I have worked with women Marines when I was deployed in Al Asad. They were the true professionals that I remembered from my days with 9th Comm.
I saw women working in nearly every aspect of operations in Iraq.
I am currently conducting research for an article I want to submit to "Proceedings", journal of the Naval Institute Press.
The point I am getting to is a solicitation of opinions regarding the possibility of a female special forces unit. It would be somewhere in the realm of Recon, Seals and the CIA.
This unit would be trained extensively in Middle Eastern Languages, customs. Members would be dressed in the local attire (burqa's)(sp). With the proper training such an outfit could work undetected in places such as Iraq or Iran.
Recon and Intel work would be a start. It could possibly evolve into prisoner grab operations, and even sabotage.
In the Arab world women are virtually invisible. Men treat them as a non-entity. They move about at the periphery of middle-eastern society. That makes women the perfect candidates for covert operations.
I am hopping for the world's finest to give thoughtful commentary, and that this might prove a fruitful thread.
My step-dad told me once that women would make better ambush predator. If you had a man racing at an enemy and realized the enemy was a woman they hesitate. At that percise moment, the woman can take her shot.
Like many men have said on this site....women are a distraction in combat. I guess it is true.
During the first Gulf War an idea was tossed around our unit to send a woman in covertly to cut Sadam's throat while he slept. I volunteered, but I don't fit the profile of middle eastern. I wonder if that was ever attempted.
I guess I'm the wrong person to ask, too, because I don't really believe women should be in combat. I think it's a job for men and that's ok with me. Sounds funny coming from a female Marine, but that's just me! I might have wanted to do something like that before I got married and had kids, but after that, I knew I had kids to raise.
To hulinmr: Why do you think it won't work? Can you be more specific regarding the statement of long term possibility.
Sgt. Shaw,
I could see a total force structure of company strength. What would be a working number in the field would be a detachment of say one or two fireteams in the same AO.
Beyond the realm of special forces training and the obvious need for language and cultural training what else might such a force need?
Again thanks for your thoughtful comments.
regards, Carl M. Ploense III
PS. If you know of any posters on this site who might have a thougtful opinion to add please send them here.
If they would bring back 1stSgt Bridgette Connelly (served in Vietnam) I would request to be brought back to active duty to be under her command again. She was awesome! I retired in 95 but would come back in a heartbeat for this duty.
Originally posted by hulinmr: I just wonder about the long term possiblity of it, ya know?
No, I don't really get it. Not all women want to have children. And even some women that do have children are just as happy to take on any mission that their male counterparts might take on. This is not to come off as sounding, dare I say, "militant" but I have never understood why we have to be spoken for. It's a personal decision.
Like the Lioness unit they have today, it could be a specialized unit activated only during times they are needed.
I think they could be very effective, especially now. The men of that region would be astonished/insulted even, to see women standing up to them and carrying weapons as a show of force. It might even put them in their place and make them think differently about the women in their own families.
