From: cthong@fraser.sfu.ca (Christopher Thong)
Subject: Re: U.S.: Women in combat? But they might get HURT!
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 08:08:39 GMT

i was a draftee in the singapore armed forces and completed my training and
performed my tour as an infantry section leader and a physical training
instructor. we have a country of about 2.8 million people and an army of 
actives and reserves of about 300 000. women serve mostly non-combatant
or support/logistics roles in the forces but as of 2 years ago, i was going
out with a newly graduated female officer who served as a comms . officer
on a naval vessel in the local navy.
i would assume that she was damned good at her job and had a darned sight
better leadership quality in her than MOST of the people on her ship.
still she had trouble getting what she wanted done done and had to put
in twice the effort to get half the recognition.
i can only offer these unbiased explanations of why women (using her as
an occassional example) in general may find it hard in the millitiary
and why they should not be allowed to fight in a combative role (from 
what i will try to assume would be the Brass's point of view.
1)women have never been associated with the millitiary.
chauvinistic?yes. True? yes.
to expect the millitiary to drastically alter their mind set when there
is no shortage of ready willing able MALE young bodies volunteering
is hoping for a whole lot. if theres one thing i've learned , it's 
that people on top in the ultimate tape-and-file- bureaucrasy -the armed
forces - would rather the world changed around them than otherwise.
2)as my ex-girlfriend was the odd one out on the ship. the fact that
she was of a higher rank and calibre than the men did not count for
much.
i) the armed forces principle reason for NOT aloowing women into active
combat service is because the army is all about de-indidualisation.
the treatment of yourself and your buddy as equal. you share the same
rooms , you have to bathe together, sleep together and you're expected
to treat that buddy with no more or less consideration or respect than
the rest of your section mates. do you see the problem? in a society
that is as heavily oriented towards treating women as the WEAKER sex
as we live in , there can not, MUST not be the risk of favourtism or
the tendency of paying extra consideration to ANY member if your unit.
men in the forces if not elsewhere may not ALL subscribe to the weaker
sex theory but there is always the risk of uncomfortability or a
change of opinions during a stressful situation. risks that the brass
would like to avoid . besides , can you see a woman rifle-person having
to bunk and bathe seperately from the rest of her section?
special considerations......
ii) being part of a team means that one does not try to stick out.
one is a part of a mechanism first and an individual second.
sounds dehumanising yes , but thats millitiary doctrine. let the leaders
lead.... it would be a very typical situation for a bunch of gunners
and r.plotters on board the ship my friend was on to make her the topic
of the day's discussion or to feel awkward about accepting commands from
her . it could have been overcome in time i'm sure (their attitudes) but
time is an important factor in millitiary process and once again the risk
of a reversion to former thought under stressfull conditions was present.
she was transferred out after 2 months with a glowing report.
iii) lastly, it's been found that a lot of women in the millitiary have
boyfriends or husbands (or ex- boyfriends etc etc) in the forces too.
you can see the potential for conflict of interest here thaT the forces
would be trying to avoid? any relationships in a COMBAT capacity would
be especially prone to C. of I .  this is a reason why homosexuals are
'discouraged'  from combat roles.
the opinions expressed above are generally those of the brass i would 
assume - i can only ASSUME as i was only a Cpl.  they in some / no 
way  reflect my opinions too.
just thought you should get another look at the quandery.
personally , that female Major (rhonda) shot down and raped behind 
enemy lines would be a typical situation if women were allowed into
combat service. but one must also see that the SAME possibility of 
being sodomised (Albeit less slightly) extends to us males too.
......and cannibalism seldom is a dicriminating urge......