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Pentagon lifts ban on women in combat

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    Reaction to announcement of the change

  • Duration 2:33
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Just who gets to take part in future wars is changing the Pentagon today formally announced its intention to allow a new group of fighters on the front lines.

National security correspondent Jennifer Griffin tonight on women in combat.

With a stroke of the pen secretary Panetta and the chairman of the joint chiefs ended a ban on women in combat.

General Dempsey said he realized women were already on the front lines when he got into his armored vehicle in Baghdad in 2003.

-- -- the turret Gunner on the leg and I said Gloria and she's green -- said I'm Amanda myself okay.

Female turret -- protecting division commander and -- from that point on that are realize something had changed and it was time to him to do something about it.

Panetta spoke of opportunity in life as we all know.

There are no guarantees of success.

Not everyone.

He's going to be able to be a combat soldier.

But everyone.

Is entitled to a chance.

Marine such as Ryan Smith a retired sergeant who served in Iraq think the decision puts lives at risk.

My first sergeant was mortally wounded when we are in Iraq and he was in the -- of an amphibious assault vehicle.

He was a 65 roughly 250 pound man.

It that.

I haven't seen a woman yet that would be able to pull that man out of the amphibious assault vehicle and and try to get him to a medevac the first female combat pilot disagrees.

They were making the same arguments that then that women did not have the endurance the strength to be fighter pilots and I had just completed the Hawaii Iron Man triathlon.

Winning the military division and beating most of the military men and there is saying I just don't have the endurance to be a fighter.

-- there are also issues of societal norms many Americans remember when private first class Jessica Lynch was captured in Iraq.

Her recent biography details how she was raped by her captors but in a statement today she said she supported the change.

Lesson that there's a big difference between being in harm's way women are ambushed as part of units they serve -- receive mourners -- have YAD attacks.

Being and they direct offensive combat operation day in and day out it's very different than being in harm's way it.

The military service chiefs have until May fifteenth to make their case to the Defense Secretary about which jobs if any should still exclude women -- Jennifer Griffin -- the Pentagon Jennifer thank you.

So what do you think about allowing women in combat let me -- on Twitter you can follow me at -- there.

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