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Interview With Allan Carlson, Wilma Vaught

Aired April 25, 2003 - 15:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Now to a very different story. The unprecedented role of women during the war in Iraq set that conflict apart from all previous American wars. Media reports from the combat zone feature women's fighter pilots, coolly talking about their missions over Baghdad, as well as disturbing footage of American women captured as prisoners of war. Images like these have fueled a whole new round of debate -- in the debate over women in combat.
And with me now to talk more about this, Allan Carlson of the Family Research Council, and retired Air Force General Wilma Vaught.

To both of you, right now women are doing something like 90 percent of the jobs in the U.S. military services. They are flying combat helicopters. They are dropping bombs. They are firing missiles. They are not on the front lines.

General Vaught, should that restriction be dropped so that women can do everything in time of war?

GEN. WILMA VAUGHT (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE: I think it should be. I think we should make our decisions, not based on gender, but on the requirements of the job. And I think we should give maximum flexibility to the commanders to use their troops however they see they need to at a given point in time.

WOODRUFF: Well, what about the argument that women are weaker, that they don't have the physical strength that men do?

VAUGHT: They may not, but they may have the mental strength, and they may have more mental strength. Further, the technology is changing the requirements so much. Now, clearly we shouldn't have a woman or a man assigned some place where physically or mentally, whatever it is, if they can't do the job that they are tasked with doing.

WOODRUFF: Allan Carlson, why should there be any restrictions in what women are allowed to do in wartime?

ALLAN CARLSON, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: Well, since most of the women in the military are young women, and since many or most young women indeed have the potential or in fact are mothers, and many of the mothers and small children, that's a very special concern and issue for the Family Research Council. We really don't think that the mothers of small children should be put in harm's way. One of the oldest and most basic of human instincts is to protect children, protect childhood, and to protect motherhood. And as we open more and more combat possibilities to women, we're putting more and more young mothers in harm's way.

WOODRUFF: General Vaught, what about that?

VAUGHT: Well, I think we need to consider the desires of the women involved and their concerns.

Last week I visited with the Fiestala (ph) family out in Arizona, whose daughter was killed. And I can tell you I never heard them say once that their daughter should not have been in the Army, that their daughter, even though she had children, that she should have made a different choice. They are just tremendously proud of her.

And so, I think we're dealing with a different issue here. And further, we have many men now who are single parents. And you know, if we're going to consider this, we have to consider both men and women, where in a previous era this wouldn't have been the case. Women are comfortable with what they are doing.

I took great pride in two things. One, that is women were interviewed. I heard person after person, as well as men, saying I am here doing my job. And I can tell you, you can't imagine my pride when they lifted that sheet from Jessica Lynch, and the man said I am an American soldier. And she said, I am an American soldier too. She didn't say she was a woman. She said I am a soldier.

WOODRUFF: Let me ask you, Allan Carlson, about something that was in the New York Times, the op-ed page. Nicolas Kristol is a columnist, pointed out in a column on this subject. He said particularly in the Muslim world. He said notions of chivalry make even the most blood-thirsty fighters squeamish about shooting female soldiers or blowing them up at checkpoint. He said let's let foreign chauvinism work for us. What about that?

CARLSON: Well, of course, and I guess that in a war situation you look for every advantage and opportunity. But I think we really have to focus in on the children here. It's more than just private choices. We're also making choices as a nation as to how we are going to build and construct the military, what values we are going to defend. And above all, we need to defend children and to defend the ability and possibility for children to grow to the best possible way they can.

(CROSSTALK)

WOODRUFF: And what about -- General Vaught points out that men are parents, too. What about that point?

CARLSON: Well, indeed they are, but mothers and fathers are not interchangeable, particularly for young children. Up through age three, young children have a very special need for their mothers, to be near and with their mothers. And the kind of separation that combat involves or overseas deployments, many months, sometimes it's in some cases years, simply puts these children at much greater risk of having developmental problems due to educational problems. It's not just a private issue, it's a public issue as well. WOODRUFF: Well, it is an important debate. And we thank both of you for talking with us about it. Allan Carlson with Family Research Council joining us this afternoon, and also retired Air Force General Wilma Vaught. We appreciate it. Good to see both of you.

VAUGHT: Thank you.

