Rostker v. Goldberg - Women And The Selective Service Exemption

In 1995, House Speaker Newt Gingrich caused controversy when he discussed the idea of women in combat from a politically incorrect standpoint--that is, he did not believe women had any business going to war. At around the same time, Shannon Faulkner was making headlines as she attempted to become the first female cadet at South Carolina's all-male military academy, The Citadel. Though she waged a long legal battle, Faulkner, weakened by stress, proved physically incapable of keeping up with her classmates, and within the first week of the school, she had to drop out.

Later, however, other more physically fit young women successfully endured the tough conditions at The Citadel. Women have proven capable of serving in the military, and in positions such as military intelligence or the medical fields, they have served with distinction at the front lines. But the idea of women fighting wars as infantrymen in foxholes remains difficult for most of society to accept--mostly because certain segments of society find it hard to imagine that very many women would want to do so.