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Should Women Serve In Combat? Blaze Poll Results

Jan. 31, 2013 11:23am

Note: Tonight on TheBlaze TV’s Glenn Beck Program, (5pm ET or on-demand) “Women In Combat”

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Earlier this week, TheBlaze conducted a poll asking how you felt about the Defense Department’s recent decision to allow women in the front lines of combat. The poll questions also included some discussion of requiring women to register with the Selective Service System.

The poll had more than 150,000 responses to 40 questions on the two topics. Participants  were:

  • 65% male and 35% female
  • Of those required to register for the draft (men), 65% did so within one month of their 18th birthday – as required by law.

The results showed a broad range of opinions.

The basic question was a simple one: Should women be allowed to fight on the front lines?

Women In Combat And Registering For The Draft

81% of people answering our poll said “no” to that question.

Despite the majority opinion being against women in combat, the U.S. military is going to allow women to fight on the front lines. So, we asked about standards for qualifying to fight in battle. On that issue, 97% of our respondents believe that men and women should have to meet the same standards for combat certification.

Women In Combat And Registering For The Draft

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough seems to agree with our readers that standards need to be the same for both men and women, or our military is weakened. The “Morning Joe” host vehemently stated his position on making certain that no standards are lowered:

“I’ll be damned. If we find out that the Pentagon is lowering standards for politically-correct reasons, then you know what? Then the blood of dead Americans in future battles will be on their hands.”

While an overwhelming majority of TheBlaze audience wants the same standards for men and women in combat, 62% said that they would not endorse their own daughter’s decision to enlist for combat, even if that child passed the same tests as a man.

Women In Combat And Registering For The Draft
For combat positions that don’t require strength, more than 2/3rds (67%) approve of women in those roles.

Women In Combat And Registering For The Draft

 

The strong majority of people who answered our questions also seemed to think bringing women into combat roles would diminish the U.S. military.

85% believe that the military will be weakened by women in combat.

Women In Combat And Registering For The Draft

A full 70% expressed their concern that women in combat would threaten the global #1 standing of the U.S. military.

Women In Combat And Registering For The Draft

 

We moved from the topic of women in combat to a question about registering for the draft.

71% agreed that if women are allowed in combat, they should also be required (like men) to register with Selective Service.

Women In Combat And Registering For The Draft

Without the combat requirement, women get a little more of a break. Speaking in general terms, should women have to register?  Only 45% said “yes.”

Women In Combat And Registering For The Draft

The overall feeling about any 18-year-old being forced to register for the draft has 56% saying yes.

Women In Combat And Registering For The Draft

If the country ever has to restart its military draft program, should women with children be given an exemption? That issue was split right down the middle.

Women In Combat And Registering For The Draft

Single parent females in the military were given a pass on combat — 77% say they should not be in that situation.

Women In Combat And Registering For The Draft

Our friends at the Media Research Center also did some polling on a college campus.

See the full poll with results HERE.

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Comments (147)

1 2
  • finger2214
    Posted on February 1, 2013 at 12:06pm

    This argument all comes down to selfishness and it’s mostly being pushed by feminazi women. A few weak, liberal men I’m sure… but mostly women. The problem is that these women have no idea how the male mind works. They’re not taking into consideration that men will be sexually attracted to them, they’ll be over-protective and they will put the safety and well-being of the women ahead of their objective. Oh, and let’s not forget about what the enemy would do to our women if they’re captured. It’ll be your daughter… wife… girlfriend… sister, etc. that gets raped and tortured for the rest of their probably very short life. As a man, If that doesn’t piss you off just thinking about, then you have some serious issues.

    So again… it all comes down to selfishness. People wanting to put their “equality” ahead of the safety of our men on the front lines. If you’re a woman and you want to serve with men in the infantry and you can live the rest of your life knowing that men will likely die saving your ass because you have too much pride to do a job that’s better suited for a woman, then you need to re-examine some things. Hopefully you’ll be able to sleep at night.

