Sorry for the reach back, have not been around in awhile, lots of talk about females in combat here .....what are we going to do when one of them gets killed....well, we have already broken that moment in history, or have we already forgotten, ...that more than 6 women have come back from Afghanistan an active combat zone in flag draped coffins...5 of those were killed in combat...that's right fighting next to their male comrades in arms. They died doing what they chose to do in life, be a Canadian soldier, they died doing their jobs "close with and destroy the enemy". I say that because i get the impression that some of you think these women are dressed in skirts and hand out blankets or comfort the wounded....That's a load of crap....Why? women have fought to long and to hard to get where they are today, to be able to defend this nation on equal ground with their male counterparts and while far from perfect, the thought of getting captured or mistreated by some extremist has not even come into the picture...They are not going to fold, and turn their backs on all that they have gained to date...... over something that might or might not happen..
these 5 women died in combat with bullets , rockets, and arty flying everywhere....with one side determined to kill the other....They are as tough as any soldier i have meet on the battle field....poke one with a stick if you don't believe me and watch as they kick your ass...They are not saving any bullets for themselves, all of their bullets are going into bad guys....see that is the problem....it is we always run out of bad guys before we run out of bullets....That's not some guy talking out of his ass, that is based on fact....10 years of combat in Afghanistan and not one Canadian soldier had been captured....not one male, or female.
Yes i get the fact that these women going to Mali are not going to be combat trades, but instead air force, not the same argument. And your right.... but even the air force has back up plans, to ensure things like this do not happen. Watch for mission creep / or expansion of the numbers involved, this is only going to get bigger.....