Women shall not put on the Armor of a Soldier.

[Tyler90AZ]

Right, Combat Engineer is also restricted to men as well.

I looked about and there really isn't just one good link of info. Wiki has this for what it's worth.

Can't forget about Combat Engineers or I might be offended...

[Tyler90AZ]

Every army soldier in Iraq and in Afganistan is infantry. Its just a fact of life. Doesnt matter what their training is. I didnt understand why my kids were infantry when that was not their mo. That is when they told me EVERYONE is infantry in practice.

They may protect convoys or other combatish tasks. More then likely they even experienced combat through those experiences. I get what you are saying... Although they would never go on combat specific mission. Like an infantry might be sent out of the FOB to go kill a high value target. Like a Combat Engineer would clear roads of IEDS. In short, you are right, I am just getting into pointless details.

[annewandering]

I worry about them all. Why do we even have to have wars at all? No ones kids should be out there risking their lives because politicians cant get their acts together and stop starting wars.

I so much love the story of the people in the Book of Mormon that said they would never lift up arms again. Period. They covenanted with God that they would never do it again. They were attacked and were they destroyed? No. In fact the enemy was changed by what they saw.

We do live in an evil world and it seems we have to protect ourselves. But I weary of the desire of governments to send out our young soldiers to be killed and to kill. TSo many come home in caskets or damaged. The ones that are not physically damaged are very very often mentally damaged. When will it end? I do not want my kids to ever fight again. I pray for the second coming so that we can end that damning evil.

[Hala401]

I can respect your opinion however, having been around the military the majority of my life and having worked with many females in the military, they are so many that are highly committed to their jobs. I've seen many work as hard if not harder than some of their male counterparts.

Plus I kind of take offense that you seem to have lumped all men into one category. Not all men are dangerous in high stressed situations. Not all destress in the ways that you have insinuated.

I think women hold an important part in our armed forces. Do I think they belong in battle? Front line infantry probably not. But there are many women who are put in some kind of battle situations quite often and manage to do quite well.

Considering my history with men, I must admit to a lack of objectivity. I defend your right to your opinion on the rest.

[Guest]

I worry about them all. Why do we even have to have wars at all? No ones kids should be out there risking their lives because politicians cant get their acts together and stop starting wars.

Sorry, last I checked, the USA did not start any war without provocation. Last time I checked, 3,000+ lives fell in NYC.

Let me put it to you this way. I'm a peace-loving person. But, you go in my house and hurt my kids, you're going down.

I so much love the story of the people in the Book of Mormon that said they would never lift up arms again. Period. They covenanted with God that they would never do it again. They were attacked and were they destroyed? No. In fact the enemy was changed by what they saw.

I read that same story and it ended with the forming of the Strippling Warriors - the Army of Helaman. And yes, they went to war.

We do live in an evil world and it seems we have to protect ourselves. But I weary of the desire of governments to send out our young soldiers to be killed and to kill. TSo many come home in caskets or damaged. The ones that are not physically damaged are very very often mentally damaged. When will it end? I do not want my kids to ever fight again. I pray for the second coming so that we can end that damning evil.

Last I checked, the United States Armed Forces is a volunteer operation. The government do not send them out without their full consent. If they don't fight that war over there, they're gonna have to fight it over here. Unless, of course, you don't care too much about freedom and you are willing to just hand it over to the next guy who wants to take it forcefully... and there are tons of them. Colonial rule only ended because Britain and America are strong enough to say nobody is going to do that around here anymore. When one or both of them weaken, you'll see all the Kim Jong Un's and the Achmadinejad's of the world take on their neighbors - and the world.

When will it end? Never. Wars have been a part of humankind before Adam even made it to Eden. The second coming will not end it. It will just protect you from it if you end up falling under the protection of Christ. But then Satan will be losed. In the Kingdoms, you are guaranteed peace in the Celestial Kingdom. Not so sure about the others and certainly not in Outer Darkness.

So, how do you bring peace? Missionary work.

