the_great_ashby t1_j25ncjk wrote on December 29, 2022 at 8:59 PM

Reply to comment by Delicious-Tachyons in Is it true the women in THE A TEAM were fired because the lead actor wanted an All Male cast? by Lili_Danube

Were there women in combat roles in Vietnam and prior US wars?

TheJonnieP t1_j25qasq wrote on December 29, 2022 at 9:18 PM

Not as actual combatants. Women were not allowed to be frontline fighters until 1993 when females were allowed to pilot combat missions.

Here is a link that goes deeper into it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_Exclusion_Polic

StephenHunterUK t1_j25r7a5 wrote on December 29, 2022 at 9:24 PM

Not counting OSS operatives (a role which could involve combat and certainly a high risk of death), generally not for the US. They tended to do stuff like secretarial work, communications, nursing and other stuff that would not put them into direct contact with the enemy. Unless the enemy showed up at the base. There were eight servicewomen killed in action.

A lot more for both Vietnams, but the records aren't great: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_Vietnam_War

Things didn't really start changing until the 1990s, with female fighter pilots in particular.

Delicious-Tachyons t1_j25no80 wrote on December 29, 2022 at 9:01 PM

that's not my argument. I was responding to "none of the other cast supported her (b/c women shouldn't be fighting or something, idk)" as the show was filmed in 1981.