[Ariona]

I have been in and out of the military myself...a military police officer, in fact! Women (with proper training and understanding) can operate like their male counterparts...just as effectively, I might add! Women's hormonal cycles (minus pregnancies) do not stop women from playing their crucial roles from a military standpoint. The military does not allow such an excuse. Pregnant military personnel, however, are given special considerations (such temporary desk duty or consulting jobs) until their maternity leave is over.

Physically and orthopedically speaking, women ARE built differently than men (i.e. pushups show a huge orthopedic difference) but can perform the same duties with extremely little or no difficulties whatsoever. Their way of doing things may look just a tad different, but the outcome is exactly the way the military dictates.

And I don't care who you are (male or female, black or white, etc.), nobody (and I mean NOBODY) can predict how people are going to react to any and all situations. Yeah, we might go through a psychological screening and all the goodies that go with it, but any one little thing goes askew, and any one person can snap. You could have the biggest and most physically fit male break down and cry over the sound of a grenade, while the most fragile-looking woman could crawl under Constantino wire with bullets damn near grazing her head and still intercept her target, and vice versa!

Personal feelings in this matter are a reflection of the individual themselves. I, for one, feel that if a woman (such as myself) wants to enter and fight in the military, let her! If women can take care of 'battles' on the homefront, why not let her have a go on the front lines? Does "infiltration" ring a bell? That is the last thing an enemy is expecting...a female intelligence infiltrator!

Ariona