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H. Thomas Hayden
recently concluded over 35 years of service,
which included the Agency for International
Development, the Marine Corps, defense industry
and the Pentagon. His specialties are Intelligence,
Counterinsurgency Operations, Counter-terrorism,
and Joint Concepts Development and Experimentation.
His Marine Corps assignments have included
command of two separate battalions; AC/S G-2,
4th MARDIV & AC/S G-2 FMFEurope; Branch Head,
HQMC, Special Operations and Low Intensity
Conflict (SO/LIC); Special Assistant to the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for SO/LIC;
and, Senior Program Analysts at HQMC with
the Joint Staff and DoD at the Pentagon. Overseas
assignments included Vietnam, Japan & Okinawa,
Europe, Central America, Saudi Arabia and
Kuwait, Somalia, Singapore, Philippines, and
Colombia. He has an MBA (Pepperdine) and an
MA in International Relations (University
of Southern California). He has written two
books and is working on a third.
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January 4, 2005
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For one who has written many articles against women in combat, I have to acknowledge that woman have made a significant contribution in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. What is all this nonsense about the so-called potential long-term consequences of putting woman soldiers and Marines in support of ground combat units?
Critics of placing women in combat units say the Army particularly is manipulating rules governing such assignments to achieve a "social agenda that would substantially and significantly change the way the United States fights wars and possibly put all soldiers -- men and women -- at greater risk," according to a syndicated columnist who shall remain unnamed in order to protect the guilty.
A 29 November 2004 briefing by the senior Army personnel officer, Lt. Gen. James Campbell, included a phrase, "The way ahead: rewrite/eliminate the Army collocation policy." Collocation is deploying mixed-sex non-combat units alongside all-male fighting units.
It is evident to most seasoned Middle East observers that women soldiers and Marines are needed to handle the Arab women where it is sacrilegious for an infidel to even look at an uncovered Muslim woman. It has been reported by many news media sources that women Marines accompanied the 1st Marine Division into Falluja to deal with the Arab women found in the combat zone.
Bravo Zulu (well done) to the women Marines who undertook this hazardous assignment.
Current official Army and Marine Corps policy prohibits women in units specifically designated as combat units. A policy memorandum written on 13 January 1994, by then-Secretary of Defense Les Aspin, a great Clinton women rights appeaser, restricted women from direct ground combat units. The big debate today is that Mr. Aspin did not say the Army had the power to act unilaterally, as some politically correct writers currently claim when they say Army policy is "silent on dropping restrictions on women in combat."
Some go so far as to contend that because National Guard enlistments are down, orders to extend currently-serving National Guardsmen and other service personnel beyond one year of duty in Iraq, are being used as an excuse to "ram through their social objective of placing women in combat."
All the arguments in the past against women in ground combat units have centered around concerns regarding unit cohesion, increases in sexual harassment, rape and pregnancy, and the so-called social revulsion most feel about seeing women wounded or killed in combat. I've lost count of how many women have died in combat in Iraq.
The really surprising argument being offered against women in combat roles is that the Army personnel director is issuing policies that should be set at the top of the Pentagon, and not by so-called lower ranking military and civilian authorities. Critics argue that overturning restrictions on women in combat will weaken our military's effectiveness in fighting and winning wars.
I am hesitant to even quote a columnist who writes, "There are enough challenges to our military at the moment. Changing such a significant policy banning women from direct combat, especially during a time of war and with no input from those who have the power to set policy, is a bad idea that is not in the ultimate interest of women, men or the
strength of our armed forces." This is nonsense.
I am still personally opposed to women being assigned as riflemen (sorry riflewomen) in ground combat units, but women surely have a supporting role to assist ground combat units in searching Muslim women and generally dealing with Muslim females.
In Vietnam, I do not remember any question of assigning women to ground combat units. As a matter of fact, I do not recall seeing many women in supporting roles at MACV Headquarters in Saigon, or doctors and nurses at field hospitals.
In the Gulf War, my battalion, Headquarters and Service Bn, 1st Force Service Support Group, had 50 some women Marines at one time or another. My Supply Officer, a Marine captain who had graduated from the Naval Academy was one of the best "men" in my battalion. She could score 1st class on the PFT and was an outstanding officer. I had her decorated for her superb performance of duty.
The battalion had a regular mission of combat support and combat service support, and we had the additional duty of Rear Area Security (RAS) for the I Marine Expeditionary Force. For the RAS mission we had two companies of Military Police, an infantry rifle company, a Naval Port Security and Harbor Defense Force, which include a Coast Guard Port Security Unit, and all battalions of the Group provide Marines for a Guard Force.
We conducted daily combat patrols inside the massive port complex of Al Jubail, and we additionally sent mounted and dismounted combat patrols out into the vast Saudi Arabian desert surrounding the port.
No women stood guard duty but all worked day and night alongside their fellow Marines without complaint or special consideration. Many woman Marines did ask if they could accompany us on one of our combat patrols. Unfortunately, that would have been a ground combat role and was not permitted. Truth be known, I would not have had any concerns about some woman Marines fighting with me in combat.
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