    Report this comment

    finger2214  
  • justiceday
    Posted on February 1, 2013 at 1:15am

    I love that people don’t realize that women who enlist have a one in three chance of being sexually assaulted or raped by our own military. The DoD has admitted this and they estimate that 50 women a day are assaulted in the military. The commission on civil rights held a hearing about investigating the military regarding their sexual assault investigations just weeks before the issue of women in combat was announced.
    Not only was this a PR move to take our attention off the issue of rape but will also now pit women against each other.
    Women in the military do not like the issue of sexual assault being brought public in fear of them looking weak. Now that they may get the chance to be in combat they will try to push the issue under the rug more allowing women to continue to be assaulted.
    The men they let in have drug problem, convictions and hostile tendencies and the military does nothing.

    http://www.theusmarinesrape.com/HateWoman.html
    http://theusmarinesrape.com/FaceBook.html
    http://theusmarinesrape.com/UnstableMarines.html

    Report this comment

    justiceday  
  • Impurfekt
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 10:07pm

    Wait….what would she be doing out of the kitchen in the first place?

    Report this comment

    Impurfekt  
    • RANGER1965
      Posted on January 31, 2013 at 11:17pm

      Loading a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun, to go hunting for the men that put her in the kitchen?

      Report this comment

      RANGER1965  
  • battles
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 7:38pm

    When I was growing up in the south, it was said that girls are sugar and spice and everything nice. We used to have a derogatory statement: Your mother wears combat boots. A man wouldn’t be caught dead being driven by a woman. A woman wouldn’t be caught dead driving with a man sitting in the front seat. A woman wouldn’t drive a pickup truck nor go out on a date in one (except in country towns). Women ALWAYS wore dresses. Many would NEVER wear nail polish or heavy eye makeup. In the south, women always dressed up to go downtown. They always had shoulder length ****, sometimes up in a pony tail. A man always walked on the outside of a woman toward the street. As to hand shaking, a man would never extend his hand to a lady unless the lady first extended her hand to the man. You never kissed in public because it was considered a very private event. Women NEVER cursed and if one was heard doing so she would be ostracized – no more dates. Sex was called fornication and if any girl was discovered to be loose, her life was over, at least until she could relocate. A girl who disappeared from school for a year was ostracized upon returning. Mothers were almost all homemakers and liked it. Divorce was rare and actually hard to get. Women who went into the military were usually in nursing or secretarial jobs. They would have never been placed in combat nor would that have voluntarily placed themselves in that role. So being raped by the enemy isn’t so bad anymore.

    Report this comment

    battles  
  • jackact
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 7:19pm

    The only way that women can advance to the highest ranks of our beloved US Military is through significant combat experience.
    That is what this is all about.
    Didn’t say I was against it.
    Bring it on sister.

    Report this comment

    jackact  
    • RANGER1965
      Posted on January 31, 2013 at 8:03pm

      Oh yeah, excellent reasoning.

      So now she can pick up an 80 pound rucksack, armor, kevlar helmet, weapon, full combat load of ammo, and grenades. She can walk with “the boys” for 8 miles in 110 degree temperature to a little house with a chicken coop. Gosh…I hope she can make it.

      Oh wait, their’s a bunch of morons firing on us. Well darn, it’s time to do some bounding overwatch. Now she gets to run at full speed in her gear while being fired upon. Wow it’s hard jumping over little crappy walls, and dodging thorn bushes and hitting the rocky ground at full running speed with your weight doubled. Kinda hurts too!

      Now she gets to fire at that 12 year old with an AK47 who is running right at us because he’s confused and doesn’t know what’s going on, and his father is so ******* stupid he sent his boy right out into a fire fight, thinking that he could get him out of there before things turned serious.
      Oops there he goes, wow look at his little arms windmilling, as his skinny little chest gets blown apart. Wow ribs really are kinda white. And of course he doesn’t die like he should but lays in a thorn bush and crys for his papa. Then they give up, including the stupid Father who gets the crap beat out of him. The kid of course dies later. The platoon laughs about it later, and talks about how stupid the kid and the father are, because if you don’t laugh your ******* brain will explode.
      Yeah, lets stick women in that…PFTT!

