Women on the front lines

Currently, over 270,000 combat jobs in the U.S. military remain closed to women, simply because of their gender—of the circumstances of their birth. For a country founded on the principles of meritocracy, equal opportunity, and mobility through hard work, this is simply unacceptable—even more so when you consider that promotion and career advancement in the U.S. military often hinge on experience in these roles. Fortunately, in January 2016, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter will have the opportunity to right this wrong and make history by opening all roles in the U.S. military to the most qualified individual, regardless of gender. It is about time.

Let’s be clear about one thing: women fighting on the front lines are a reality as old as America herself. In the American Revolution, a woman named Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man, took the name Robert Shurtlieff, and bravely fought for two years to free the thirteen colonies from the British crown. She was only discovered by a doctor after sustaining wounds she could not treat herself.

{mosads}More recently, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom saw the deployment of over 280,000 female troops, including sitting Representative Martha McSally (R-Ariz.). McSally is the first female fight pilot in U.S. history to fly combat missions and command fighter squadrons and combat aviation units.

However, while McSally could drop bombs from the sky in combat, she could not fight alongside her fellow servicemembers in ground combat–though a male in her position could do both. In an interview, she pointed out how ludicrous this was, noting that this policy is akin to saying, “Pee Wee Herman is OK to be in combat but Serena and Venus Williams are not going to meet the standard.” This policy, believe it or not, remains in place for tens of thousands of combat roles in the U.S. military today.

Despite clear evidence that women would, could, and should serve their country in combat, they were barred from doing so in an official capacity by the 1994 Direct Combat Exclusion Rule. Only in 2013, almost twenty years later, did Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey officially rescinded this policy. In their memo opening up all military jobs to women, they wrote, “Success in our military based solely on ability, qualifications, and performance is consistent with our values and enhances military readiness.”

Yes. By rescinding this policy, Secretary Panetta and General Dempsey affirmed a principle so fundamental to our laws, our Constitution, and our nation itself: equality of opportunity. When it comes to whether or not one should be able to do a job, ability, qualifications, and performance are what matter—not gender. Sending the message that women are second-class warriors, able to serve in some roles but not all, without allowing them the opportunity to prove differently contradicts the basic promises upon which this country was built.

Come January 2016, I hope Secretary Carter will agree.

Fluke is an attorney and women’s rights activist. She came to prominence in 2012 when a Republican-led House committee refused to let her testify in a hearing on whether insurance plans should have a contraception mandate.