Women in Combat!

Newsmax sent the story first:

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/US-Women-in-Combat/2013/01/23/id/472653

Within seconds of the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-to-remove-ban-on-women-in-combat/2013/01/23/6cba86f6-659e-11e2-85f5-a8a9228e55e7_story.html?wpisrc=al_national

I personally don't like it; I think it will make life harder for young women who are willing to serve but not to kill. But it looks as if I've been outvoted.

The women who wanted this to happen feel overlooked when, e.g., although a few female relatives have been keeping up my own family's Army tradition, I still think that "soldier" and "serviceman" are basically masculine nouns, that a woman soldier is a sort of honorary man. Back when Associated Content existed I got a very nice message from a retired servicewoman reminding me that today's generic soldier is "he or she." In theory, remembering "he or she" will make us all respect women more because they've risked and sacrificed just as much as men. In practice, although women always have risked and sacrificed--in non-combat military service, in civil service, as mothers, all of the above--I think the unfortunate trend is toward ingratitude toward all veterans, male or female, so I'm not sure what sacrificing more young Americans' mothers is going to help.

Arr...there's the right way, the wrong way, and the Army way, and this is now the Army way. The more you complain, the better you like it, riiight? Let's all suck it up, and remember to thank our soldiers and veterans, male and female.