Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is lifting a 1994 ban that has restricted women from combat roles in the military.
The 1994 rule by the Pentagon restricted women from having jobs in artillery, armor and infantry, but now women will be able to take on these combat jobs.
It is about time that women have the opportunity to be on the front lines with men.
Restricting women from doing so has shown a blatant lack of equality within our military for years.
Women have been acting members of our military, but they have never officially taken on the titles of combat roles.
Many women have fought and lost their lives on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq; however, they have never been fully recognized because they were restricted from having combat jobs.
By restricting women from having combat roles, it denied them many opportunities to rise through the ranks in the military. Many leadership roles require the individual to spend time in combat. Since women were technically not enlisted in these roles, even though they were out into combat situations, they never had a chance of being promoted within the military.
Well, women finally have that chance, and their courageous efforts they’ve put forward for our country will finally be rewarded.
It is insane that it has taken until 2013 for women to be given the opportunity to fight alongside men for our country.
There is no exact timetable for when women will finally be on the front lines. Hopefully Congress will not combat the lifting of the ban on women in combat roles.
An American is an American, no matter their gender or sexual orientation, and should be given the chance to fight for their country if they choose to do so.
Chasen Doerr is a senior journalism major and the opinions editor for the Daily 49er.