Shots Across The Bow

This is from www.msnbc.com posted Friday under the headline "Signs of US POWs found at hospital"

AN NASIRIYAH, March 28 -- U.S. Marines who secured a hospital that had been used by Iraqi forces later found several bloodied U.S. uniforms worn by female soldiers, NBC's Kerry Sanders reported Friday from the hospital.
The find suggested that Iraq had held several POWs at the hospital, which is in An Nasiriyah, a town where at least five Americans were taken prisoner and eight went missing after their convoy came under fire.
Sanders was shown where the uniforms were found --inside the bathroom of a larger room that had been padlocked. It was the same room where 3,000 nuclear, biological and chemical suits were found when the Marines moved in.
The uniforms, which had had their American flag patches and names ripped off, were found inside a bag.
In another room, Marines found a large battery next to a bed -- leading them to suspect it was used as a torture device, Sanders reported.
One female U.S. soldier is listed as a prisoner of war and two as missing in action. They were part of an Army maintenance convoy attacked by Iraqis after making a wrong turn in An Nasiriyah on Sunday.
In that incident, two U.S. soldiers were killed, five are known to have been taken prisoner and eight are listed as missing in action. The known female POW is Spc. Shoshawna Johnson, 30, of Fort Bliss, Texas. The female soldiers listed as missing are: Pfc. Jessica Lynch, 19, of Palestine, W.Va.; and Pfc. Lori Piestewa, 22, of Tuba City, Ariz.

To the men who think women should not be in Iraq:

As women, we have proved fearless in fighting for our freedom in america, and just as any race that has fought for freedom and now has the right and priveledge of fighting for the country they love, Women have every right to do the same. We are equal in every way, if not stronger than men. We carry our burdens and our family's too. We can carry the weight of the world on our shoulders and keep on fighting. We do it everyday, in our homes, in our jobs, in our families, marriages and in our lives. We know what it is like to be pushed down and denied our God given rights. And if there are a people in another nation, suffering the burden of oppression, we have a war in our hearts that is strong enough to free them. And we are qualified in every way shape and form. Not only in body, but in mind. Our hearts are from birth, filled with a passion that cannot be killed, or tortured into subordinance. We are equally capable of finding knowledge, but are uniquely and devinely blessed with wisdom. The bible says, "Child, obey your fathers commands, and listen to your mothers teaching." & "Seek wisdom, for SHE will be like an ornament of grace upon your head." The bible advises us to learn discipline from our fathers, but to find wisdom in our mothers. The bible also refers to wisdom in the female form, giving us quite an insight into the strength that God has given women. We labor for hours, and days, in excruciating pain to bring you into the world, and without so much as a complaint, we give our lives to teach you beauty, wisdom, integrity and most importantly strength. All without so much as a thank you or an ounce of appreciation. But we do it with love, and never a single regret. If anyone has the power, passion or force to defeat the arms of oppression, it is women. We bring men into this world, and we can take 'em out!

Alice,
I don't doubt the courage of women, or the strength of their heart. Nor do I doubt that there are some women who can measure up to the requirements of combat.

But the truth is that most women can't, or won't measure up, and our politically correct military has seen fit to increase the risk faced by every fighting man by holding female soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines to a lower physical standard. I've served on a coed ship, and I've seen the effect this double standard has. Unless she is held to the same standard as a man, the men in her unit will not develop the same degree of trust in her as in the other men. This is particularly true in forward deployed units where contact with the enemy is highly probable.

However, there is a more important reason why I object to having women in the military; they are not as expendable as men. We can lose thousands of men and replace them in a generation; the same cannot be said of women.

There's no doubt about your heart, or your motivation, and it isn't because you aren't good enough. It's because you're needed more in another role.

Might I ask what role women are "specifically," NEEDED for?