear to erode cohesion? (Harrell, 54). Furthermore, interviewed units felt that their coworkers were professional people whom they trusted.

From the research I have performed, I have learned a lot about why people believe that women should not serve in combat. The second half of this paper is devoted to the protagonist views of the dilemma. I plan to find sufficient evidence through women who are directly involved to prove that women should be able to fight and be treated equally in combat situations. The 1970's and? 80's marked the beginning of the women in military debate.

However, it did not start out negatively. The draft had just ended, and military personnel levels were at new lows. Congress had to start looking for new recruits, and what better place to look than in the female population. Women were a relatively unsought after group before, and offered a new field for recruitment. A congressional report stated: We are convinced that women could and should play a more important role.

We strongly urge the Secretary of Defense to develop a program which will permit women to take their rightful place in serving in our armed forces. (Stremlow, 29). The plan worked better than anyone could have expected, and the number of enlisted women more than doubled from 1972 to 1977. The recruitment of women turned out to have many unexpected benefits as well.

Whereas less than 67 percent of enlisted men were high school graduates, over 91 percent of women had received their diplomas, and all female recruits were average to above-average intelligence. The government's efforts to recruit more women proved worthwhile. In 1973, 2.5 percent of enlisted members were women. That number skyrocketed to 10.3 percent in 1988 (Stremlow, 31).

As more women joined the military, more opportunities became available for them, which in turn attracted even more women to the armed forces. As a result of this increase in women participants, many restrictive rules and operations were lifted. For example, women were now referred to as soldiers, as before there were labels such as Women Marines, or Women's Air Force. Also, promotions were no longer separate systems for men and women. They were now equally available. Perhaps the strongest of these changes was the elimination of the office of Women's Director.

Women had always been under separate instruction, but now women were to be treated, and administered, just like men. It is apparent that women who enlist in the military are aware of the situation they? re going into. So what makes them want to sign up, when they know their enemies are all around them? In the book, Sound Off, by Dorothy and Carl Schneider, enlisted women share their stories about why they joined the military. Many young women join the armed forces as a first step towards independence and maturity.? I wanted to leave home and see what it's all about, ? said a Marine staff sergeant, ? taking the plunge.?

Also, most women view the military as a great challenge. Many people, including family members and friends, don? t believe that a woman can be tough enough to be in the military, so women prove them wrong. For example, one Air Force Lieutenant Colonel relates her reasons for enlisting, ? My father said, ? That's for men.

It's too rough for you.? He honestly believed that they were going to send me home because I wasn? t going to make the physical part. I surprised a lot of people.? (Schneider, 8). Although many of the reasons we heard for joining the military are good ones, some of those same women aren? t necessarily proponents for women in combat. Now we will hear testimonies from those servicewomen who believe that women have every right to fight in combat.?

If we have raised our right hand and sworn to support and defend against all enemies, for God's sake let us do it? (Schneider, 148). Many servicewomen tell stories of fellow service men who at first were skeptical of women in combat, but eventually changed their ways.? My battalion commander said that he would be happy to have me serve with him in peace time or in combat.? Many times, men do not believe that women are capable of combat training until they actually see them do it. Women have served in combat and proved themselves worthy in other countries, such as Israel and the Soviet Union during World War II, as well as in Vietnam.

Even in America's military past, women have played a large role in combat times. Women drove trucks and ran communication systems on the front lines during WWII. According to one veteran, ? I was in combat. I didn? t have a combat job, but I certainly was in combat. I think that one of the strongest arguments about allowing women in combat is one of patriotic value and pride.

If men can fight and die defending their country and their families, why can? t women? In the past, women have proved themselves to be wonderful defenders of the home and family. We love our country just as much as any man does, and I believe that if we want to be able to die defending it, than we should have that freedom. No matter what arguments are brought up, and no matter what rules are passed, there will always be people who don? t believe that women belong in combat situations.

But I believe that sooner than later, the majority is going to realize that women are just as American as men, and that they have every right to defend this country. Although changes may be slow in coming, one thing is certain ? This is not your father's army anymore!? Claudia Kennedy, first female U.S. three-star general, West Point, 1997.851 1.?

New Opportunities for Military Women: Effects Upon Cohesion, and Morale? Margaret C. Harrell. National Defense Research Institute, Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 1997.2.? Women Can Never Belong in Combat? Anna Simons. ORBIS, Summer, 2000, vs. 44, i 3, p 451.3.?

Mothers in Combat Boots? Mackubin T. Owens. The Human Life Review. Spring, 1997.

V 23, n. 2, p 35.4.? Should Women Fight?? Field Marshal Lord Carver. Newsweek. March 26, 1990, vs. 115, n 13, p 35.5.?

What is Known About Cohesion and Military Performance? Robert MacCoun. National Defense Research Institute, Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 1993.6.? Serving Her Country, an Analysis of Women's Enlistment? James R. Hose.

National Defense Research Institute, Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 1990.7.? The Kinder, Gentler Military? Stephanie Gutmann. Scribner, New York, NY.

2000.8.? Sound Off: American Military Women Speak Out? Dorothy and Carl Schneider. NAL Penguin, INC. New York, NY. 1988.9.?

Coping with Sexism in the Military? Mary V. Stremlow, Rosen Publishing Group, INC., New York, NY. 1990.10.? Mixed Company: Women in the Modern Army? Helen Rogan. Academic Press Canada, LTD.

Toronto, Canada. 1981..