YOU DON’T SAY: Military Press Distorts Facts about Women in Combat.

Baldor writes: “Studies that surveyed personnel found ‘major misconceptions’ within special operations about whether women should be brought into the male-only jobs.”

Apart from the awkwardness of the statement above, and her misuse of the word “misconceptions,” Baldor’s statement is noteworthy for another reason – she suggests that the members of the elite special operations community (who comprise the upmost-tier of expertise, skill and demonstrated combat performance within the armed forces) are not competent to determine who shall enter their ranks. Notice too, her use of the word “jobs” at the conclusion of the sentence above. Her evident belief is that being a special operations warrior is no different than holding any other “job” – an outlook which is starkly at odds with the reality of an elite combat soldier’s existence and day-to-day life.

Re: “Women have so far had mixed results as they try to move into the more demanding combat positions — jobs for which men also have difficulty qualifying.”

More shading of the facts and half-truths. Women have not had “mixed results” in trying to crack the special operations community; they have failed spectacularly.