Military.com ran a story about Secretary Gates’ comments regarding women possibly serving in Special Forces units in the future.  I think what Mr. Gates was getting at was that forward progress and review of current policies is an ongoing thing and like putting women on submarines, it will be something that will take time and patience if we want to do it right. 

That is not however the take away from some knuckle draggers who saw fit to equate the very idea of women in Special Forces with the impending Apocalypse. 

Well, get your three horses ready, ladies because I do believe one day we’ll be at that point where we serve in combat, in special forces, on submarines; and possibly the day will come when one of the service branch heads is a woman.  I say this not in the hate-filled feminist way that implies as we take over we should rid the military of men, but rather as a woman who thinks women make an incredible contribution to our national defense. 

While I’m offended by the respondents who used colorful terms to describe what women are really good for (mandatory references to hookers and baby makers…seriously guys, this ain’t our first rodeo; come up with some original ways to try and demean us why don’t you) I would like to reassure the worried males masses that opening the Special Operations door to women won’t result in a Filene’s Basement sale frenzy.  Think about it.  There will be a very narrow field of women who will want to go into that field and for the most part they will self select.   Just like men do.  Many over-excited new recruits come out of boot camp thinking they are going to be the next Chuck Norris but most find other pathways; some go on to the testing and training portion and very few actually make it.

I very much doubt that Secretary Gates is going to round up a group of random military women and send them straight to BUDS. And as Admiral Mullen himself said while at a ceremony honoring military women, “If the talent pool is there, we need to recognize that and make sure doors stay open.”

FEMCOM would like to think people see the enormous possibility in the continuing progression of women in the military.   And the pushback we see now is the same pushback that went on when women were allowed to attend the service academies, when they wanted to fly jets, deploy, command ships or battalions.  Same song, different verse.

I just hope the women who have the first opportunities to enter the SOF arena REALLY want to be there because our experience shows that women who break glass ceilings simply for the purpose of being a crusader only manage to get glass all over everyone.  The true warriors in equality are the women who push ahead because they are talented, wicked smart and they realize it’s not about them but about the mission.