Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: U.S. panel says no to women in combat Date: Wed, 4 Nov 92 16:16:30 EST Message-ID: \SE A \HD U.S. panel says no to women in combat \BY Rowan Scarborough \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES A presidential commission yesterday grounded the drive to put women in combat. Five angry members walked out of a tense debate on direct air combat before returning to vote with the 8-7 majority against female fliers. "I do not want to see women unnecessarily die," said commission member Sarah White, a sergeant in the Air Force Reserve. "There is no military necessity to see women unnecessarily die." The Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces also voted 10-0 to retain the Pentagon ban on women joining ground combat units. It delivered one victory to pro-women-in-combat forces, voting 8-7 to recommend allowing female sailors to serve on large surface combat ships, but not on submarines or amphibious assault vessels. The vote against female combat pilots was a bitter blow to some members of Congress, women's groups and aviators who had waged an aggressive campaign to lift the ban. Female military pilots now are restricted to flying "support" roles. Congress, which voted last year to erase the exclusion rule after receiving glowing reports on women's performance in the Persian Gulf war, is sure to challenge the commission's 8-7 decision. President Bush will receive the report Nov. 15 and has a month to include his recommendations before forwarding it to Capitol Hill. Visibly upset was Navy Lt. Paula Coughlin, the helicopter pilot who told superiors and the press of how male aviators sexually abused her at the Tailhook Association convention in Las Vegas. "I think what transpired in there is probably just as damaging for morale of women in the military as what I and other women endured in a hallway in Las Vegas last year," she told reporters. "It's just inappropriate. Women are qualified to do the job, and they should be allowed to do it." Lt. Coughlin also lashed out at individual commissioners selected by congressional leaders and the Bush administration. "We've got what I consider professional homemakers deciding on the morality of me as a naval officer. I don't consider that appropriate," she said. Commission member Kate O'Beirne, vice president of government relations at the Heritage Foundation, dismissed Lt. Coughlin's characterization. "God, I hate it when women do that," she said. "I went to law school 20 years ago. Do I do dishes? Yeah. What am I, a traitor to the sex? I'll be the first to say women ought to do pretty much damn well what they please doing. . . . "I think us commissioners who voted against opening up combat aircraft to women were probably persuaded by the very real potential for cohesion problems, asking young pilots to be gender-blind, to not worry about a woman, to not treat her differently." The commission's deliberations ended eight months of hearings, field trips and internal debates that revealed two distinct camps. Adamantly opposed to any prospect of women joining direct combat were Samuel Cockerham, a retired general; Elaine Donnelly, a conservative women's activist; Darryl Henderson, a former Army officer; Ms. O'Beirne; Ronald Ray, an ex-Marine combat veteran; and Ms. White. Commission members favoring changing some exclusion rules were Chairman Robert Herres, a retired four-star general; Mary Clarke, a retired Army general; Marine Brig. Gen. Thomas Draude; Newton Minow, a Chicago lawyer; Capt. Mary Finch, an Army helicopter pilot; Meredith Neizer, a Texas businesswoman; and James Hogg, a retired Navy admiral. The galvanizing of commission members left two swing votes: Retired Army Gen. Maxwell Thurman, who commanded the U.S. assault on Panama, and Charles Moskos, a sociology professor. Both men yesterday surprised commission observers by voting against women in combat aircraft such as fighters, bombers and attack helicopters. Gen. Thurman said his decision finally came down to the unwanted prospect of American women becoming prisoners of war. The retired four-star general shifted sides and delivered the deciding eighth vote to recommend female sailors serving on combat ships. Arguments yesterday went this way: Anti-women-in-combat commission members said integrated units would harm cohesion and military effectiveness. They pointed to studies showing women's relative shortcomings in upper-body strength and talked of the tradition of men protecting women from physical threats. Those supporting change cited the need for equal opportunity in as many military occupations as possible. They also pointed to the varied roles women played in the Persian Gulf and their steady progress in taking on more military jobs. Today, women make up about 11 percent of the 1.9-million-member active force. "Yes, their experience that I know of in war and their role [in peace] has also contributed to military readiness to get the job done," Ms. Neizer said. Early in the day, Ms. Neizer's position seemed certain to win out as five commissioners opposed to women in combat walked out. They complained that Gen. Herres would not agree to a vote on the final report's format and whether it would include balanced presentations of both sides. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM