Picture yourself as a United States private and medic in an Afghan village, dodging bullets from Taliban fighters as you heroically shield and treat your fellow soldiers beside a burning Humvee. See the vice president pin the Silver Star -- the third highest military decoration for valor -- to your chest in honor of your bravery.
Now imagine that the Army, against your will, pulled you out of your platoon despite your valiant efforts on the front line because of a personal "flaw": your gender. This story is not fiction; it is the tale of 19-year-old Promoted Specialist Monica Brown, who was only the second woman in 60 years to receive the Silver Star before being removed from service because of the Army's rules excluding women from serving on combat missions (she was allowed to participate in the mission for which she won the Silver Star becuase she was the only medic available).
Despite huge advances in women's rights in the past century, the military lags far behind the rest of the country in terms of equality. The armed forces now include some female officers, pilots and military police, but restrictions still bar the "fairer sex" from serving on submarines or in infantry, special forces, artillery or forward air defense. Peruse the job opportunities advertised on the Army's web site to see for yourself. Many of the descriptions sport a big "Closed to Women" sign at the top.
This outdated, chauvinistic policy hurts rather than strengthens the military by preventing strong women like Brown from serving their country in the best way possible. According to Army documents obtained by National Public Radio last month, our military is already lowering its standards for applicants, accepting more people without a high school diploma and providing waivers for criminal charges, all to make up for waning interest in enlistment and augment thinly stretched forces who are increasingly called upon for multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to The Washington Post, many officers and outside experts believe preventing women from fighting alongside men is impractical and counterproductive. The wars in the Middle East have neither front lines nor reserve areas in which to "hide" female soldiers. Many servicewomen are already thrown into dangerous firefights, and they are an especially precious asset on the ground when working with local women in culturally sensitive areas.
To be blindly and bluntly rejecting all women from such service senselessly deprives the nation of the best possible protection. As there will always be innate differences between the sexes, some parts of the military may not as easily incorporate female soldiers. But we should be working toward that eventual goal of a society where men and women can stand side by side everywhere, including on the battlefield.
The military ought to be open to the best soldiers possible, not just the best male soldiers. Sure, not every woman is cut out for combat assignments, but neither are many men. If a woman proves herself capable of such missions, she should be afforded the same rights and position as a comparable male soldier.
Staff Seargent Aaron Best, one of the men who witnessed Brown's courageous actions, said in an interview with The Washington Post, "I've seen a lot of grown men who didn't have the courage and weren't able to handle themselves under fire like she did." Why should such a woman not be allowed to serve?
The Supreme Court sees no reason, as demonstrated in the case of United States v. Virginia in 1996, when the Court struck down the Virginia Military Institute's male-only admissions policy in a seven to one decision. Justice Ginsburg delivered the majority opinion of the court, classifying the policy among those that "[deny] to women, simply because they are women, full citizenship stature -- equal opportunity to aspire, achieve, participate in and contribute to society."
The Army used to claim it was a path to "Be all you can be." Good thing they changed that motto, otherwise they might have had a false advertising lawsuit on their hands. The slogan should have read "Be all you can be (unless you are part of the other half of Americans)."
