Counterpoint
I take issue with most of Petula Dvorak's "We've Just Made War Safer for Women" (Jan. 26). Unfortunately one statement she made -- that more women likely will die -- is quite correct. I write from the perspective of a U.S. Army combat infantryman in Vietnam (1970-71), and a helicopter pilot in Desert Storm (1991) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2005).
Someone once said, "In war there are no unwounded soldiers." Believe it.
Understand that I'm not against women serving in the military, as many have done since World War II. Nor do I doubt that some can handle the physical and emotional hardships of front line combat. Women are serving proudly today and suffering wounds and death alongside their male counterparts.
Still, let's put that in perspective. Most of the women killed (139) or wounded (800+) in Iraq & Afghanistan served in combat support roles. They became casualties of improvised explosive devices, indirect rocket and mortar fire and aviation crashes. A very small number of these injuries resulted from direct small arms fire.
As you can see, a combat zone is a dangerous place, regardless of one's duty. But a front line soldier is always on the edge of death.
What troubles me is the Hollywood romanticized "GI Jane" notion of actual combat -- and the idea that by allowing women into the front lines their chances for promotion will improve. Women make up about 16 percent of our military and they have had generous promotion quotas for years.
The reality is that "war is hell," and we are seeing the results of this current war played out in hospitals across America with severe brain injuries, lost limbs and post-traumatic stress injuries.
