I don't support selective service for anyone, but this is an irrelevant red herring that fails to take into account that women have been soldiers since the dawn of wars - sometimes in all-female regiments and that American women clamored to be allowed to be in combat positions that they qualified for until that was finally granted, just a decade ago. It's men who have kept women out of military service and who harass them and rape them at such high levels when they are wanting to be in military service that some of them don’t stay.

During WWII, thousands of Russian women volunteered for the Night Witches. The Night Witches was the nickname of the all-female Soviet 588th Night Bomber Regiment. Given that name by the Germans, they were so hated and feared that anyone who downed one of their planes was automatically awarded the German Iron Cross medal. The squadron flew rickety plywood planes that were formerly used for crop dusting. They had no radios, braving frostbite, and anti-aircraft guns in order to drop bombs on Nazi targets. The name comes from the whooshing sound the flimsy planes made, like sweeping brooms, as they flew in low to attack. Because the planes could only carry two bombs at a time, the Night Witches often flew between 8 and 18 sorties a night.

Because there was no history of women in air combat, these pilots had to wear hand-me-down male uniforms and boots that didn’t fit as well as deal with rampant skepticism and misogyny. Nonetheless, they were anxious to serve the war effort. Marina Raskova, known as the “Soviet Amelia Earhart” had been receiving letters from women wanting to get more fully into combat and she is the one who conceived of and championed this regiment.“

Beyond their steep learning curve, the women faced skepticism from some of the male military personnel who believed they added no value to the combat effort. Raskova did her best to prepare her women for these attitudes, but they still faced sexual harassment, long nights and grueling conditions. ‘The men didn’t like the ‘little girls’ going to the front line. It was a man’s thing.’ Prowse told HISTORY.”

The Night Witches were the first women military pilots to directly engage an enemy in combat. Most of them were in their late teens to mid-twenties. In addition, all the members of the 588th were women, including the navigators, ground crews, and support staff. They trained for about a year learning skills that typically took several years to master.

“The Night Witches carried no parachutes because they flew so close to the ground and parachutes also added extra weight. They also had no modern instruments and had to rely on maps, compasses, stopwatches, pencils, and flashlights to find their way to their objectives. Because the cockpits were open, the pilot and navigator were exposed to the elements, including rain and freezing wind. In extremely cold weather, they could get frostbite. If they put their bare hand on the fuselage, the flesh might come off when they pulled their hand away. The Night Witches also carried pistols to use if they crashed, but would save the last bullet for themselves so they wouldn’t be captured alive.” Talk about some badass women!

In addition, can you do what this marine is doing — carrying someone 20% larger than you up a steep incline? Just wondering…