European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 17, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Marshal Sergei Fakhr Omeyer soviet armed forces chief of staff kisses it. Christine Lipp hardts hand in appreciation for her flying him to Norfolk va., from Carrier Theodore Roosevelt in 1988. A women in uniform expanding role Side by Side with men by Susanne m. Schafer associated press soviet marshal Sergei Fakhr Omeyer had a problem on his visit to Norfolk va., a few years Back. He wanted to thank the Navy pilots who a flown him to and from the nuclear powered Carrier Theodore Roosevelt a one a 25-year-old woman. Crisply Fakhr Omeyer returned the Salute of it. Cmdr. John Labella then faced it. Christine Lipphardt. She also stood at attention and saluted. Quot he did no to know what to do Quot recalls Fakhr Omeyer s Host and american counterpart adm. William j. Crowe then chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. It was Clear Crowe says that the Man who commanded millions of soviet soldiers could t decide whether military discipline a or his instincts a should prevail. Quot finally he grabbed her hand and kissed it Quot Crowe recalls with a chuckle. Quot and then she got confused Quot the Admiral now retired likes to relate the Story from 1988 to show the advancements american women have made in the military service. As army capt. Linda Brays command of a military police unit during the Panama invasion demonstrated women Over the last decade have slowly shifted into Many jobs that place them in harms Way. Bray Riding in an armoured jeep under fire directed troops of the 988th my co in an assault on a panamanian defense forces canine unit Barracks. Initial news reports said three panamanians were killed in the skirmish but the army said later no bodies were found. Quot shots were fired. I returned fire. And that a the Way it was Quot Bray said later. One who argues that women should be allowed to go into combat is retired Brig. Gen. Evelyn Foote who joined up when women were relegated to the women a army corps to serve primarily As nurses or secretaries. Quot when the shooting starts its a moot Issue Quot says Foote whose career spanned 29 years in posts from Vietnam to Europe. Quot the nature of the modern Battlefield Means that there Are no front lines no flank no rear of the Battlefield. If women Are serving they will be in  others remain sceptical. A the simple truth is this however Well one woman or 1,000 women May have performed in a firefight in Panama it does not change the fact that men a As a group a fight better than women Quot Lou Marano a Vietnam vet and a Washington Post editor asserted in a recent commentary. The women a armed services integration act of 1948 prohibits women from being assigned by the Navy the air Force or the Marine corps on Quot vessels or in aircraft that Are engaged in combat  army policy bars women from primary fighting elements a infantry tank and most artillery units a but they do serve in Many of the Supply or support units that could end up in the thick of Battle. The Legal restrictions against women in combat do not include the coast guard which is under the department of transportation in peacetime. A major question remains whether the women in coast guard command positions would be allowed to retain their posts should the coast guard be integrated into the Navy in time of War. As pressure has grown to open More military jobs to women the criteria for defining combat have changed. In 1988, Pentagon officials devised the Quot risk Rule Quot to determine the Chance any unit faces for being in combat encountering hostile fire or being captured. Because the services have some leeway Over designating which jobs Are open to women some restrictions have fallen by the Wayside. Debate rages Over others. At the end of 1989, some 229,000 women were in the army Navy air Force and marines about 11 percent of the total. The coast guard had about 2,700, or 7.3 percent. The number of women in the military has risen dramatically since 1967, when president Johnson removed a Rule limiting them to 2 percent of Force Levels. He also lifted the ban on women becoming generals or admirals. With the abolition of the draft and the introduction of the All Volunteer Force in 1973 the military began to recruit women to fill its ranks. According to a recent study by Rand corp., one of eight new recruits is female. And More women want to Volunteer than Are accepted the study said. While most women still enter administrative clerical medical communications or intelligence specialities they Are being integrated More and More into less traditional jobs. They Are graduating from the service academies and slogging through Basic training with their male colleagues. Side by Side with the men women control the nuclear launch keys in the air forces underground intercontinental missile silos. They be served aboard ships in the persian Gulf repairing and refurbishing ships blown apart by enemy missiles. They tote m-16s while guarding military Sites from Okinawa to West Germany and stand ready to ferry supplies to troops should War break out again along the demilitarized zone separating communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea. In Panama women piloted strategic air command tankers that refuelled the planes flying troops and supplies from the United Stales. They dodged bullets and artillery fire As they ferried troops into Battle aboard Blackhawk helicopters a with two female pilots nominated for the air medal with a Bronze v for valor the first women to be so honoured. Despite these advances the confusion that struck the five Star soviet marshal when he faced it. Lipphardt seems to afflict Many military and political leaders in the United states As Well when it comes to the idea of women As warriors. But there s no doubt in Lipphardt a mind. She s allowed to Fly planes to and from aircraft carriers with mail people and supplies but can t be based on the warships As a Jet Pilot because that would be combat duty. Now without a Chance 1o go after the toughest piloting Job she thinks the Navy could hand her a coupled continued on Page 14 tuesday april 17, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 13