For all the people in the "it's bad for the military" types
That was the argument made in support maintaining "the status quo" for all of the following
Blacks serving in anything but segregated units (pre Truman)
Women serving in anything but clerical/admin IE "a secretary" type roles and only in the most rear of rear areas.
Gays serving at all
In both cases it was, oh the dread of the "open bay barracks" or tents and the ultra dreaded "communal showers"
In every case it was always "they" as in the people supposedly so against the change "would all get out" rather than serve alongside/with ---------- but in every case other than few bigots which in the big picture the military was better of to be rid of "they" did not "just get out"
In every "new case" "they" would always claim that the "that" in the past was all different for reasons X,Y&Z
The "problem" I have ever really had is with regard to the "women in combat" issue is the extreme double standard and you could call it hypocrisy that woman seem to want where a male can just get assigned to what ever regardless of if he wants it or not but for a female she gets to choose to "choose to volunteer" at every step.
She can choose to volunteer for nothing and be just an admin/clerical type and go on about her merry way going from one to another what we called "shore duty job" in the Navy and do 20 plus years just fine, if she "volunteered" to be on ship well that was like "bonus points" come advancement time but a guy in the same "job" he got sent to one if he wanted to or not and if he managed to somehow someway avoid it well that got viewed as huge negative.
Now the Army and Marine Corp which I know something about for my JCS staff days, it was for years and years, she could go to all those "oh rah schools" Airborne, Air assault, pathfinder you name it and then go back to sitting behind a desk at a rear echelon HQ or MAJCOM and never use/employ those skills or even be assigned to a unit where that was possible more recently it's now Ranger school and have an office wall full of diplomas and a uniform full of badges for that real "war hero look" and enjoy what ever pluses going to all those schools may bring come promotion time but when the Military, the Army in this example comes calling and says they want to have them actually put those "skills" she learned at all those schools which was supposedly at least in theory why the Army sent her to those schools in the first place she can just say "no I choose not to "volunteer" " and go along about her merry way and suffer few if any real ill effects but a male he is just going to go, if he does not have all or any of the "required schools" why no problem he will get sent to those along the way, don't pass either "on purpose" or seemingly just because good luck with that not being viewed and applied as a negative.
