European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Women in direct combat Wake up to the Nightmare Dave Hamilton there has been a Tot of commotion on the Issue of whether women should be at Lowed to participate in direct combat roles. As a general Rule i like to avoid the initial flurries of opinion and take a closer took a and maybe even a position a after the smoke clears so Ive refrained from saying very much on this subject. Until now. Actually my position on the matter is simple if a woman wants to do such a thing and is capable of doing it she should be permitted to do so. How can it be any other Way but 1 have the Strong feeling we Are somehow missing the Point where our real focus ought to be. Like abortion and other hot topics of debate this Issue is not really that simple. No matter which stand one takes on the Issue there exist other a More significant a considerations. It is essential to examine exactly what Theadro catch of women in combat Are asking for. Is it just "equality1 which unfortunately is no More than a theoretical concept anyway ? is it so they can compete More favourably for bigger Bucks status and position in a male dominated peacetime environment if so the implications run much deeper than the Quot female right to fight exponents realize. Most of them Quot Haven to been there and Lack the requisite understanding of what pure War is about. Is a combat role something that any sane rational human being should actively seek clearly it is not. Taking human life and wreaking destruction constitute an ugly business. There is nothing Antiseptic about it. The Quot up close and personal Quot variety in particular is far More nerve racking and horrific than viewing a movie about it. In a tempted to believe that in Large measure the recent glorification of the military profession during the persian Gulf War has something to do with this insane craving. If so the real Issue has again been trivialized. As a Vietnam Veteran i am More than a trifle sensitized whenever i hear or read about the Quot combat test cd Gulf War veterans. Some were in the truest sense of the word and i acknowledge and Salute their efforts. But with rare exceptions that a Are did nothing to test . Combat Mettle incs tinal fortitude or sustained combat operations. It was More an exercise in fighting if you want to Call it that from afar twisting Joysticks instead of bayonets and seeing crosshair rather than do scr j ate wild eyed murderous rage at arms length. It was knowing where an enemy was. It was fixing and destroying him in the most impersonal fashion All conveniently taking place in a wide open expanse of Sandy terrain ideally suited for our weapons Sterns. There was discomfort and apprehension and yes even fear but precious Little of the Down deep gut wrenching fear brought on by literally seeing an opponents eyes feeling his touch smelling him and sensing his desperation. The Gulf War was won by dint of advanced technology and a geographical advantage that allowed us to exploit it. Nothing is wrong with that. Achieving Victory while sustaining the least number of casualties and doing so As quickly As possible should be the name of the game. / we should not be deceived by this kind of Success. Anyone a Man or woman a who claims to yearn for the Opportunity to participate in War As i understand it either simply Hasni to been there or suffers from some form of psychosis outside of my understanding. There Are other problems inherent in this notion that women should seek such roles and one of these does Call their physical capabilities into question. Undeniably there Are certain women who Are exceptionally fit and who might be Able to withstand the Rigours of combat and combat training As Well As their male counterparts but they Are aberrations. Another reason Why the business of women warriors should not be approached casualty is the unpleasant reality that it is not an equal Opportunity world for female prisoners of War. The treatment that Many female prisoners of War can be expected to endure will not be tempered by gestures of _ fair handedness. It will be bounded neither by axioms nor ideals but rather by imagination. Then there a the problem of maintaining an acceptable measure of discipline amid the madness in our own ranks. This is not As some would like to believe a Quot Given in War. Combat fatigue and a wide array of other environmental stressor Are interrupt ors that run counter to stability and predictability. I am reminded of a disturbed noncommissioned officer whom i knew during the Vietnam War. He was a staff sergeant named Dowd. He was one of those rare and extremely sick individuals who really did enjoy killing people. The kind of Guy who liked to make it As personal As possible. The kind who Savoured the ripping crack of a knife dug across someone s Throat and relished the feel of a Skull giving in to a full Force smash from a Rifle butt. Somebody somewhere at one time had verified that Dowd was a a Normal enough to join. The military. Everything i saw and had knowledge of told me otherwise. In truth i feared this unpredictable madman More than any actual enemy. I shudder to think what this kind of person would have Stone to a female Soldier in the Bush. Finally there is the worst part of All. Consider waking from a night of sheer exhaustion covered with Days a maybe weeks a of sweat and filth As Well As leeches dug into your Back neck legs and private parts. Imag inc sharing the closest of quarters with spiders As big As your fist. Rats As big As cats. Snakes. You done to even want to think about snakes unless you get hungry enough. Then you la Pray for them. Ever seen a Sumati face turn to goo or held your closest Friend while he a dying knowing there is nothing you can do about it or came across a Corpse after its liver was Cut out some cambodians used to eat them. Old Warrior tradition they say. Another one of those cultural differences. I am sure Many will staunchly maintain that they can Deal with terrors of such realities but my question is at what Price part of a person Dies forever in places like the Jungles of Southeast Asia. The Issue of women in direct combat will continue to be provocative. As such i expect my views on it will elicit a fair amount of disagreement for what they seem to say but 1 am hopeful that my critics will take the time to hold my observations up to the Light in lieu of trying to encase them in some sanitized formula Candy coated with emotions and idealism. I can easily visualize female infantry soldiers. They even were to be found in Cambodia and were indeed formidable opponents but what necessary purpose is served by seeking such roles the Contention that women can proficiently Man the control panels of today a sophisticated weapons systems As Well As their male counterparts receives no arguments from me but what happens when More is required does it make sense to try to find the answer to this when War itself makes no sense fighting for the right to do something is one thing. Fighting so that one can actually do it is quite another. I read recently of a study in which female military members a both officer and enlisted a opted by a Large margin when surveyed for direct combat specialities to be open to them. The same study though revealed that very few of them actually desired to work in them. These women May be far Wiser than we the Iii. Dav Hamlton work to Wiesbaden Gomany Send in your column plus photo of yourself to be our guest sunday Magazine the stars and stripes Apo 09211 or Postrach 11 14 37, d-6100 Darmstadt 11,  laugh a Gerberg Usa y 0 2a. / a a a on inc no wore ? to i o o c o o or to contents from the cover. 4-6 doctors for the defense. Sidelights. 7,9 the horror in Japan s War. Andy Rooney remembers Dick Salant. Odds amp ends. 10 Erma Bombeck covers Crummy clothes. In tune. 11 Bill Murray is a comic on top. This weeks films.12-13 Chuck Vinch gives thumbs up to a failing  cafes circuit  listings 14-17 local Cable and satellite  entertainment a honeymoon in vegas�?T1 a Good Gamble. 18 voices .21 Joe Bob Briggs rips Hong Kong s commie move. Words amp wit. 24 James Kilpatrick on the possessive . 25 investigating j. Edgar Hoover. On Parade .27 the latest on Simon Doherty lords if Amr. Last laugh. 28 Dave Barry on Clinton a no Relief taxes. Sunday is a weekly supplement of the stars and stripes editor Bucky Fox Art direction Edward Codina production Mon Trice Presley Denise Adams editorial assistance Louis d. Pierce Pace 2 a sunday March 7,1993