yeah, but come on... think of all the different combat positions and situations there are. if all you needed was a hulking dude who could grunt and lift a truck, then you'd be all set. when adreneline hits, men and women alike can do extraordinary things, too.
give me a man OR a woman in acceptable military range of physical condition who knows how to follow orders, operate their weaponry and gear, improvise when the situation calls for it and generally think on their feet, and i'd be happy.
again, though, when it comes to meeting those fitness standards, it's gotta be equal. REASONABLE but equal. i don't care if john OR jane can do 1,000 squat thrusts or 5,000 sit ups. a TOTAL soldier is more valuable than a set of six-pack abs.
i realize this is a wildly unpopular POV to have, but there's a hellova lot of women in combat info out there that's not seen much daylight. i did a thesis on women in combat (motivations to combat) and was amazed at how women have done -- and for how long.
and after seeing female cops "in action," like i said, there's just one i wouldn't want to be in the shiznit with, and that's because she belonged with dumb and dumber. she could be dumbEST with them. :P