In January 1991, thousands of women found themselves in a place no one thought they would ever be; in combat. Even though the women weren't in the traditional combat roles as infantry and armor, they were fighter pilots, military police, military intelligence and hundreds of other specialties who fought in Iraq. Keeping women out of combat specialties hasn't protected them either. Being in a job such as a mechanic or fuel handler is just as dangerous as a front line soldier. While in combat, tanks need fuel handlers and mechanics close at hand to keep them running. Who is to say that the enemy won't attack a fuel truck and their drivers? This was the case many times in Iraq. Many women had to fight right along with the men. With the rate of women recruitment at it's highest in modern day history it was inevitable that the American military would be putting more women into harm's way. To protect all soldiers, we must hold them all to the same training and standards.
             Discipline in the Army is accomplished through many techniques, but the most effective technique is the achievement of set standards or guidelines emplaced by the military. There are standards for almost any task that needs to be accomplished. Marching for example is one of your most basic standards; it is done in the most militarily direct manor, taking thirty inch steps, your head held in a generally rigid manor, your arms swinging at your side moving nine inches to the front and six inches to the rear. A standard like this and many others easily equate to both genders, it seems the standards associated with combat are where the important differences lie. One of the most important war fighting standards is Physical Fitness. If women soldiers are put in situations where they're fighting side by side with men then they should be expected to obtain the same physical standards set for the males.
             Physical fitness can mean life or death on t...