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Thanks for that, Longovicium
The role of women in battle has been traditionally downplayed... with perhaps the exception of the steppe cultures. Related to your observation, a significant number of Alanic and Sarmat female graves contained archery equipment. As an archery instructor for juveniles, I soon discovered that my best (most accurate) students were girls.
mile:
Back to the subject. I once saw a very early bell cuirass, claimed as Celtic, that was exceedingly feminine (quite a bust) and purportedly made and worn between the 1st to 3rd century BC.
Alan J. Campbell
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
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"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
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There is no doubt that at least in the U.S. military, combat roles in ground forces for women have been thrust upon it in deference to political correctness. There have been women in combat support and combat service support roles for decades. Woman have performed quite well in the latter two, including in combat situations. How well women will perform in combat roles, such as infantry, artillery, armor/cavalry, etc., is yet to be seen. To argue that some women can do well misses the point to some extent. The problem is to what extent physical standards will be lowered in order to accommodate women. This is being considered. If this occurs, this will allow not only women previously ineligible, but males as well, to serve in combat roles. That would be as disservice to all.
The Israelis had women in combat roles, but phased the program out quietly as I recall. As the IDF is frequently in combat situations, perhaps there is a lesson. That certain European countries have embraced women in combat roles is singularly unimpressive in my humble opinion as they have not engaged in war since WWII. My experience is jaded, I suppose. But in my deployments overseas, I observed that fraternization was a significant problem. Perhaps that has changed.
Publius Quinctius Petrus Augustinus
(aka Pierre A. Kleff, Jr.)
Petrus Augustinus
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Quote: The problem is to what extent physical standards will be lowered in order to accommodate women. This is being considered. If this occurs, this will allow not only women previously ineligible, but males as well, to serve in combat roles. That would be as disservice to all.
The reduced physical robustness of recruits has been a severe problem for many years in the UK Armed Forces and the standards have been lowered, certainly in the UK, to accommodate different Services never mind the recruited numbers required.
Re-institute a more competitive, contact sport based curriculum in schools and it may help, but sadly certain recruitment chachement areas have always provided substandard recruits; the problem is getting worse without adding women into the mix.
Moi Watson
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
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Actually one of the problems with schools in the US is that they focus too much on sports and not educating the students. My school used to be the top school in the state, and still is one of the best, but the principal doesn't hire anyone who's not a coach now, and the problem with that is that these coaches coming in don't know how to teach and many of them could care less about the teaching part.
