EDITORIAL
Women deserve full military responsibility

Despite understandable lack of public support for placing women in U.S. military combat roles, the armed forces are on the right track in their effort to fully integrate them into all aspects of service.

This makes both practical sense (the volunteer military is having a tough time meeting recruiting goals) and it's a matter of social equality. If women choose to enlist and serve, why should any option be closed to them if they are physically up to the task?

It is well known that combat service is related to opportunities for career advancement in the military. If combat options were limited, women would find themselves hampered, at least slightly, in their efforts to work their way up the career ladder.

For the moment, the issue has been resolved. A congressional effort to limit the role of women in combat has been abandoned. But it will undoubtedly surface again.

A recent USA Today/CNN/ Gallup Poll found a majority of people opposed to using women as ground troops "who do most of the fighting."

At the same time, the poll found a substantial majority in favor of women serving in non-combat and support roles.

In the military, as in all walks of life, there should be no discrimination regarding job options and opportunities solely based on a person's gender.