I was sitting in the cockpit of my AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter when my division got a desperate call for help . It was August 2004 , and I was a part of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Iraq . Insurgents were hitting our troops with mortar rounds . The Marine squad was out of ammunition and could n't shoot back . They had just fought a long and fierce battle , supply reinforcements could n't reach them and they did n't even have any green smoke to mark their position for us . They needed assistance immediately . We took out the enemy target with the last remaining missile on our aircraft . Several months later , I was talking to a Marine . When he found out I flew Cobras , he started to recount an experience he had in Iraq in which a Cobra shot a missile and saved his squad . Turned out , it was the same mission ; the missile came from my aircraft . He stared at me and said , `` Ma'am , you saved my life . '' Did it matter that the one who fired that missile was a woman , or that she was black and gay ? Absolutely not ! Fast forward almost 10 years to 2013 , and history has been made for women in the military . The ban on women in military combat has been lifted , allowing women to apply for jobs in front-line positions and elite commando units . Opinion : Will infantry men accept women as peers ? According to statistics from Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation , as of September 2011 , there were 214,098 women serving on active duty in the military . While that might sound like a large number , these women make up only 14.6 % of all active-duty service personnel . In the Marine Corps , women make up just a little more than 6 % . The Pentagon says women have been barred from roughly 237,000 positions , and they will now start looking to qualified women to fill these roles . This is long overdue . The debate the move has raised presents an obvious reality check : Our American community needs to be educated that women are capable of taking on military roles and have done so throughout the nation 's history . Women have already proven we can handle ourselves on the front lines . And in recent times , even with the ban on women in combat in place , women have been POWs . The Lioness Program , the Marine Corps all-female search team , is an example of why we ca n't accomplish our front line missions without women . The reality of modern warfare is that there are no front lines . Honestly , I am offended by how many times I hear `` women in combat '' and `` lowering standards '' used in the same sentence . True , the average man is physically stronger than the average woman . Standards should not be lowered and women do n't want them to be . No one should be in a job where he or she does n't meet the standards -- not every man , for example is fit to be a Navy SEAL . News : Single mom fought alongside combat troops in Afghanistan . The argument that women in combat will have a negative impact on unit cohesion and morale is the same argument that was used to keep blacks and gays out of the military . At what point do we bring a stop to these ridiculous arguments and address what really matters ? Having more women on the battlefield will improve the military 's ability to carry out its mission . During my two tours flying helicopters in Iraq , my unit experienced many dangerous and potentially life-threatening scenarios . The ultimate sacrifice was n't meted out by gender . For those who are against women serving on the front line , know this : Opening up combat roles for women is merely formalizing the reality of what was already happening ; it 's just opening more roles and opportunities . The bottom line is if you can do the job , you should be out there doing it , whether you 're a man or a woman . The military has been a personal journey for me . My grandfather served in World War II and was a Montford Point Marine . My stepdad was a Marine and served three tours in Vietnam , and my father retired as a major from the Army Reserves after 24 years . I love being part of this legacy , and the legacy of service to our great nation . It 's time we give women the same opportunity to serve this great country . We 're all in this together .
Vernice Armour : In 2004 battle in Iraq , she saved a Marine squad by shooting a missile . She says rescued Marines did n't care she was a woman . Comment: She says women in combat roles does n't lower standards ; they have long served in military . Armour : Having more women on battlefield will up military 's ability to carry out mission .