There are over sixteen thousand women currently serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Germany, Japan, and other related areas and continue to play more active roles in areas of conflicts. At least sixteen industrialized countries -- mostly U.S. allies -- allow women to serve in combat roles and some have done so for more than a decade.
Identifying front lines in today’s battlefield can be a difficult task. Women in combat support roles are being stationed closer and closer to the front lines exposing them to ground combat. Combat support roles will logistically place female soldiers in battle zones. A female flight surgeon on an Apache helicopter that is shot down would be unable to avoid the combat zone.
During Desert Storm, scud missiles were launched deep behind front lines where there were many women soldiers. A scud missile landed in a…show more content… Five of the eight crew members died in the crash. Cornum had a bullet in her shoulder, both her arms were broken, and she could not stand on her knee because of a blown ligament. The Iraqi soldiers pulled her out of the copter by one of her broken arms and threw her into a circle with another survivor. She was sexually assaulted while in Iraqi custody, yet she did consider the assault the worst part of her imprisonment. Her story of bravery helped convince Americans that female soldiers could serve in expanded roles in wartime.
Another concern of allowing women to serve in combat is the question of whether they have the physical strength needed to carry out the mission. A specific level of physical conditioning required to complete military basic training. It is grueling conditioning and can make or break a soldier. If the basic training is same for both men and women then they would be able to get the physical requirements needed for