      Report this comment

      RANGER1965  
    • finger2214
      Posted on February 1, 2013 at 12:17pm

      Ranger1965… Let’s not be giving the feminists any realistic thoughts now. They like the fairy tale bubble they’re currently living in ;)

      Report this comment

      finger2214  
  • Southernsoul
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 5:35pm

    Its fine if women serve on the front lines, but I’m not tipping.

    Report this comment

    Southernsoul  
  • mizzouwendy
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 4:41pm

    Women are already in combat folks……..we have women fighter pilots, heliocopter pilots, we have women attached to civil affirs teams, women attached to special forces, we have women that go out with combat teams in Afghanistan so that they can gather intel from the Afghani women, they are already in harms way! While in Iraq, women were driving MRAPs, Humvees, in gunner turrets, they are already serving in combat roles folks, this just makes it “official”. I saw it with my own eyes………women will keep doing the jobs they are already doing and it will not make our military weaker. If a woman wants to be a Navy Seal then I say go for it,if she can pass the same tests. I know as a fact that I was in much better shape than many of the military men on the base I was on, I can say with certainty that it will be OK. Isreal does it with their military, why shouldn’t the US make it official? Maybe there should be a woman’s Navy Seal team? Especially in the Middle East folks, our ability to work and gather intel is dependent on women being able to interact with women natives…….they will not share (due to culture) with men things that can save lives. Just something to think about.

    Report this comment

    mizzouwendy  
    • RANGER1965
      Posted on January 31, 2013 at 7:46pm

      You are right, women fulfill many VERY! dangerous roles in the military, which often exposes them to enemy fire. Their are also jobs that they can do better than most men.

      But lets be clear. This isn’t a chest thumpin’ ego contest. This isn’t a situation where the ole’ boys club don’t want women.

      This is a situation where 99.9% of the women would NOT do the job as well as the men. They simply don’t have the physical strength and endurance. There are of course always a few exceptions but of those exceptions fewer still could handle the unique mental stress and pain of killing people. Lots of people, sometimes daily.

      Sometimes unbearded skinny little teenagers with big brown eyes, and big dreams. Watching them spasm in pain as they cry for help that will never come, because their idiot brothers in arms keep shooting.

      Then if that wasn’t bad enough, she wil have to put up with a platoon full of horny 20 somthings that just want to get in her pants.

      There are always a few, a very few that could handle this. But those capable few will be overshadowed by the many that cannot but will be allowed to participate anyway.The commander in chief has spoken….and it is so.

      Report this comment

      RANGER1965  
  • Kidncatmom
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 4:23pm

    Ranger 1965 (and the other gentlemen here),
    THANK YOU very much for speaking what I know is the truth and THANK YOU (and the other soldiers here) for your service! You are ALL heros in my eyes for what you’ve done or are doing! I could not agree more with what you’ve said about the situation with women being targed by the enemy in combat. I just don’t think most people truly *get it*. I have three boys and no daughters but of course I have friends with daughters who cannot fathom their daughters serving in a combat role. They are appauled at the thought of girls being captured, tortured and WORSE. There MUST be a way to fix this horrible situation for you guys out there. Bless you all!

    Report this comment

    Kidncatmom  
  • pragmaticpatriot
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 3:42pm

    What would Chesty Puller say? Where do you put the bayonet?

    Report this comment

    pragmaticpatriot  
    • RANGER1965
      Posted on January 31, 2013 at 4:03pm

      My Chesty Puller favorite:

      “All right, they’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of
      us, they’re behind us…they can’t get away this time”

      Report this comment

      RANGER1965  
  • kcurtis
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 3:30pm

    What sorrow for those who say
    that evil is good and good is evil,
    that dark is light and light is dark,
    that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.

    Report this comment

    kcurtis  
  • Ghandi was a Republican
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 3:23pm

    There is an extreme difference between losing females to enemy capture. You can bet they will be sent into an alinsky engineered capture situation by the likes of obama. Knowing this is true (look around at the 20,000% increases in high profile shootings right now of all times) it is unconscionable.
    Obama and his administration is completely over run by alinsky radicals and ideals. The only front lines women belong on is the one that sends these leeches to the gallows.