CARLSON: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired April 25, 2003 - 15:46   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Now to a very different story. The unprecedented role of women during the war in Iraq set that conflict apart from all previous American wars. Media reports from the combat zone feature women's fighter pilots, coolly talking about their missions over Baghdad, as well as disturbing footage of American women captured as prisoners of war. Images like these have fueled a whole new round of debate -- in the debate over women in combat.
And with me now to talk more about this, Allan Carlson of the Family Research Council, and retired Air Force General Wilma Vaught.

To both of you, right now women are doing something like 90 percent of the jobs in the U.S. military services. They are flying combat helicopters. They are dropping bombs. They are firing missiles. They are not on the front lines.

General Vaught, should that restriction be dropped so that women can do everything in time of war?

GEN. WILMA VAUGHT (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE: I think it should be. I think we should make our decisions, not based on gender, but on the requirements of the job. And I think we should give maximum flexibility to the commanders to use their troops however they see they need to at a given point in time.

WOODRUFF: Well, what about the argument that women are weaker, that they don't have the physical strength that men do?

VAUGHT: They may not, but they may have the mental strength, and they may have more mental strength. Further, the technology is changing the requirements so much. Now, clearly we shouldn't have a woman or a man assigned some place where physically or mentally, whatever it is, if they can't do the job that they are tasked with doing.

WOODRUFF: Allan Carlson, why should there be any restrictions in what women are allowed to do in wartime?

ALLAN CARLSON, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: Well, since most of the women in the military are young women, and since many or most young women indeed have the potential or in fact are mothers, and many of the mothers and small children, that's a very special concern and issue for the Family Research Council. We really don't think that the mothers of small children should be put in harm's way. One of the oldest and most basic of human instincts is to protect children, protect childhood, and to protect motherhood. And as we open more and more combat possibilities to women, we're putting more and more young mothers in harm's way.

WOODRUFF: General Vaught, what about that?

VAUGHT: Well, I think we need to consider the desires of the women involved and their concerns.

Last week I visited with the Fiestala (ph) family out in Arizona, whose daughter was killed. And I can tell you I never heard them say once that their daughter should not have been in the Army, that their daughter, even though she had children, that she should have made a different choice. They are just tremendously proud of her.

And so, I think we're dealing with a different issue here. And further, we have many men now who are single parents. And you know, if we're going to consider this, we have to consider both men and women, where in a previous era this wouldn't have been the case. Women are comfortable with what they are doing.

I took great pride in two things. One, that is women were interviewed. I heard person after person, as well as men, saying I am here doing my job. And I can tell you, you can't imagine my pride when they lifted that sheet from Jessica Lynch, and the man said I am an American soldier. And she said, I am an American soldier too. She didn't say she was a woman. She said I am a soldier.

WOODRUFF: Let me ask you, Allan Carlson, about something that was in the New York Times, the op-ed page. Nicolas Kristol is a columnist, pointed out in a column on this subject. He said particularly in the Muslim world. He said notions of chivalry make even the most blood-thirsty fighters squeamish about shooting female soldiers or blowing them up at checkpoint. He said let's let foreign chauvinism work for us. What about that?

CARLSON: Well, of course, and I guess that in a war situation you look for every advantage and opportunity. But I think we really have to focus in on the children here. It's more than just private choices. We're also making choices as a nation as to how we are going to build and construct the military, what values we are going to defend. And above all, we need to defend children and to defend the ability and possibility for children to grow to the best possible way they can.

(CROSSTALK)

WOODRUFF: And what about -- General Vaught points out that men are parents, too. What about that point?

CARLSON: Well, indeed they are, but mothers and fathers are not interchangeable, particularly for young children. Up through age three, young children have a very special need for their mothers, to be near and with their mothers. And the kind of separation that combat involves or overseas deployments, many months, sometimes it's in some cases years, simply puts these children at much greater risk of having developmental problems due to educational problems. It's not just a private issue, it's a public issue as well. WOODRUFF: Well, it is an important debate. And we thank both of you for talking with us about it. Allan Carlson with Family Research Council joining us this afternoon, and also retired Air Force General Wilma Vaught. We appreciate it. Good to see both of you.

VAUGHT: Thank you.

CARLSON: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com