Defense committee on women in the military meeting at Luxor

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2000 | 10:16 a.m.

Two of the sailors who died last week in a terrorist attack on the destroyer Cole were women. While the nation has mourned the loss of the women with the other victims, no great wave of regret or revulsion has surfaced in or out of the services over women serving in such positions of danger.

In a Sun story Friday, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., was quoted as saying that women play an increasingly important role in the armed forces and that "the women of America have demanded their ability to serve in the U.S. military."

Today through Sunday the Department of Defense organization that first recommended women serve in combat role is meeting in Las Vegas.

The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services' fall conference convened Wednesday at the Luxor. DACOWITS is a group of 36 men and women from the civilian and military sectors appointed by the secretary of Defense to advise him on policy issues affecting women.

It is divided into three subcommittees on equality management, forces development and utilization, and quality of life.

The DACOWITS agenda for the Las Vegas conference includes pregnancy policies, gender and race discrimination and the military health care system.

The conference is open to the public. For more information, see the group's website (tic.mil/dacowits).

Overseas holiday packages

Military Postal Service Agency experts have released their holiday 2000 deadlines for family and friends of service members to get cards and packages in the mail to their loved ones. To ensure cards and packages arrive at their destination by Christmas these experts recommend the following guidelines.

SAM packages are first transported domestically by surface and then overseas by air on a space-available basis. SAM parcels must be less than 15 pounds and no more than 60 inches in length and girth combined. PAL service is space-available air transportation for parcels up to 30 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined.

Different fees apply for standard mail, SAM, PAL and priority mail. For mail sent to civilian international addresses, the following guidelines apply:

For mail addressed to Africa, letters and air parcels need to be postmarked by Dec. 4 and surface mail by Oct. 27. To the Asia-Pacific Rim, Australia and New Zealand, mail letters and air parcels by Dec. 11 and surface packages by Nov. 3.

To Canada, mail letters and air parcels by Dec. 15 and surface mail by Nov. 24. To Europe, Mexico or the Caribbean, mail letters and air parcels by Dec. 11 and surface mail by Nov. 11. To Central or South America, mail letters or air parcels by Dec. 4 and surface mail Nov. 3. To the Middle East, mail letters or air parcels by Dec. 11 and surface mail by Oct. 27.