    Report this comment

    Ghandi was a Republican  
    • RANGER1965
      Posted on January 31, 2013 at 3:46pm

      There may be some political engineered situation but for every one of those there will be 10 real ones.

      The soldiers of Allah will not like being picked off by women. Women that they fantasize about, and both love and hate. Young men will move heaven and earth to capture them. There will be bounties, medals, and fame for any that capture the women that are killing the true sons of Allah.

      And when they are captured they will be abused in ways that will make a Pig Puke! And it will be filmed for the morale and entertainment of these true sons of the prophet, and these films will be posted on the internet for all to see.

      What will America do when their daughters are in the hands of evil so dark, that it’s incomprehensible,and see it daily?

      The White House has no idea just how bad these people are, and what they will do to you if you fall in their hands.

      Report this comment

      RANGER1965  
  • Lefty leaning right
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 2:51pm

    What keeps a ground force moving ? Supply. How do you stop a ground force from advancing ? Draw back make room stretching the supply line then cut the middle out . woman are driving the trucks they serve in supply already. Tell me how that is not a heavy combat roll we only have a few roads in to resupply.
    Then tell me how law enforcement in combat will search the woman in the middle east without woman to do the searching ? I think that is a combat roll also. So woman already serve in combat and if these woman are in combat should they not have the right to advance ? Not everyone will make the grade but if they do then they should be able to serve in the front because there is no front anymore if your in the middle east you have bad guys all around you.

    Report this comment

    Lefty leaning right  
    • RANGER1965
      Posted on January 31, 2013 at 3:40pm

      I’ll try to explain it.

      What we are talking about isn’t the danger. Although the danger will be greater in an infantry unit, let say for argument’s sake that the danger for a truck driver is just the same.

      For an infantry unit to work in combat, be effective at killing the enemy and not getting killed requires all members be able to do their jobs, work as a team and flawlessly execute the mission daily.
      For any man or woman to do well in this environment they will have to be able to physically do the following:

      Carry an 80 Pound Rucksack, Armor, Kevlar Helmet, Weapon, Extra Ammo and Grenades. She will have to run, jump, dodge and dart with this on. She will have to walk in sandy ditches next to highways for miles, she will have to do this at a fast pace, and all of it in the desert heat.

      She will HAVE to be able to pick up a 220 pound buddy, throw him on her shoulders, and run with him for long distances.

      She will have to be able to kill people alot, and do it at close range without getting stupid in the head.

      She will have to able to handle being continually insulted, disparaged, screwed with by a bunch of horny teenager/20 somthing alpha male door kickers that want to get in her pants. And all of that while she does the above flawlessly.

      Not many women can do it. Not many at all. And because of that, they will lower the standards. And our military will suffer mightly.

      Report this comment

      RANGER1965  
  • flatbroke
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 2:20pm

    I am a female, and i would not qualify for a draft because i am over 40 y/o, and i dont agree, that women should be allowed in combat, because i am not elligable for service, i will will not agree to it, cause its not fair for me to say yes, allow women in combat , and i cant do the same, also if the women are not up to the standard for combat, right up there with the men, she should not be there period, this will alow very few, exceptionally strong woman to serve. My main concern is the safety, and standards of the military, and that is all that really matters not social experiementation.

    Report this comment

    flatbroke  
  • Toltepeceno
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 2:01pm

    Want to know how it works? We has some training back in the day with women mixed in. The smallest guy always got assigned the m60 and this time it was assigned to a woman. The guys took turns carrying it for her and after the training she got a letter of accommodation placed in her record for being a woman and carrying an m60. Even though it was her job.

    Report this comment

    Toltepeceno  
    • RANGER1965
      Posted on January 31, 2013 at 2:16pm

      Well said.

