Photo: José M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune
The U.S. Army still bars women from front-line combat, but from the looks of this cage fight at Fort Hood army base in Texas, they're missing out on some of America's fiercest warriors:
Whap. Whap. Army Staff Sgt. Jackelyn Walker is snapping left jabs at Pfc. Greg Langarica's head. She doesn't like his smirk. Whap. Whap.
She lunges for his midsection and slams him down with a thud. Locked in a chokehold, Langarica's face goes crimson. His smirk is gone.
The 5-foot-2 Iraq War veteran with her hair in cornrows is thrashing the taller, tattooed artilleryman in a black chain-link cage lit by pulsating strobes. The 1,000 or so spectators in the Army gym howl with glee.
The Army still bars women from front-line combat units. But male and female soldiers traded kicks and punches in a four-day championship in mid-February at this sprawling Army base. The cage fighting contest was held to highlight hand-to-hand fighting skills, but some bouts seemed more like no-holds-barred brawls.
David S. Cloud of The Chicago Tribune has the story: Link