Jumat, 18 Oktober 2013
Senator John McCain (the 2008 Republican Presidential candidate) is a Vietnam war veteran who was held in a prisoner of war camp for five years. As a POW, he endured extreme pain and frequent torture over a long period of time; ultimately sustaining major damage to his shoulders. To this day he is still unable to fully raise his arms over his head. You may remember the 2008 presidential campaign in which he frequently grimaced in pain while trying to give a thumbs up, even though his arms were barely at the level of his head.
It is hard to imagine what would happen if a female soldier were held under similar circumstances. Yes, there are strong women already in our armed forces. They are prepared to suffer and are able to hold their own in hard times. Still, it is difficult to imagine them held as prisoners and subjected to prolonged torture. Additionally, the rape of women as a method of torture (in Bosnia, Darfur, Congo, and elsewhere) is a real and present danger. It is less common an atrocity used against male prisoners. A captured female soldier tortured by an enemy would introduce an entirely new and deeply troubling scenario for our government and armed forces
Should women be allowed into combat situations in which there is a likelihood of being captured? That is a question for policymakers to debate, and ultimately to resolve. But if a female member of the armed forces is held and tortured, an extreme outcry will go up for her release, with an added passion and anger not typically applied to male POWs.
What do you think of this possible consequence of allowing front line combat assignments for qualified female members of the armed forces? Leave your comments below.
