Added combat role for women earns approval

With a policy change from the Pentagon this week allowing women in the military to serve in more combat roles, even some area naysayers are saying it’s about time.

Defense Department officials released changes to the military’s assignment policy Thursday permitting female troops to serve at the battalion level as intel officers, military police, medics, communications officers and more — a total of about 14,325 new jobs for women, according to reports. The move overturns a restriction barring military women from positions co-located with ground combat units. Remaining in place would be rules barring women from serving in ground combat units such as infantry and artillery.

“Women are contributing in unprecedented ways to the military’s mission. Through their courage, sacrifice, patriotism and great skill, women have proven their ability to serve in an expanding number of roles on and off the battlefield,” Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said in a statement about the change. “We will continue to open as many positions as possible to women so that anyone qualified to serve can have the opportunity to do so.”

The new policy is expected to take effect this spring.

Near Camp Lejeune, some of the strongest voices against an expanded combat role for women have been retired male Marines.

Retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Richard L. Ray last year denounced a study supporting the concept of women in combat.

“If you ask submariners if they want a woman on their sub, you would find out they don’t; just as men fighting for their lives do not want a woman on the front lines with them,” he wrote.

Reached Thursday, Ray said his opinion was changing about the value of having women in combat, and he applauded the Defense Department’s move to expand their role.

“You know, old dogs like me don’t like to see new tricks like that,” he said. “But the Corps is evolving.”

Ray said he knew that women were risking their lives already on the front lines as airplane and helicopter pilots and in other roles, and they deserved credit for their role in winning the war.

“I never wanted a female in a foxhole with me and don’t to this day,” he said. “But I’m not as dogmatic about it as I used to be.”

Retired 1st Sgt. Arthur Thorne said he had no problem with formally increasing the combat role of female troops, but said he had grave concerns about women who might use pregnancy as a way to avoid deploying, forcing other service members to go in their place.  

“I’d rather have a woman there that’s willing to be there and ready to go do her job than I would 10 people that I have to constantly take care of their problems,” he said.

According to Linda Lacy, a retired Marine reserve major and former president of the Tarheel chapter of Women Marines’ Association, objections to having women in the fight have already been made irrelevant.

“(Women are) right there in combat zones already,” she said. “They’re right in the zones and they are combat trained.”

Lacy said the new DoD recommendations were a sign of progress for military women.

“They’re not allowed in tanks, and they’re not allowed in infantry fighting, but I think we’re slowly moving in that direction,” she said. “I think what they’ve opened up recently is wonderful.”

The timing of the move is also apt, Lacy said. On Saturday, the Women Marines’ Association will celebrate the 69th anniversary of women in the Marine Corps.