Articles & Letters
 
Women have no place in combat
Letter to Gannett Westchester Newspapers

The Pentagon's decision to send women into the combat zone of Panama may have opened a Pandora's Box for America's military.

The physical and emotional problems inherent in a co-ed fighting force will further complicate the confusion in a combat operation.

Still, some condone combat roles for women soldiers. Rep. Patricia Schroeder plans legislation granting women voluntary access to combat roles for a four-year test period. Concurring with Schroeder, The National Center for Men, which demands fairness and equal rights, states; "Women vote and hold political office, both of which determine our nation's policies that could lead us to war. Consequently, young women should be registered for the draft and eligible for combat as the men have been."

Eventually, when women soldiers are listed among our dead, we will have to agree that they are succeeding in their quest for equal opportunity. Mikhail Gorbachev's praise, "The finest minds have always underscored the peacemaking role of women," will then seem to many people an outdated opinion.

Anthony Nazzaro

Return to Articles and Letters page

Printer-Friendly Version