military and to women in general. I know that when I see pictures of war on my television screen I mentally break down and start to cry pools of tears, and I am not even viewing these images first-hand. From a psychological point of view, men are better able to turn off in situations of war than women are; therefore, men are better mentally fit to serve in war and women may not be able to handle the mental strain of serving directly in combat.My father served in the Vietnam War for two and half years, and much of the mental strain of the war remains with him today. However, from listening to his yarns about his experiences, he was able to mentally tune out his situation while he was serving during the war. He said that the jungles of Vietnam and Korea became his home, and that through the "brotherhood" that was formed between him and the members of his platoon, he was able to put the distressing images of the war on the back burner of his mind. It was not until America lost the war that my father became distressed from his experiences in Vietnam. If the average woman were exposed to the carnage that my father experienced on a daily basis in Vietnam, they would not be able to function as part of her unit as a male member would. The natural instincts of a woman are to nurture and to protect one from the bloodshed that is created during war. A man is more inclined to fight and to battle; therefore, men are more able to fight in a war and to maintain mental stability while doing so. Finally, women should not be able to serve in combat arms positions because the presence of women would damage the morale of these units, and further obstruct the objectives of these units. Combat arms units are expected to function as a family because they must work together to fight in a war and must protect one another’s lives. These units live together, work together for many hours, and train together during many different training exercise...
