Kathleen Parker’s opinion piece in Saturday’s edition speaks heavily to the point of “ground combat” as the argument against women being included in the draft (“On surviving ground combat, women may be less equal,” Star-Advertiser, March 2).

Having served more than 22 years in the Navy, including four deployments and flying 58 combat missions in Desert Storm, I am more than familiar with the various roles women play in “combat.” The days of fixing your bayonet and charging over the berm to face the enemy are likely relegated to history as warfare today is increasingly technical and battles are won via long-range weapons like aircraft, artillery, cruise missiles, etc.

Approximately 80 percent of military occupations are non-combat roles. Women are more than capable of filling these roles — so why exclude women from the draft, should it ever be reinstated?

I, for one, was happy to have women serve and fly alongside me during my military career. If women want equality, they need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

Tim Gedney

Hawaii Kai

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