Letter: Women in combat is a good idea

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

I was offended by Kathleen Parker's Jan. 31 column, "Women face unique risks in combat, in enemy hands." First, we are talking about 18-year-old "boys" as well as "girls," notwithstanding their "adult" designation.

I would much rather that a soldier be "gassed up on" training and adrenaline than testosterone. Those not are gender specific.

As for body strength, some women will be able to meet those requirements and will want to. Generalizations about body strength will never hold true for every specific case.

Finally, why is training our boys to ignore the screams of female comrades worse than training them to ignore the screams of male comrades? What kind of society is that?

Rape is a horrible potential danger, but combat holds many horrible potential dangers. Combat also holds some special benefits and responsibilities.

Some of our young women will choose to take them on. If they do and they meet the qualifications, I say good for them and thank you from us all.

Diana Stack Roberts

Vancouver