Two women who serve in the New Hampshire National Guard say they agree with reservists from other states who have petitioned a federal judge to lift restrictions barring women from combat.

In a lawsuit filed against the U.S. military last week, two women say the restrictions violated their constitutional rights.

The suit, filed by Cmd. Sgt. Maj. Jane Baldwin of Tallahassee, Fla., and Col. Ellen Haring of Bristow, Va., both Army reservists, claims that preventing them from taking part in such assignments “solely on the basis of sex” violates their right to equal protection under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

In New Hampshire, Chief Warrant Officer II Athena Petrin of Goffstown and Spc. Courtney Ann Selig of Concord feel strongly they should be allowed to take up positions along the front lines.

“The truth is there are already women in these situations, just based on where they are stationed,” said Petrin.

“I’ve been in that situation, when I was stationed in Baghdad. These days, the battles aren’t only being fought on the front lines anymore. Everyone is already close to the danger, so letting women take the next step isn’t that much of a stretch.”

“I think we should be given the same opportunities as male soldiers are, if you have completed the same training and are qualified,” said Selig.

Both women work for the New Hampshire National Guard’s Military Outreach Program in Concord, striving to connect local soldiers with programs and benefits available to them once they return home. Both have completed overseas deployments in recent years.

On May 14, the Army began placing women in as many as 14,000 combat-related jobs by opening up six military occupational specialties and started placing women in 37 battalions across nine brigade combat teams.

Policy change

The change in policy at the Department of Defense opens up an additional 3 percent of available Army jobs to women, but soldiers such as Petrin and Selig feel more restrictions should be lifted.

“Women should be given the same opportunities as male soldiers,” said Petrin. “I think the changes we have seen ... they are a good first step. We’re headed in the right direction, but we’re not there yet.”

Master Sgt. Mike Daigle, spokesman for the New Hampshire National Guard, says the new rules still mean women are barred from serving as infantry, armor and special operations forces — categorized as the most dangerous combat jobs.

But the changes open the doors for more opportunities and promotions for women by allowing them to perform jobs with battalions closer to the fighting and previously thought to be too dangerous for women.

Combat exclusion

A combat exclusion policy, in place since 1994, bans women from being assigned to ground combat units below the brigade level. A brigade consists of about 3,500 troops, split into several battalions of about 800 soldiers each.

Brigades are typically stationed farther away from the front lines in a war zone and often include top command and support staff. Battalions often engage in much closer contact with enemy forces, said Daigle.

In recent years, Daigle said, the necessities of war placed women in such occupations as medics, intelligence officers and military police. Occasionally they were attached to battalions in support roles, but not as infantrymen.

For example, a woman could pilot a helicopter providing air support to a unit, or help provide medical treatment if troops were injured, but not engage in firefights.

Petrin has served two tours of duty overseas — in Baghdad from 2006 to 2007 and in Kuwait from 2010 to 2011 — and said she knows firsthand that women are in harm’s way every day, if not on the front lines.

“During the Baghdad tour especially — Kuwait was much quieter — but in Baghdad, there was the constant threat of mortars falling nearby,” said Petrin. “I can’t say anything like that happened to me while I was there, but it’s something you were always aware of.”

Time for equality

Petrin said she feels its time the military viewed women as equals to their male counterparts.

“It’s already happened in civilian professions,” said Petrin. “Women are police officers; do they prevent us from riding in a cruiser, or going out on calls? No. I think women can contribute during combat situations.

“I’ve seen women outperform men physically, whether its pushups or running faster. If someone can complete the training, they should be given the same opportunities as anyone, not told you can’t do X,Y and Z because of their gender.”

About 30 percent of Army jobs are still restricted to men, according to Daigle.

According to Pentagon statistics, about 280,000 women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Of those, 860 have been wounded and 144 killed.