LiveWire

We will probably disagree on many details of Panetta's order to eliminate the direct ground combat exclusion of women. I am troubled by the phraseology “plan to eliminate all gender-based barriers”. I don't know what that means. Decreasing the minimum time to carry a 50 pound pack through an obstacle course for women? Unacceptable. However, if gender is used as a basis to prevent promotion or deployment of qualified women, that, too, is unacceptable. My skepticism on governmental clarity is based on the inability of the current commander in chief to see and publicly state that the Ft Hood massacre was an act of terror and not workplace violence. What we can agree on is that we should to utilize the vast and varied talents of both men and women to be the backbone of the greatest fighting force in the world. If only the bureaucrats would change our rules of engagement and let our soldiers fight, we would do what General Patton urged his men to do, “Don't die for your country, make the other son of a bitch die for his country.” Israel seems to have integrated women into their armed forces well.