Women on the front line of war
The death of Sarah Bryant, 26 and married two years ago to a fellow intelligence officer, has raised questions about Britain’s increasing use of women on the front line of war. Soldiers are now routinely selected for operations regardless of their gender. About a fifth of the 8000 British service personnel in Afghanistan are women, even though they make up just a tenth of total army numbers. Army rules forbid the deployment of women in operations where they would be expected to “close with and kill the enemy”, but such traditional definitions of front-line warfare don’t apply to conditions in Afghanistan and Iraq. “We now have an asymmetric battlefield,” said Major Bruce Spencer. The front line could be right outside the camp gates or 50 miles away. We select people on the basis of what they can do, not on the basis of their gender. Women are part of the full panoply of the Armed Forces. The risks that they take are the same as anybody else, and they understand the risks.” A Tory MP and former soldier told the Times, “I don’t necessarily like it very much. But she signed up.” ~ The Times (UK), June 19 Comments (1)David J. Webb said...United States | Wednesday, 25 June 2008 at 9:13 am Page 1 of 1 : New comment |
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The gender revolution that has girls playing football and their mothers running corporations hit a speed bump this week when a woman intelligence officer was killed, along with three other reserve members of the Special Air Service, while on a secret counter-terrorism mission in Afghanistan. The groups’ armoured vehicles were hit by a roadside bomb.
Carolyn,
I don’t understand the point you are trying to make here. I am a Catholic Army officer and served in OIF in 2004-2005.
Firstly, the modern military enlists only volunteers. No one is a conscript. All enlist freely. Soldiers are not victims and should not be pitied - wars are awful and involve casualties and KIAs. Every soldier knows this and knows someone who didn’t come home. However, our wars, especially against Islamic jihadism, are just wars. So while you may be a Catholic, please don’t assume that all Catholics are anti-war or into surrender. Your pacifism is not mine. You need to read more widely and just grow up about the Islamic threat. Whether you like it or not, it is SGT Bryant and others who are defending Christian civilisation, not hippy pacifists and Barack Obama.
Secondly, the modern military could not operate without female troops. Females are vital to all sea, land and air forces, especially in combat support roles. A woman’s place is just as necessary in war, same as a man is. The army is a family and we all fight as one.
Thirdly, I followed the link and read that Sarah Bryant (RIP) was SGT Bryant. This means that she enlisted at least 6-9 years ago and was a senior soldier in her unit. She would have had command responsibilities for junior soldiers and was a true combat leader. Please admire her for her leadership in a forward area.
In sum, SGT Bryant died doing her duty in the finest tradition of the British Army. God rest her brave soul. She is a role model for other soldiers, male and female.
DJ Webb