Local military personnel react to combat ban being lifted for women

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - After more than 200 years of restrictions, the US military is ending its policy of excluding women from combat operations.

However, military personnel in Fort Wayne had mixed feelings about women being allowed on the front lines.

"You wait for something for so long," said Tiffany Kravec, a former Military Information Systems Staff Sergeant who now works as a peer counselor for military students at IPFW. "I was in the military for nine years, so it was one of those hopeful things that you get to do everything that everyone else gets to do."

Wednesday's news that the combat ban for women will be lifted came as a shock to many.

"I remember my drill sergeant was a ranger who had been in sniper school, and I was like 'oh yeah drill sergeant I want to do that,' and then being told no, sorry, females can't go to sniper school," Kravec said.

Now, that could all change. Veterans say lifting the combat ban will make it possible for females to make the military a lasting career.

"It's very difficult sometimes to get promotions as a female if you're in a career track that some point you have to be male," Kravec said.

But, there are some women that don't agree females should be on the front fighting lines.

"Physically, I think it will be really hard," said Jericha Faulkner, a Marine Corps Poolee, a person who has enrolled in the Marines and goes to boot camp later this year. "Women aren't built the same way as men, and I think there will be a lot of discrimination about it."

Some soldiers who currently hold those jobs say as long as women are held to the same guidelines, they don't mind.

"As long as they're fit for it, and they go through the same training that we go through as infantry men," said Lance Corporal Christian Huantearriaga. "If they go through it, then why not."

Currently, women make up 14 percent of the military's 1.4 million active duty personnel.