European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 29, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 letters the stars and stripes readers join debate on women in combat this is about inc recent articles in the stars and stripes and news segments on an about women in combat Why is everyone making a big commotion Over it first in the stars and stripes there was an article about women in combat with a Story about capt. Linda Bray and he assault on the dog Kennel in Panama. Later on the from Page there was an article about the . Southern come ordering All women in the Panama operation not to talk to the press. The first Story stated Bray led her military police platoon against the Kennel. Did Bray actually Lead the assault on the Kennel in person or did she under orders from higher commanders in inc Southern come. Have troops under her command assault the Kennel which resulted in the deaths of three Panama Nian defense Force members what is the difference anyway in a women Soldier in the army military police or air Force Security police Here in Europe doing away with one of the top terrorists while on duly and a woman commander following orders in Panama would inc Public be outraged because a Soldier was defending lives and military property i think not. Panama was not a War so no Laws were broken by inc . Military. And military polite units Are noncombat units but combat support. Support troops do gel involved in inc fighting. This is by Accident and not by design. If everybody would Check into the Inci Donl they May find out that some people in command in Panama believed thai the Kennel to be a Low risk assign ment and it was Given to Bray s my platoon. I believe thai no one foresaw a firefight would happen there. Then Why All inc uproar Over a woman commander follow ing orders a l. .  . West Germany in response to inc article. Female officers in pan Ama ordered not to talk to press i know Many women who would disagree with your statement that women Are now excluded from artillery units 1st . Wendy k. Grasmuck Wiesbaden West Germany i would like to Correct a statement that i heard on an news. The announcer was discussing the Contro Versy about the role of women in combat and whether or not any had earned the combat infantryman s badge c1b while in Panama. He stated that since these women were not assigned to infantry units they were not entitled to the lib. The announcer erred however when he stated thai a woman had never received the congressional medal of Honor c my. One has. Or. Mary Edward Walker received the chm in january 1866 for her civil War service. When the War broke Oul in 1861, she applied for a commission in inc Union army As a surgeon and was turned Down. Nevertheless she spent the next several years As a Volunteer treating the wounded near inc from lines. Finally she was appoint cd Assisi and sur Geon of inc 52d Ohio inf. A month later she was captured and sent to a Richmond. A. Prison. After the War Walker lobbied for promotion to major for her services. This request was denied but president Andrew Johnson perhaps wishing to placate her instructed the so arc Lary of War to Issue inc medal of Honor. She wore it proudly every single Day. Until her death in 1919. While Walker is an inspiration 1 relate her Story Here to Correct the historical record not to advocate a role for women in combat. I think that anyone regardless of gender who cannot meet the demand ing physical requirements of combat should be excluded. Thai Means thai most women must be excluded. The problem i have with the military on this Issue is that the physical requirements females must Eccl to enter service arc watered Down for political Rea sons. That translates Insp More Battle deaths. Period. Anyone who argues against this Point is pushing his own political Agenda. Unfortunately any military Man or woman who docs not push this same Agenda on subordinates will quickly find his career foundering on the rocks of unemployment. Non support of equal employment Opportunity is a Cardinal sin in the Black shoe army. Recruits arc Given physical exams prior to acceptance in the army. Why because Flat feet bad Knees and poor vision arc liabilities in Battle. Sending less than completely healthy people into Battle is undesirable and therefore we would t think of lowering Ann Cupl.  Bray these standards for soldiers would we Well we be essentially done this for women. If the average woman cannot run a mile As fast As the aver age Man. We simply lower the Standard. Yes. Israel has used women in combat with sonic Success. Hut Israel is surrounded by hostile countries sporting 50 limes her population. She has in Choice. We Don t suffer i he same demographic my geographic problems and therefore a ivc a Choice about whom we Send to fight. If my son is wounded in combat and the 9x-Pound weakling sent to pull him to safety gets her or his head blown off because she or he can t measure up to real life standards then the army has failed our country. Notwithstanding politics that is the final analysis. Frank r. Sweet Kriegsfeld West Germany As i get older and i Hope Wiser events in my life sometimes cause me to reconsider my thoughts and ideas. It is Well known