      ….and when the bullets start flying and she has to hump that Hogg with a full ruck, tripod, extra ammo, kevlar, and grenades over low walls, through windows, over wood piles, crashing into thorn bushes, can she get to where she needs to be, without help, without encouragement, down the 60, load it and lay down good supressive fire while being shot at, so the rest of us can go assault an old barber shop that is filled with bad guys? Can she do that every day for weeks at a time, and do it so well that the guys absolutely trust her, and know she’s totally got their back?

      Maybe there are some, but they are damned few. You know it, I know it, so why doesn’t the smart guys in the Pentagon know it?

      Report this comment

      RANGER1965  
  • Chuck7884
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 1:56pm

    The real question is why allow women? The Answer Desperate times mean desperate measures.The reason a country or countries use valuable assets (women) (1 man can impregnate may women but a woman can get pregnant once). Has our Country become so desperate that it has to have women in the infantry?.

    Report this comment

    Chuck7884  
    • RANGER1965
      Posted on January 31, 2013 at 2:09pm

      Not at all. Here is the real reason. 3 law suits were about to hit in Federal Court, regarding allowing women in combat. President Obama didn’t want the Fed to fight that battle and simply ordered Panetta to make it so.

      And Panetta, made it so.

      Report this comment

      RANGER1965  
  • AbnWarrior
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 1:55pm

    I truely love how civilians with absolutly no combat experience chime in on this as if they actually know. To me unless you have been there you are ignorant and your oppinion is useless! Read all the books you want and study all the statistics you want but untill you have waded through the blood shut your pie hole!

    Report this comment

    AbnWarrior  
    • RANGER1965
      Posted on January 31, 2013 at 2:08pm

      Movies ABN….lots of movies of scantily clad, high heeled beauties, with perfect makeup and **** kung fuing, and machine gunning the bad guys like a hot knife going through butter.

      These people cannot imagine what it’s really like, how damned hard it really is. They have no idea how most women, with few exceptions, would utterly screw up a tight combat unit.

      Report this comment

      RANGER1965  
  • Chuck7884
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 1:37pm

    Israeli Women in combat roles’ Infantry.The Israeli experiment Failed. Reason you can train most things out of men sexuality is not one of them. reason The Sniper. Snipers would wound a female to kill the men who would respond to the woman.for every one woman sot 10 men would die to save her. This is the reason why females no longer serve on front lines the stats not the sex.

    Report this comment

    Chuck7884  
    • RANGER1965
      Posted on January 31, 2013 at 4:10pm

      So there was this highway with a deep ditch and berm.

      A woman truck driver got drilled right through the door of her truck. Total lucky shot. She turned and crashed into the ditch. She started screaming in that high pitched type of pain voice that you hear children use. And it went on, and on, and on.

      Couldn’t help her because the sniper was in one of 3 buildings about 75 yards away. The bullet shattered her femur. She was a small woman, small bones. She begged for help. It took almost an hour before an Apache levelled one of the buildings, and took out the sniper. That voice drove everyone crazy. No one was thinking about the mission.

      Report this comment

      RANGER1965  
  • RANGER1965
    Posted on January 31, 2013 at 1:23pm

    Let me tell you folks about our enemy.

    He is young and has grown up being taught about how evil America is. He has also grown up watching the same American movies that you did. He see’s giants of physicality and technology that win every time. His people are depicted most often as weak, sneering, villians.
    Our enemy hates this, but kinda believes it too. They see our male soldiers and they really are giants, and they really are hyper competent, and they are just plain better than they are. This really ****** him off.
    They also watch our porn when they have internet access. They watch American Porn more than you. They fantasize about American women, but hate them at the same time for tempting them away from Allah. It’s a dangerous duality.
    If American Women start killing the Soldiers of Allah, then you can bet that Al Queda knowing how Americans love their women will move heaven and earth to capture them. For the young soldiers it will akin to a mythical heroic quest, and they will die trying to capture American Female Soldiers.

    And some will be capured, and it will be filmed and released on the internet, and what they will do to them will be unspeakable. And they will take their time. Perhaps years. being moved from village to village, raped and abused, and eventually married off. She will never see her home again.

    Report this comment

    RANGER1965  
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