Women In Combat, I'm All For It.

[MR BRNS C6]

Can't wait for the term " Combat Baby " to be used for some new type of entitlement.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2...3317828&rank=1

[blckslvr79]

If they were all built like this, I'd have no problem with it.

[AK's Z06]

Equality without Responsibility is over.

[PNHNDLE96CE]

The Israelis do it, why can't we. Will be interesting to see, not that they can't do it, more of a do they want to.

[DarthAWM]

Get them on the same cycle and they'll be great one week a month

[PNHNDLE96CE]

Honestly this is lip service. I have been serving for 20+ yrs and women in a general combat role may work, but for a close knit group like special ops I don't see it. Flame suit on. If there were conditions on serving in those roles maybe. But my experience is that sorry if I offend they get pregnant at the most opportune time, ie before a deployment. I am not against it at all, you want it do it but all I can say is we will see how this combat role expansion pans out.

[Upheval]

Originally Posted by PNHNDLE96CE

But my experience is that sorry if I offend they get pregnant at the most opportune time, ie before a deployment.

This was the norm in the Marines with the WM's (Woman Marines). I saw this same thing over and over again.

If they want to be on the front lines then go for it. The ugly side of it will be the raping of the captured ones. They just better expect and prepair for this sort of thing because it will happen.

[C3C6 Norm]

Sorry ladies, old school here, relegated to support roles. My Dad, career Army WWII and Korea, I can hear him from the grave now, NOOOOOOOOOOOO.........God bless his soul.

[87vette81big]

"Sarah Conners' "

Original Terminator from 1983, she kicked Arnold Swarziniger's ass many times.

[Fluffy]

Originally Posted by 87vette81big

"Sarah Conners' "

Original Terminator from 1983, she kicked Arnold Swarziniger's ass many times.

It was an ethical hollywood film.

When we get into some dirty war in which they do things to prisonners, we will see if the position is going to be the same.

I agree on the SpecOps to.

War ain't pretty and equality means that anyone can be tortured.

[1963SS]

If they can get through the same training with the same equipment with NO allowance for gender, then maybe. Since they'll be serving on the front lines, side by side with men then they should train with men also. Shit, shower, shave, etc.....all of it. There are no his and hers porta-potties on the front lines. Can she run with a 75 pound pack on and can she drag a wounded Marine to cover. With all due respect to Demi Moore and "GI Jane" I don't want a 120 pound woman trying to drag me around. Marines will die because of this idiocy.

Of course they will be excluded from some activities. When referring to everyone I've been known to say, " I want every swinging dick in here to give me 50 push-ups." That would exclude all the ladies and some of our more sissy men. Would we still be allowed to curse around the fairer sex. Can you "grab-ass" with a woman. I hope so because it's almost a Marine tradition.

[blckslvr79]

Read more here...
http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/a...-created-equal

Who is driving this agenda? I am not personally hearing female Marines, enlisted or officer, pounding on the doors of Congress claiming that their inability to serve in the infantry violates their right to equality. Shockingly, this isn’t even a congressional agenda. This issue is being pushed by several groups, one of which is a small committee of civilians appointed by the Secretary of Defense called the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Service (DACOWITS). Their mission is to advise the Department of Defense (DoD) on recommendations, as well as matters of policy, pertaining to the well-being of women in the Armed Services from recruiting to employment. Members are selected based on their prior military experience or experience with women’s workforce issues. I certainly applaud and appreciate DACOWITS’ mission; however, as it pertains to the issue of women in the infantry, it’s very surprising to see that none of the committee members are on active duty or have any recent combat or relevant operational experience relating to the issue they are attempting to change. I say this because, at the end of the day, it’s the active duty servicemember who will ultimately deal with the results of their initiatives, not those on the outside looking in. As of now, the Marine Corps hasn’t been directed to integrate, but perhaps the Corps is anticipating the inevitable—DoD pressuring the Corps to comply with DACOWITS’ agenda as the Army has already “rogered up” to full integration. Regardless of what the Army decides to do, it’s critical to emphasize that we are not the Army; our operational speed and tempo, along with our overall mission as the Nation’s amphibious force-in-readiness, are fundamentally different than that of our sister Service. By no means is this distinction intended as disrespectful to our incredible Army. My main point is simply to state that the Marine Corps and the Army are different; even if the Army ultimately does fully integrate all military occupational fields, that doesn’t mean the Corps should follow suit.

I understand that there are female servicemembers who have proven themselves to be physically, mentally, and morally capable of leading and executing combat-type operations; as a result, some of these Marines may feel qualified for the chance of taking on the role of 0302. In the end, my main concern is not whether women are capable of conducting combat operations, as we have already proven that we can hold our own in some very difficult combat situations; instead, my main concern is a question of longevity. Can women endure the physical and physiological rigors of sustained combat operations, and are we willing to accept the attrition and medical issues that go along with integration?