that most people resist any form of change in their lives. I am also that Way i like to think that my Way of thinking is Correct and anyone with another opinion is ate  the time to change my Way of thinking has come. The Chain of events Over the past two months in Panama has caused me to believe 1 have erred again. I have never thought much of females in the military or in my work environment. I am not sure Why i Felt Hal Way bul i did. As far As i know there were no bad reports on the Job done by the females who took pan in Hal action in Panama. This is nol my Point just the fad that they were there made me snarl to Lake a different View of those females in the areas where i work. There is no doubt thai there arc bad female soldiers in the system. By the same standards there arc bad male soldiers what in really boils Down to is soldiers arc soldiers and both sexes and All races cultures and ranks have Good and bad sol Diers. I know the females in the military Don t want or need my stamp of approval i just wan cd to share my thoughts in Hope that it might change others. We arc All troops and we All need each other. Let the bad ones male and female not be inc reason to judge a whole group of people. Sgt. . Tatem Heilbronn West Germany Ever since the stories of a female officer involved in combat in Panama hit the press i be read Story after Story depicting Pentagon and Mili tary officials As being sexist if they oppose women in combat. Apparently some people have Over looked a few Basic facts and have failed to View the pragmatic Side of women in combat. The is sues extends far beyond mental capabilities and physical Sorc Ngoh. First the United Stales military is nol sexist. It pays a female the same paycheck As a male with the same rank and Lime in Grade. The benefits arc the same. The military offers a comprehensive program for parenthood which far exceeds that offered by Large corporations. The Basic facts overlooked by those Over Ealous females dying to enter combat roles Center around health care and Hygiene. Combat areas Are not equipped to provide bathing facilities nor can sup plies be further taxed to Troal medical problems that will arise from poor Hygiene of female sol Diers. I Al s nol Overlook inc fact thai women Bear Chil Dren. We can l sidestep this fact. I wonder if those pushing for women in combat want to run pregnancy less on All females prior to deployment. I sincerely Hope people look beyond the sexism concept of women in combat and examine the Logis tics of such a move. 1st it Kalherine m. Clave m Heidelberg. West Germany i am writing in response to the article concerning women troops being denied the combat infantry Man s badge. According Loar 672-5-1, Only infantry soldiers Are awarded the badge. So the next logical step is to allow women into inc combat military occupational specialities. After All. Women Aren t getting a fair Deal combat equals faster promotions right wrong i personally know a lot of men Oul there who would love to be Able to slide out of the military on a pregnancy discharge. But they can l. I know of men who Aren t in the military because icy could t pass their it lest. Hut they could have passed the women s i t test. Let s Slop the double standards the women activists scream. Women can do anything a Man can. I agree. Let s make a uniform it lest same for men and women. Lei s drop the pregnancy discharge. Once you enlist you re in. I am a woman and i m sick and tired of All this ridiculous talk. I served in the military and i did my Job. I also realize one very important problem. Nol All women Are men s equals. Pregnant women have serious limitations. I know. I have three children. If greed for faster promotions pushes women Inlo Tombal Moss. Lei Equality reign. Bul let s be equal to both sides. Equalize the it test and drop inc pregnancy discharge. Then and Only Ihen if a woman wants to enter combat Moss let her. A Bullet does t discriminate. Randl Ignarro bad Hersfeldt West Germany i can t help but feel the old boy no work . Inc military feels a bit taken Aback by the proficiency of its female troops during inc recent invasion of Panama. Your paper reported thai female soldiers were prohibited from talking to the press regarding the controversy of women in combat. I was dismayed thai such censorship Over free speech would be in  but nol surprised. Furthermore it struck me Hal had the my unit assigned to the kennels been Lead by a Roan rather than Bray no such statement claiming Gross exaggeration of the incident would have been issued. My my can it be thai the proven Success of women in one of inc last bastions of male dominance and exclusivity has inc old boys feeling threatened Well just gel used to us boys because we re on our Way. It May not be tomorrow or the next Day but some Day soon the final barriers left to women in combat will come tumbling Down. We will work twice As hard probably Only to receive Little to no credit like Bray and right brain out think you to the lop. Soon you la have women Gener als in your closed door meetings and you won t be Able to keep us Down any longer just remember men of Quality Are never threat a cd by women of Equality name withheld Birndorf West Germany