Edited May 29, 2012 by anatess

[annewandering]

You added the United States to my statement not me. :) Anatess have you sent your kids out to war? If you have did they come back whole? Since you bring the US into it, check and see how many of the presidents who have sent our kids to war have a: sent their own kids b: gone to war themselves.

There used to be a saying that if governments want to wage wars let them go and fight it out and leave the rest of us home.

Oh we have had to fight wars. I was even in favor of them. For the stated purpose only! I HATE war. There is another saying. What if we had a war and no one came? We have to stop them and we are doing a lousy job of it. We are fighting a war on terrorism. Or were. Now we have changed the entire focus. I was NEVER in favor of fighting so Iraq or Afganistan can be democracies. That is not our business. They do not have a democratic society. They have to work their way same as we did, internally.

War never accomplishes anything but killing people and giving more power to the winning leaders.

As far as women going to battlelines I say keep them all home. Men and women.

There will always be evil in the world til Christ comes again. I guess we can kill them all or hey how about converting them to a better way of life? You're right. Its not going to happen. Its not profitable enough.

[Misshalfway]

I wonder what the LDS take on women in the military is?

I think the only "take" you're going to get is an individual one. For the most part, the church stays out of stuff like this.

I get a little uncomfortable when I hear statements like "Combat is no place for a woman." That's like saying "the delivery room is no place for a man." And anyway, all women are not created equal. Some might not do well in combat, while others can really shine.

[annewandering]

I think the only "take" you're going to get is an individual one. For the most part, the church stays out of stuff like this.

I get a little uncomfortable when I hear statements like "Combat is no place for a woman." That's like saying "the delivery room is no place for a man." And anyway, all women are not created equal. Some might not do well in combat, while others can really shine.

This I believe. :)

[Hala401]

I think the only "take" you're going to get is an individual one. For the most part, the church stays out of stuff like this.

I get a little uncomfortable when I hear statements like "Combat is no place for a woman." That's like saying "the delivery room is no place for a man." And anyway, all women are not created equal. Some might not do well in combat, while others can really shine.

Bullets have passed my head and had things have blown up on me. I will not reveal the setting. I will freely say that combat would not suit me, though I can pick the center out of a target, my composure leaves me abandoned in bad situations.

[Guest]

You added the United States to my statement not me. :) Anatess have you sent your kids out to war? If you have did they come back whole? Since you bring the US into it, check and see how many of the presidents who have sent our kids to war have a: sent their own kids b: gone to war themselves.

There used to be a saying that if governments want to wage wars let them go and fight it out and leave the rest of us home.

Oh we have had to fight wars. I was even in favor of them. For the stated purpose only! I HATE war. There is another saying. What if we had a war and no one came? We have to stop them and we are doing a lousy job of it. We are fighting a war on terrorism. Or were. Now we have changed the entire focus. I was NEVER in favor of fighting so Iraq or Afganistan can be democracies. That is not our business. They do not have a democratic society. They have to work their way same as we did, internally.

War never accomplishes anything but killing people and giving more power to the winning leaders.

As far as women going to battlelines I say keep them all home. Men and women.

There will always be evil in the world til Christ comes again. I guess we can kill them all or hey how about converting them to a better way of life? You're right. Its not going to happen. Its not profitable enough.

My grandfather went to war and didn't come back. You think any of us regret my grandfather's decision to go to war even if he left my grandmother widowed without any means to support her 3 kids? Nope. Why? Because, if the Philippines didn't go to war, we wouldn't be the Philippines. We'd be Japan. Which, as a predominantly Catholic nation would be a death sentence to our Christian religion.

But, I guess there are some people who feel that it is not worth fighting for. I'm glad America believed that we, as a sovereign nation without the military might to fight Imperial Japan, is worth fighting for so we can have a semblance of democracy.

You won't be able to change my mind on this Anne. I lived in a country that is a by-product of American benevolence and I will forever be grateful for that. And now, because of that benevolence, it is so much harder for terrorists to gain a foothold in that country regardless of its proximity to the terrorist training grounds of Indonesia. We fight them everyday. Our puny, albeit American-trained, military dying everyday in Southern Philippines doing its part to protect the rest of the western world. If they take the Philippines, they'll be able to launch missiles from there to Guam. And from there, they can launch to Hawaii. And from there, the mainland.

