Previous Race Restrictions in Combat

"For 162 years, from the end of the Revolution in 1783, until the last three months of World War II, blacks served principally in service units and the few who fought were relegated to segregated combat units, " (Blood For Dignity, pg. 1, David P. Colley.) In the beginning of 1945, then, no white man had ever fought in combat alongside a black man. Yet in March of that year over 2,000 black soldiers suddenly joined the infantry, fighting in previously all-white infantry and armored units, (ibid.) Despite the racism of the times, when they proved themselves they were accepted as fellow soldiers, "After the war the army conducted a study of the performance of the black volunteers entitled “The Utilization of Black Platoons in White Companies.” In interviews with 1,700 white soldiers, including eighty-four percent of the platoons’ officers, those queried said the blacks had performed “very well.” There was not one instance in which the performance of black troops was rated as poor," (ibid, pg. 3.)

Although the military, especially the combat arms, is steeped in macho culture, we can surely agree that soldiers are not as sexist now as they were racist in 1945. Yet that racism did not prevent previous soldiers from accepting black combat troops. I recognize that few women would qualify as combat soldiers, just as few have qualified in other physically difficult and life-threatening jobs. But that does not prevent bonding for those who do qualify. It is facing death together, working as a team to drive it back, that makes each person in the team a valued member. As Fortney writes, "Women do the same jobs as male firefighters, and they meet the same criteria for getting hired. But whether or not a fire crew has women, firefighters work as a team. No matter who does the work, fighting fires and making sure no one gets injured is what counts," (Fire Station Number 4, M.T. Fortney, pg. 29.)

Excluding women from combat is sometimes seen as a kindness; sparing them the horrors of war. Yet if a civilian woman wants to be a firefighter (or an FBI agent, or a security guard, or a coal miner, etc) the employer asks only if she is mentally and physically qualified. The government does not step in and declare "Women cannot risk their lives on the job." Likewise, qualified military women may change their occupation to something more risky; from nurse to pilot, for example. The government only draws the line at land combat and submarine warfare, though those are less risky than civilian jobs such as firefighting or ice fishing in Alaska, from which women are not banned. Black men also were accepted in dangerous civilian work for many years before they were allowed to work as combat soldiers. The Tuskegee Airmen, the first black fighter pilots, were commissioned before black men began as infantry troops, just as women serve as fighter pilots but not infantry troops today. This brings up the question of how the definition of combat has changed over the years, which I will address tomorrow.