In
January 2013, the Department of Defense lifted the ban on women serving in
combat roles. While women have already
served in positions that put them in harm’s way—no war can be fought without
the potential for harm—the lifting of this ban means that job assessment will
be based on skill, talent, and ability to perform rather than on genitalia.
CNN
Special Report
According
to the report above, the move is designed to level the playing field and create
a gender neutral military. Women serve in all branches of the armed forces.
Jobs such as assignments to submarines were once denied to women because of the
disruptive potential of having a woman somewhere men would feel compelled to
protect her.
Battle
Brothers
In
a battle, Marines, soldiers, airmen and sailors defend each other. If a man
goes down, his battle brothers are going to protect him. They pick him up and bring
him home. Armed forces are trained to
protect each other—so having boobs doesn’t mean those instincts are going to be
any less developed or any more deserved.
Leveling
the playing field means the best-of-the-best get the right jobs. As a woman, I
am extremely proud of this decision. Women have served our country with
distinction for decades and eliminating barriers. The simple truth is that
anyone serving in a combat theater is in danger—male or female.
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| Buy Combat Barbie |
Engagement Teams
Jazz
(No Regrets, No Surrender) and Mary (Combat Barbie) met when they were assigned
to a Female Engagement Team (http://regionalcommandsouthwest.wordpress.com/about/female-engagement-team-usmc/). They conduct outreach through interaction
with women and children and keep up information on local population.
In
areas like Iraq and Afghanistan, women are more successful at reaching other
women. They spearhead community programs to help local communities and they
don’t violate the cultural standards of the local population. Mary and Jazz are
very proud of their work. With the step
down of Marine forces in Afghanistan, the FET teams will begin to transfer their work to local forces.
Understanding
Service
In
Combat Barbie. Mary returns home for
leave just in time for her tenth high school reunion. She is extremely proud of
her work and whether FET teams are being stepped down or not, she has no plans
to exit her service—she makes a difference every day and plans to keep doing
that.
What
women have made a fundamental difference in your life?
About:
Heather Long lives in Texas with her family and their menagerie of
animals. As a child, Heather skipped picture books and enjoyed the Harlequin
romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts that her grandmother read to
her. Heather believes that laughter is as important to life as breathing and
that the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are very real. In the
meanwhile, she is hard at work on her next novel.
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