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Sweat trickled down her back between her shoulder blades, and her stiff combat boots cut into the tender flesh around her heels. She was in a small town located halfway between Nuremberg and Munich, Germany. The shouts of German and American soldiers echoed around her. It was 1984.
Col. Karen Helmeyer’s muddied uniform hid the fact that she was the only woman among the 20 soldiers preparing to make the annual 120-mile march between German and American headquarters. She would be the first woman to ever complete the trek.
“After the march, I was really quite proud of myself. It wasn’t easy for any of us, but I had that extra pressure of being the first woman. When we finished there was a military ball in honor of the German-American partnership. We were a little nervous about putting on our formal uniforms, specifically about how we were going to walk in our dress shoes,” Col. Helmeyer said. “The team was introduced, and we all walked in wearing our formal dress uniforms, but I was the only one walking in heels. I’ve never been the trailblazer type, but I felt good that I succeeded and set an example for others. I broke down one little barrier, but I can look back now and say that was part of the big picture.”
In January, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta brought down yet another barrier as he made an official announcement reversing a 1994 policy that called for excluding women from serving in combat units. Panetta said he would give units until 2016 to formally implement the new policy. Women are currently barred from more than 230,000 combat positions, though they currently make up 14 percent of the 1.4 million active military personnel, according to CNN.
Reaction to the military’s shift in policy has been mixed.
“Personally, I am ecstatic that women are now allowed into combat. As long as they are tested to be physically and mentally capable to do as well as their fellow soldiers, it is a great decision,” junior Katie Welch, a JROTC cadet, said. “It is controversial because typically men surpass women when it comes to strength. In my opinion, as long as a woman can pass all required tests, it’s a great thing. People are starting to notice that women are very capable.”
Critics are honing in on the physical demands of the combat duty. According to American Medical News, the average 20-year-old woman only has the strength of the average 50-year-old man.
Also, as Jennifer Ackerman mentioned in a National Geographic article, the arrangement of a woman’s pelvis causes a 10 percent slower running speed compared to that of men.
Many are concerned that in an attempt to compensate for such physical differences, the military will lower training standards. In September 2012, the Marine Corps’ infantry course, a rigorous three-month training program, was opened to women. Only two of the 80 women who qualified actually volunteered to participate. Neither of the two actually completed the course.
“Certainly there are some women who are stronger than some men. But on the general side, I think that men are just a lot stronger. There may be a time when you need a little more strength in certain areas. If she is not capable or able to do what needs to be done, there will be a problem,” Lt. Col. Randy Lytle, JROTC senior instructor, said. “However, I think the training standards will stay the same. The standards now are set in place where women can be successful just like a male. Men and women, certainly, are physically different, so women have their own standard and men have their own standard. I don’t think that they will change the women’s standard just because they are going into combat. If anything, they should make the standards tougher.”
Recent modifications in policy suggest that standards are becoming stricter. The Marine Corps is now expecting women to complete pull-ups during the physical training test, rather than the flexed arm hang alternative. Both men and women must complete two to pass.
Some critics are concerned about how mentally prepared women are for hand-to-hand combat. According to studies administered by the American Psychological Association, while males have a higher risk for traumatic events, women suffer from higher Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) rates. Considering that 11 to 20 percent of the Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have PTSD, some fear that these numbers will increase with more women in combat.
“I think that it is the wrong move if the whole idea is to make women equal to men in the military,” Lytle said. “War is scary. No soldier wants to go fight. They do it because they have to; it is their duty. If called upon, I will do the same thing. But I can’t think of anyone who wants to go out there and face that type of thing. Therefore, I don’t think women are mentally prepared for such a gory perspective. It’s bad. War is never pretty. It is an ugly, nasty thing. Women are more emotional. My unprofessional opinion is that it would really hit a woman worse than it would hit a man. Now we are dealing with more PTSDs. Those are the type of things that run through my head.”
Although the policy changes are just beginning to be implemented, more than 280,000 women have already served in combat zones in which there was little distinction between front lines and rear support, according to Time.
“It’s not about women being prepared. It’s about people being prepared. It’s about people being able or unable to handle things,” Helmeyer said. “I know a man who passes out at the sight of blood. I know a woman who is a trauma surgeon. I’ve seen both men and women cower when mortars were landing, and I’ve seen both tend to injured people.”
The male response to this change in policy is also a question circulating in the controversy. With gender roles a reality in many facets of society, there is the fear that adherence to these expectations will interfere with the duty of the soldier. Some worry that male soldiers will exhibit misplaced chivalry on the battlefield by attempting to protect female comrades more so than themselves or other male comrades.
“I plan on going into the Marine Corps after high school. So to an extent, I am kind of excited that women are being allowed into combat. But I am obviously scared too. If that were me, I would be scared for the men I am serving next to because I do not want anything separating them from their duty,” senior Jacqueline Black said. “I really don’t want that. If I can help it, I would rather be the one to shoot first than to get shot and survive. I don’t want people to get some bleary eyed thing about me being defenseless. They need to know that they have a duty and that is not to protect me but to protect their country and themselves.”
Despite the contention that surrounds this recent modification in policy, many still view Sec. Panetta’s announcement as success on the frontlines in a battle for gender equality.
“My experience in the military was that once you were working together gender issue was not an issue. Women have been in the military for years and years and a lot of progress toward equality has been made,” Col. Helmeyer said. “This question, and this entire issue, comes down to traditional gender roles versus equality in modern society. It’s complicated, and people feel conflicted. It has always been this way, and you can trace the struggle with this issue over history. Allowing women in combat is just the current variation of this issue. This is a transition, and we will make incremental progress. We will not go backward.”
By Lauren Stepp, junior editor