But, that's okay. You can pretend it's not happening. We'll fight the battle for you so you can continue to type in your computer about the evils of war.

[Hala401]

I wish I felt as if our present presidential candidates were making more effort to promote compromise in tense cultural situations. I feel uneasy when one of them is making more noise about a Strong Military than about diplomacy.

I would feel more confidence in our leadership if one of the past presidents had not lied to the congress 26 times to get us into Iraq.

As it is, I am thinking of starting a campaign to downgrade the status of the USA to British Colonies once again, and to petition the Queen to come over here and administer corporal punishment to our present adolescent leadership. It is disgusting.

[bytor2112]

Well..... Joan of Arc and GI Jane come to mind as historical figures of women in combat roles.

[Hala401]

Well..... Joan of Arc and GI Jane come to mind as historical figures of women in combat roles.

Yes and she lost her head over it. The Russians did use women in their defense forces, and the Germans can attest to the idea that Hell hath no fury like a woman ...

[Hala401]

To the citizens of the United States of America

From: Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. (You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).
Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.

Both houses of Congress will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,' 'favour,' 'labour,' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise.' Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (Look up 'vocabulary').

2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as 'like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of '-ize.'

3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

4.You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse...

5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler; although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.

8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

11. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancy boys).

12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.
13. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.
God Save the Queen!

[Guest]

If nothing else unites us as a country, that ought to.

[annewandering]

Israeli's have female soldiers as well.

Anatess, I know you do not like war despite what you have said in your posts about the necessity. Neither do I. I did say I see how we have to fight sometimes for a PURPOSE. I do not like it and want it to change. But. It is not going to change soon. Too much evil in the world but not a reason to quit trying. If we dont try to solve the problem then you are right. Wars will never end. Only by trying can we stop.

You dont have to fight for me. We have lots of soldiers out there already for that. One is my daughter and two were my sons and one was my son in law. My father fought in WW2 and my one grandfather was in WWI. My great grandfather was in the civil war. At least one of my great grandfathers was in the Revolutionary War. Many, many of my family have died in wars. A lot of my family became Quakers too. Still are. Its enough. How about if we fight for peace instead this time?

[annewandering]

lol thanks for reminding us of why we arent british. I admit I tend to spell british though. I am forever having to delete the u's. lol

[Guest]

How about if we fight for peace instead this time?

That's what we've been fighting for. Peace. Gone are the days where we fight for colonies. Now, we just want to preserve our way of life.

[annewandering]

I wish you were right, Anatess. You have a lot more faith in mankind than I do.

[Hala401]

I'm pretty disgusted with our present political situation, and at least the UK has had the chutzpah to send Syria's diplomats packing.

Having recently been Muslim, my knowlege of Middle Eastern affairs shows me that it is fundamentally dense to send a single American boot to anywhere over there. These people have been fighting each other since before 635 AD, and they like it.

I prefer the Queen.

[annewandering]

I prefer someone I can vote for. :) Wish I had a choice in who I can vote for.

[volgadon]

When you consider their equipment and clothing, I would say a woman who is able to lift another soldier, man or woman, would be extremely exceptional. And she probably wouldn't be able to carry him/her far.

Not really, as the trick is in how you lift. There are tiny female physical therapists who are able to lift large men.

[volgadon]

Israeli's have female soldiers as well.

My sister served.

[volgadon]

Yes and she lost her head over it. The Russians did use women in their defense forces, and the Germans can attest to the idea that Hell hath no fury like a woman ...

[Hala401]

I prefer someone I can vote for. :) Wish I had a choice in who I can vote for.

Yes, on the one hand we have a person whom the other side would sell their very souls to the devil to rid themselves of, and the other we have a person who is said to be a corporate raider and part of the 1%.

I do not know what to do.