"I hope the women who attempt to take on these challenges in the military don't do it because now it's OK for them to do it," she said. "I hope they do it because they really want to make a go of being a man's partner in going to war."
Women should only do it because they want to go to war as an equal to man, not because this is now open to women
Women comprise about 14 percent of 1.4 million active military personnel. More than 280,000 women have been sent to Iraq, Afghanistan or to jobs in neighboring nations in support of the wars. And of the more than 6,600 U.S. service members who have been killed, 152 have been women.
Women already are in the battle field, and also die for the cause
We're more interested in protecting her than shooting the bad guy."
Former Navey Seal says that men will be more worried about protecting their fellow women soldiers than fighting the enemy
But she's since become a mother, changing her perspective, and said women tend to be more emotional. "If you see the enemy, well, that's the enemy, but now if you see a kid with a gun you're going to think twice," she said.
Women are more emotional - might not be cut out for combat positions.
Veterans and some in the military argue the public may not be ready to handle seeing more female troops come home in body bags or with lost limbs
Images of women dying can affect Americans more strongly then men dying.
Across the country, members of the military of both sexes said they accepted the policy so long as women will have to meet the same standards as their male colleagues
Women should be allowed as long as they meet the same standard. No change in standard
The shift is the military's biggest since the policy banning openly gay servicemembers was lifted in 2011. And as was the case with "don't ask, don't tell," troops were expected to fall in line with the new rules. The change overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units, and is expected to open up more than 230,000 combat positions that have been off limits to women.
This policy is one of the biggest changes that will allow women, another oppressed group, more rights
What's clear is that the move will pave the way for women to earn higher pay and earn better promotions.
This law will allow women to move up
Now, with the Pentagon ending its ban on women in combat, Felix and other female troops hope the military's plan to open hundreds of thousands of combat jobs to them will lead society to recognize that they, too, can be courageous warriors. "We are the support. Those are the positions we fill and that's a big deal -- we often run the show -- but people don't see that," she said. "Maybe it will put more females forward and give people a sense there are women out there fighting for our country.
Allowing women into combat jobs, and not just support jobs, will increase women's visibility in our military
SAN DIEGO -- During her time in Iraq, Alma Felix would see her fellow female soldiers leave the Army installations where she worked at a desk job and head into combat with their male counterparts. But many returned home feeling that few knew of their contributions. "I guess we do disappear into the background," the 27-year-old former Army specialist said. "You always hear we're losing our sons out there. And although women have fallen out there, you really don't see very much of it."
Women are also dying in wars, but often forgotten