Arin Merrill

Prof. Pack
ENGL 2010-033
Proposal
Your left, your left, your left, right, left. When a cadence is called to keep time while
marching, the cadence doesnt say for females to take a left step and for males to take a right
step, the formation marches as a unit, for marching as a unit makes them stronger. Each
individual plays an important role and contributes something different than the individual next to
them. Whether that individual be male or female. Both male and females have experienced a
similar mix of struggles, therefore, females deserve the same rewards as the males.
Females have been in the military since day one all of the way back in 1775 when the
Revolutionary War began. Whether they were actually fighting in it is a different question. The
military needed nurses and cooks and people to clean the facilities and who better to fill that role
than a female. In 1941, during WW2, more than 400,000 women were able to serve as
ambulance drivers, administrators, pilots, and nurses. During the Vietnam War, females were
laundresses, nurses, and cooks. But never were they allowed to fill a position in the front lines.
Women have been in the military ever since the military was created. The only problem is, to this
day, females are not allowed to serve their country on the front lines in combat roles.
In 2013, Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered that by 2016, all military branches will
have every job available to both males and females. Females have many different aspects that
they bring to the table that males just cant provide. Females in the front lines and in combat
roles provide diverse thinking patterns, creativity, insight, equal opportunity throughout the

mission, and in some cases, seem to be more trustworthy to outsiders. Not only would the
military benefit from allowing females to be in artillery or infantry jobs, but females would
benefit from it as well. It would provide military career advancements form the females but it
would take in to every aspect of what the United States stands for, equality.

Having quite a few military friends who have been deployed, I have heard many times
about how when the military does shake downs on the native people of the country they are
stationed at, it is against the natives culture and religion to have a male do a shake down on them
because he would be seeing too much. With females in the mix, the natives feel more
comfortable and the process goes along much faster and there is less stress to be had. This makes
the United States military more respectful and sensitive to the culture of the country they are in.

Females in the military provide a sense of diversity among the United States military. Our
enemies are becoming more cunning so we have to modify our tactics in order to come out on
top. The military, or the country as a whole, should not be blind to our diversities, we should
accept them and embrace them. Many studies have shown that with a diverse group, ideas flow
more easily and they tend to make better decisions. These differences should be used as an
advantage and should propel our mission forward in order to succeed as a unit. A diverse fighting
force is more dynamic and can more easily adapt to the next challenge thrown their way.
Females bring a different way of thinking to the fight. In a way, their though processes are more
empathetic and softer. It is not a manly modern Achilles or the strongest alpha male who makes
the best warrior leader in todays communication age. Military leadership today also requires
political and managerial skills, says Kelsey L. Campbell, author of Diversity and Inclusion. Any
role a male can do, a female can do it too, men and women are interchangeable in all roles. It is
easy to deploy a female as long as she is completely able, in some cases, you might be able to
deploy a female who is more prepared than it is to deploy a male. Females bring a different sense
of thinking to a unit and may bring a softer, more cunning tactical ability. Females bring
creativity to the battlefield, a more empathetic insight, and by incorporating females into the
battlefield, group intelligence rises.
Females work just as hard as their male counterparts so in doing so, females deserve the
same rewards. By not allowing females in combat roles, there is a limit, a speaker at the
Pentagon states, Their current and future earnings, their potential for promotion and
advancement, and their future retirement benefits, is strongly committed to examining the
expansion of roles for women in the U.S. military, as evidenced by the recent step of opening up
thousands of more assignments to women. By opening up combat roles and making the front

lines available to females, it provides them with career advancements. Females are just as
capable as males, but females are restricted to promotion and career advancements due to the fact
that they are only females. One military opportunity that has been opened up to females in the
military has been the chance to become infantry. In order to become infantry, the females must
go to and pass Ranger School. In order to have females make it through Ranger School the
military must put together that allows talented females to further advance their careers and
broaden their opportunity.
Many will agree that we are not stuck in the 1900s. Times have changed and along with
that, so have the ideas of gender equality. The only issue that stands with the idea of allowing
females into combat roles are the former and current war veterans that still have the mentality
that females are lesser than their male counter parts. Many soldiers and civilians feel as though
females cannot physically keep up with the demands required to become a soldier in the front
lines or in combat roles. One of the main arguments that those still opposed to the gender
equality keep throwing in is the fact that in even branch of the military, males and females have
different standards that they are required to meet in order to even enlist in the military. Being a
female in the military, I have to agree with the different standards set because what may be my
maximum could be a males minimum just due to the fact that our bodies are created differently.
Physically, a female will always struggle to keep up with the select few males but in some cases,
females can kick ass.
Another issue many state is the fact that females menstruate and due to that menstruation,
they become weaker, which could affect mission readiness. Not only that but during
menstruation, females can become emotional and they say this can cause problems when making
important decisions.

The last main counter argument that has its foot in the door is the difference between the
sexes. You put males and females into a small building and have them spend every day with each
other for a year or more, there is going to be some sexual tension. This issue can and will affect
mission readiness if all everyone is thinking about is sex.
I will not disagree with the many counter arguments that are previously stated, but I will
say that females work just as hard as males do and females see little or none of that reward.
Although the military is taking steps towards becoming more gender aware, they still have many
steps to take in order for females to feel as though they truly are equal to their male counter parts.

Work Cited
Alsleben, Chuck. "Women in Combat Roles to Bring Diversity to Military
Leadership."Military1.com. 3 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
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Cloud, David. "Barriers Remain for Women Seeking Combat Roles." Los Angeles times(2013).
Los Angeles Times. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://articles.latimes.com/2013/nov/21/nation/la-nawomen-combat-20131121>.
"Getting More Women into Army Leadership." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 3 June
2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/onleadership/wp/2014/06/03/getting-more-women-into-army-leadership/>.
Patten, Eileen. "Women in the U.S. Military: Growing Share, Distinctive Profile." Pew Research
Centers Social Demographic Trends Project RSS. 22 Dec. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/12/22/women-in-the-u-s-military-growing-sharedistinctive-profile/>.

Campbell, Kelsey. " ." Women In International Security Site Wide Activity RSS. 1 Feb. 2013.
Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://wiisglobal.org/2014/02/03/diversity-and-inclusion-imperative-forthe-u-s-militarys-future-success/>.
McGregor, Jena. "Military Women in Combat, Why Making It Official Matters." Washington
Post 25 May 2012. Print.