U.s. School Military Leadership

Reporter, Dailymail.com. "First Women to Pass Ranger School Were given Extra Training and Lowered Benchmarks after General Vowed 'at Least One of Them Will Pass', Report Claims." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 25 Sept. 2015. Web. 17 May 2016.

Thesis Statement: A few females are joining the military, and those taking leadership roles is even small, caused by existence of limited information about the Army and less combat roles, and this can be addressed by lifting ban on women on combat and creating more combat support jobs.

From Continental Army Soldier Deborah Samson to Army Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester, American ladies have been serving in the U.S. Military for several years. Women have been a piece of the war exertion since the Revolutionary War, yet in the beginning of our country they needed to mask themselves to serve alongside men. When they were acknowledged into the military, ladies were given helper or supportive parts. As the weapons and strategies for fighting changed in the late 20th century, in any case, the Pentagon started to soon understand that whether you were female or male; it mattered less on the combat zone.

Women now make up 14 percent of the active-duty military in the United States, which is up from 1.6 percent, 25 years prior. (Christian Science Monitor, 1). In 1948, President Truman signed the Women 's Armed Services Integration Act which created the role of women in the military. This law meant that each branch of the service was allowed to have one female Colonel (Byfield, 12). As of 2015, there are many women who serve as Generals and Admirals. All of these roles are non-combative. Even though some women can do anything a man can do, the vast majority can not, therefore making it an unsafe idea to place these women into combat positions.

Many women suffered injuries from the road marches with full gear, and running in combat boots or our suede Converse sneakers up and down hills for miles at a time at a pace often under 8-minutes per mile… Frequently turning purple by the end of the runs, I decided early on that I would pass out before I let myself drop out of a run.” The vigorous training led to a high drop out right, only leaving 62 female cadets left for their graduation in 1980. However, that number was higher than originally anticipated. A month before graduation People Magazine went West Point to interview some females cadets on their personal thoughts and experiences. Most women spoke proudly about their accomplishments at the academy, but their were a few voices of concern. “When I first came it was difficult, but it has changed, and it is changing. A lot of experimentation went on with us…our femininity has been unfairly slighted many times along the way…I don't think women should be sent to combat duty, but that’s not because I think women cant do it—I just don't want to be shot at.” Mixed feelings about co-education at West Point were not just limited to female cadets, but male cadets as well. Some men didn’t want the women there at all, while others didn't care one way or another, and some fully accepted women during this

Ranger School is one of the most difficult training camps to get into combat. Students there have to live off very little sleep, and complete a variety of difficult tasks. There have always been women interested in getting put into combat, but at Ranger School, only two have made it far. 75% of people who make it as far as those two girls did, graduate from training. The two woman didn’t “get off easy.” Everything that they did, was exactly the same as how the men did it. At the beginning of Range School, there were 19 girls. Majority of them left when they didn’t successfully complete the early tasks. There are many people that agree and are happy that these women made it as far as they have, but there are still some who

It is clear that in today’s society there is still a growing controversy surrounding equality between gender, specifically women in the military. Jobs for women in the military were not common in the late 20th century, with only 67% of military positions open to women. In 2014, those percentages increased dramatically, with about 95% military positions open to women. The idea of women being exposed to violence was a concern to the public. The media have often shown violence against women, particularly rape and abuse, making women appear to be victims.

The armed forces are the ones who protect and serve our country. Back then the military, the navy, and the air force had one thing in common—they only recruited the men to serve and protect. Now over time women are finally allowed to serve along sides the men, but not without putting up a fight for equality in the armed forces. The author Rosalind Chait Barnett, who is a scientist and a director and the Brandeis University, wrote the article “Women and Work: Where Are We, Where Did We Come From, and Where Are We Going?” which talks about the past of of only the women being oppressed. Martha McSally, who is a professor at the George C. Marshall European Center and is also retired from the U.S. Air Force, wrote the article “Defending America

In order for all aspects of the military to become equal, ground combat roles need to include both males and females. Despite the physical differences and the fear of lower standards, it is crucial for women to be active in these positions. If the military opens up all positions to women, in addition to the 90% of positions already available, it will open up a plethora of opportunities for women during and after serving their duty. If

Michele Hickford, a communications strategist and award-winning advertising copywriter, says that two women have just made history by becoming the first women to complete Army Ranger School, one of the U.S. military’s premier courses to develop elite fighters and leaders; they will be graduating from the school on Friday, October 23. Eden, a ninety-five pound five foot tall female Marine Iraq war veteran, says that “pipsqueaks” like her should not be in combat if they can not do everything the average male soldier can do (Hickford). There are many women who are qualified enough to serve alongside men, but if they do not have the qualifications

     Women have played a tremendous role in many countries' armed forces from the past to the present. Women have thoroughly integrated into the armed forces; all positions in the armed forces should be fully accessible to women who can compete with men intellectually and physically.

Maj. Lisa Jaster, Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver (Martinez, 2015) have all graduated from the elite Army Ranger School. Thanks to these women and their efforts, Army Secretary John McHugh announced in December of 2015 that all soldiers, regardless of gender are now welcome to participate in Army Ranger School. In addition to this, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter made the decision to open all combat related jobs in the military to any woman interested in and physically conditioned to pursue them (Donahue, 2015). The purpose of the Army Ranger course, just as any other combat related course is to teach soldiers how to overcome stress, fatigue, and hunger in combat (Martinez, 2015), so that they are able to perform at their best in extreme situations. The fact that there are women who have overcome these obstacles to prove their ability to serve in combat should lend itself as an inspiration and a

When it comes to combat assignments and the needs of the military, men take precedence over all other considerations, including career prospects of female service members. Female military members have been encouraged to pursue opportunities and career enhancement within the armed forces, which limit them only to the needs and good of the service due to women being not as “similarly situated” as their male counterparts when it comes to strength or aggressiveness, and are not able to handle combat situations.

After years of discussion and debate it appears that soon women will be sent into combat operations in the United States military. This is the way it should be because women are ready and competent to be put into combat roles in the U.S. military. Indeed, slowly but surely, the Defense Department and Congress have been inching towards a decision that will formalize the policy; in fact the National Defense Authorization Act, put before Congress in May, 2012 by U.S. Senators John McCain and Carl Levin will in effect order the military "…to come up with a plan to send women into battle" (McAuliff, 2012). Hopes are high that this will be approved by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama.

The DoD’s effort to be fair and equitable to both sexes inadvertently created a very interesting dilemma. In this ever changing world of conflict and a growing number of enemies that seek to destroy us, the DoD has decided to look toward women to perform more