PAGE 2 I THE MEREDITH HERALD | SEPTEMBER 23, 2009
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. JnfOTT^iolnv-Tf>e. aato^:
AUSTRALIAN MILITARY QUESTIONS
ALLOWING WOMEN TO SERVE
Aleigha Page
Staff Writer
Because of low numbers in military en
rollment, the Australian government Is now •
considering allowing women to serve in
combat posts, including driving helicopters,
sen/ing in person-on-person combat, and
being on the front lines. However, contro
versy surrounds the issue.
In Australia, women currently serve in
92% of employment positions. The govern
ment hopes to increase female participation
in the military by 13% over the'next de
cade. On an international scale, Germany,
Denmark, New Zealand, and Israel do
allow women to serve in combat. However,
Australia's major allies—the United States
and the United Kingdom— are more restric
tive with respect to the roles of women in
the military.
Junior Defense Minister Greg Combet
supports women participating in front lines,
stating, “The only exceptions should be
where the physical demands cannot lie met
according to criteria that aredetermined by
scientiflc analysis rather than assumptions
about gender” Combet has worked with
the University of Wollongong to draw up a
new plan for physical employment assets
that would determine admittance into the
Army based solely on physical abilities,
not on gender. One female soldier, Capt.
Anne-Marie Russell, says,’'lf women can
compete to the same standards as a male.
then there should be no limitations on what
roles they can do." She told Sicy News. “fT]
here should be no lowering of standards to
enable women to join certain work environ
ments."
According to one publication, The
Australian, the most common debate is
that anatomically, women are not ec)ual
to men and^re not capable of the same
tasks. Another debate is that women could
create distractions for the men. The final,
argument is that women could jeopardize
a battle; if a man were to notice an injured
woman, he would instinctively come to her
aid and potentially put an operation at risk.
There are more disturbing details entangled
in the debate as well. POWs endure the
worst kind of torture imaginable. If women
are POWs. there is a whole new realm of
torture potential. Neil James, executive
director of the Australian Defense Associa
tion, is highly critical of the plan, saying to
Sky News, "^Unfortunately, too many people
are looking at using civilian gender.equity
guidelines rather than the requirements of
the battlefield."
The Meredith Community also has
opinions on women in the military. Nicole
Bruce believes that women should be able
to serve in any military position available to
men. “If 1 join the Army, I want to be able to
be anything I want to.” Bruce also believes
that military acceptance should be based
offof physical assets, hot gender. Lauren
McCoig believes that this is a very mixed
issue. She also believes that vyomen could
be distracting"^ in the event of emergency or .
injury. “Men could stop what they are doing
to rescue a woman militant"
The decision, even if made now, will
take years to become active. The Australian
government is faced with several ques
tions; Are women and men'equal in
strength? Are the restrictions based
entirely on physics and biology, or is
are cultural norms and stereotypes
fljeling the debate? Are those stereo
types taie or just antiquated? These,
among multitudes of others, are
questions the Australian government
must take into consideration as they
make a world changing decision.
Photo Courtesy http://www. austraHanapprenticeships.gov.
au/about/stories/Photos/NoLimits2/Rebel(ah-Castner.jpg
HIKERS DETAINED IN IRAN
Anna Perry
Staff Writer
Three Americans—Sarah Shourd, Joshua
Fattal and Shane Bower—were detained in Iran,
on July 31,2009, for crossing the Kurdistan
border into Iran "without permission." The group
was hiking in the northern Iraq region when they
crossed the border. The Iranian government has
confirmed Uie three are being held but has not
allowed authorities from the Swiss Consulate,
acting on behalf of the U.S. government, to see
the detainees. The United States has not had
diplomatic relations witin Iran since the American
hostage crisis in 1979.
Shon Meckfessel, a friend who was travel
ing with the trio, believes that his friends had
no idea they were nearing the Iranian border
and made "a simple and regrettable mistake.”
Meckfessel has said he stayed behind at a hotel
because he had a cold. Meckfessel could have
been detained as well if he had not been sick
Relatives and friends have launched www,
freethehikers.org to inform the public of ef
forts to free the three after Iran took them into
SYRIA
US tourlsls
last reported
hiking
>]a
Baghdad ®
IBAN
IRAQ
SAUDI
ARABIA
KUWAIT
Photo Courtesy http:/Avww.allword-news.co.uk/images/Report%20
3%20American%20Hilers%20Arrested%20in%20lran.jpg
custody. The families feel very strongly that the
trio had become disoriented and accidentally
crossed the border. Supporters have appealed
to Iranian authorities to grant consular access
to the trio. The hikers, all graduates of the
University of California at Berkeley, entered
northern Iraq from Turkey on July 28 and
planned to spend five days touring, according to
the families’ Web site.
This situation is difficult for our nation. With
all that has happened between the United
States and Iran. U^ese three people may be
suffering for the tensions between the two
countries. We as a nation must stand togeU^er
and l>ecome one. The' support we give each
other may show others how to handle this situ
ation and other situations like this in the future.
Keep these hikers in mind as you go through
your day. It may show all of us just how lucky
we are just being here with difficult classes and
surviving our next exams.