As a young lieutenant, I fit the mold of a female who would have had a shot at completing IOC, and I am sure there was a time in my life where I would have volunteered to be an infantryman. I was a star ice hockey player at Bowdoin College, a small elite college in Maine, with a major in government and law. At 5 feet 3 inches I was squatting 200 pounds and benching 145 pounds when I graduated in 2007. I completed Officer Candidates School (OCS) ranked 4 of 52 candidates, graduated 48 of 261 from TBS, and finished second at MOS school. I also repeatedly scored far above average in all female-based physical fitness tests (for example, earning a 292 out of 300 on the Marine physical fitness test). Five years later, I am physically not the woman I once was and my views have greatly changed on the possibility of women having successful long careers while serving in the infantry. I can say from firsthand experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, and not just emotion, that we haven’t even begun to analyze and comprehend the gender-specific medical issues and overall physical toll continuous combat operations will have on females.

I was a motivated, resilient second lieutenant when I deployed to Iraq for 10 months, traveling across the Marine area of operations (AO) and participating in numerous combat operations. Yet, due to the excessive amount of time I spent in full combat load, I was diagnosed with a severe case of restless leg syndrome. My spine had compressed on nerves in my lower back causing neuropathy which compounded the symptoms of restless leg syndrome. While this injury has certainly not been enjoyable, Iraq was a pleasant experience compared to the experiences I endured during my deployment to Afghanistan. At the beginning of my tour in Helmand Province, I was physically capable of conducting combat operations for weeks at a time, remaining in my gear for days if necessary and averaging 16-hour days of engineering operations in the heart of Sangin, one of the most kinetic and challenging AOs in the country. There were numerous occasions where I was sent to a grid coordinate and told to build a PB from the ground up, serving not only as the mission commander but also the base commander until the occupants (infantry units) arrived 5 days later. In most of these situations, I had a sergeant as my assistant commander, and the remainder of my platoon consisted of young, motivated NCOs. I was the senior Marine making the final decisions on construction concerns, along with 24-hour base defense and leading 30 Marines at any given time. The physical strain of enduring combat operations and the stress of being responsible for the lives and well-being of such a young group in an extremely kinetic environment were compounded by lack of sleep, which ultimately took a physical toll on my body that I couldn’t have foreseen.

By the fifth month into the deployment, I had muscle atrophy in my thighs that was causing me to constantly trip and my legs to buckle with the slightest grade change. My agility during firefights and mobility on and off vehicles and perimeter walls was seriously hindering my response time and overall capability. It was evident that stress and muscular deterioration was affecting everyone regardless of gender; however, the rate of my deterioration was noticeably faster than that of male Marines and further compounded by gender-specific medical conditions. At the end of the 7-month deployment, and the construction of 18 PBs later, I had lost 17 pounds and was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (which personally resulted in infertility, but is not a genetic trend in my family), which was brought on by the chemical and physical changes endured during deployment. Regardless of my deteriorating physical stature, I was extremely successful during both of my combat tours, serving beside my infantry brethren and gaining the respect of every unit I supported. Regardless, I can say with 100 percent assurance that despite my accomplishments, there is no way I could endure the physical demands of the infantrymen whom I worked beside as their combat load and constant deployment cycle would leave me facing medical separation long before the option of retirement. I understand that everyone is affected differently; however, I am confident that should the Marine Corps attempt to fully integrate women into the infantry, we as an institution are going to experience a colossal increase in crippling and career-ending medical conditions for females.

[Texdentist]

I saw a bit on the local news this morning where an anchorwoman about 30 interviewed a local radio talk show host who comes on every Thursday to discuss current events. He listed all the reasons he thought women in combat was insane - it's an old list:
1. On average women are not nearly as strong as men. Carrying the equipment in battle conditions alone makes it questionable.
2. Captured women will undoubtedly be sexually assaulted which would not only be horrible for them, but could be used to extract info from captured male soldiers.
3. Combat units train as a team - especially special ops type teams. What happens when they have trained for a year or two for a specific purpose and the woman gets pregnant in the weeks before their skills are needed? The team will not be as effective with a substitute or fewer team members.

Well, the anchorwoman was breathing fire. She felt this was the most sexist stuff she had ever heard and anyone who believed like this guy was some kind of neanderthal. Personally, I think those are all good points. But, if the military really thinks this can work and isn't just doing it for social correctness (doubtful), I'm OK with it.

[MR BRNS C6]

Maybe the military should require females in the service to take Depo-Prevara shots. At least while they're in combat ready units, that'd stop a whole lotta females from joining and stop that "I'm pregnant before deployment shit".

[Fluffy]

Originally Posted by Texdentist

I saw a bit on the local news this morning where an anchorwoman about 30 interviewed a local radio talk show host who comes on every Thursday to discuss current events. He listed all the reasons he thought women in combat was insane - it's an old list:
1. On average women are not nearly as strong as men. Carrying the equipment in battle conditions alone makes it questionable.
2. Captured women will undoubtedly be sexually assaulted which would not only be horrible for them, but could be used to extract info from captured male soldiers.
3. Combat units train as a team - especially special ops type teams. What happens when they have trained for a year or two for a specific purpose and the woman gets pregnant in the weeks before their skills are needed? The team will not be as effective with a substitute or fewer team members.

Well, the anchorwoman was breathing fire. She felt this was the most sexist stuff she had ever heard and anyone who believed like this guy was some kind of neanderthal. Personally, I think those are all good points. But, if the military really thinks this can work and isn't just doing it for social correctness (doubtful), I'm OK with it.

That anchorwoman can go for 6 months with a seal team and we'll have a discussion after that.