May 1, 2008 1:14

Women can't excel at dangerous jobs unless they're allowed to try

Did anyone see this story in WaPo today? Ann Scott Tyson writes,

Pfc. Monica Brown cracked open the door of her Humvee outside a remote village in eastern Afghanistan to the pop of bullets shot by Taliban fighters. But instead of taking cover, the 18-year-old medic grabbed her bag and ran through gunfire toward fellow soldiers in a crippled and burning vehicle.

Brown won a Silver Star for her bravery. But she also lost her post.

Within a few days of her heroic acts, however, the Army pulled Brown out of the remote camp in Paktika province where she was serving with a cavalry unit -- because, her platoon commander said, Army restrictions on women in combat barred her from such missions.

These rules were apparently forged in 1992, and critics call them outmoded in today's wars. Her commander only assigned Brown the post because he had no other medic. Brown is one of two women to ever receive the Silver Star—likely because women aren't allowed to serve in dangerous positions.

Am I the only one thinking, okay, never mind her gender—she's 18! If the military is letting soldiers that age go into combat, who cares which toilet he or she uses? Anyway, is it right for women to be held back from combat?

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