Another vet writes: "I take a STRONG NEGATIVE STAND. I am vigorously opposed to these assignments. ALL OF THEM. In fact, I believe they represent acts of insanity."

Continuing with our Members opinions, here is what a SEABEE veteran writes: "No, I don't think women should serve aboard ANY ships in the US NAVY. No gays either."

Continuing with our Members opinions, a US NAVY submarine veteran sent a clip from the magazine MILITARY FIREFIGHTER. The article reads:

WREN IS BITTEN ON BOTTOM

'A WREN officer standing at a Greek bar having a drink with colleagues from the Royal Navy's HMS INVINCIBLE was bitten twice on the bottom by a drunken sailor who had earlier been tugging at another WREN's vest, a Portsmouth Court Martial was told last month (April 1994). After an initial bite to her behind, Sub. Lt. Selina Lamb was shocked at Petty Officer David Quilter's behaviour and told him: 'I cannot believe you just did that.'

Quilter's response was to drop to his knees and sink his teeth into her bottom again.

Like the USN in the aftermath of the TAILHOOK incident, the ROYAL NAVY proved determined to stamp out this kind of behavior with a savage sentence; the court found Quilter guilty, gave him a suspended sentence of 28 days detention and took away his two GOOD CONDUCT Medals.'

Here is another article submitted by an American submarine veteran, and it is also from the MILITARY FIREFIGHTER Magazine. Please keep in mind that the harsh wording comes from the magazine and not from us.

SWODS, BITCHES & SLUTS IN NAVY

Despite the fact that there have been women sailors in the AUSTRALIAN NAVY for 10 years now - they currently make up 12.5% of the force - sexual harassment remains a major issue. Last month an Australian Senate Committee was told how five women aboard the destroyer escort HMAS SWAN were regularly described by a Chief Petty Officer as 'SWODS' (Sailors without dicks). 'bitches' and 'sluts'.

Life on board the SWAN was so bad that in 1992, one woman begged a soldier to break her leg by jumping on it 30 times to give her a pretext to leave. Another woman contemplated suicide. The ship's surgeon, Dr. Carole Wheat, a Lieutenant, alleged she was raped - although the accused Commander was found not guilty by a Court Martial. However, four officers from the SWAN were subsequently disciplined and the Chief of Naval Staff apologised to the women for the 'most regrettable and awful set of circumstances'.

Remember, your opinion is welcome for this SHARKHUNTERS poll.

Another Member sent us a clipping with a response to a newspaper editor on something evidentially written on this subject. It is:

"I read with interest your editorial on women in combat in this morning's NEWS JOURNAL. Seems like you and our new prez are joining hands on this matter. I just want you to know that I think it is a wonderful idea as well. I just wish it had happened years ago when I was riding submarines for a living.

I mean the only distractions we had were movies and card games! Imagine a 74 day patrol with real girls aboard! AHEM.....but I mean, I know that they will be treated as equals and their sex will not even be noticed by the rest of the crew. After all, just because a man is separated for months at a time from his wife or girlfriend and thrown into close contact with young women for extended periods of time will have no effect on a true submariner! Submariners' wives will have no problem with this either.

Just because hubby is cruising around the ocean, submerged, isolated and deprived of even the most basic things that most of us take for granted, certainly will not cloud his judgement. I am sure they will be very understanding.

There is a solution to this problem. I suggest that all the straight men be taken off submarines, man them (excuse the pun) with gays and women, paint the submarine pink and all of us good-ole boys will just go fishin'."

HARRY'S NOTE

Perhaps this is a parallel; perhaps it is not, but let me remember one incident that happened when I was a professional racing driver and Feature Writer for STOCK CAR RACING Magazine.

During the 1976 TEXAS 500, there were two women drivers, the first time EVER that women would drive the big stockers on the high banks and so, this was news. Some of the drivers welcomed the new 'look' to the sport, others were dead set against this change. As for myself, I felt it was very unfair that these two women, Martha Wideman and Arlene Hiss did not earn their way into this race as we all did, but were given the use of some of the best cars on the track by the car owners in a deal with the promoters. I watched one racer's wife sell her gold watch so her husband could buy new tires and I knew another driver who took a loan on his house to buy an engine - but these two women got everything for free.

They soon proved that they were out of their element as Martha Wideman drove out of the pits for her qualification run and failed to turn the wheel! She slammed straight into the retaining wall in Turn one - but the media guys rushed over to interview her anyway. One told me that his Editor only wanted interviews with the women drivers.

At the next race, which was on the Milwaukee Mile, Arlene Hiss was doing so poorly that her car owner, in frustration, finally called her into the pits and ordered her out of the car. He then took the wheel himself, and was running with the leaders.

At the TEXAS 500 where the women first appeared, I told Stock Car Supervisor Bob Stroud how the guys felt that it was unfair to give the women these cars when they really did not earn their way into this race, and that other drivers just plain felt the women had no business on the track at all. He pointed to the grandstand and said that a third of all the paying spectators came out because of the women drivers. Some wanted to see them run up front, others wanted to see them beaten by the men - but, he restated, there were a lot more paying spectators in the stands because of the women drivers. Then he made a statement that I'll probably never forget. He looked at the grandstands and said "Harry, if I could teach a monkey to drive a race car, I would put an additional 10,000 people in the stands!"

As I said, this may or may not have anything to do with whether women should serve on ships, boats, submarines, fighter planes etc. I just tossed it out for your consideration...but I think it would be a hell of an insult to be compared to a monkey.