Females in infintry?

[Lorix]

Times are changing. Women are more accepted in society than ever! They compete with the guys, and their is nothing they can't do. I'm a female that would've liked to be in infintry, why shouldn't females be allowed? I'm better than a lot of the guys going into the Marines, way better at pt than most of them. I could be in infintry, be on the front lines fighting this war. I know a number of other women that feel the same way, we want to get down and dirty with the infintry. Society accepts women in every other career path, but there's still restrictions females have, why can't we be in combat? What do you think, should women be allowed in infintry if they really want to, and have the physical and mental requirements to do so?

[Deviousfred]

they should be allowed and should have all the same physical requirements that men do.

[Lock-n-Load]

Imagine you and your unit are overrun in a enemy assault on your position...you are the only Marine survivor and now a POW in a very chaotic situation...what do you think will happen to you??...I mean you are sacred shltless and all alone...are you ready to be tortured and raped to death??...American men since colonial days look upon their women as sacred and held on a pedastal; that's one reason, we don't want our women exposed to the murder, mayhem and beastiality of close combat...thank God, our Marine Corps leaders refuse to allocate Women/Marines to MLR infantry/grunt units.

[Deviousfred]

That came across my mind too SSgt. I do agree but also wouldn't that be the case in any position on or near the field. For example the 507th from Ft. Bliss. I think its a risk being in the military period but more likely to happen in the infantry.

[yellowwing]

Who knows what the future generations will be able to do.

Right now the closest you can get is the Military Police field. During the Panama Campaign, a female Major led her MP's in a counter assault when they were ambushed.

But just look at Iraq, everywhere holds danger. If you have a weapon and some guy is running at your position with an RPG over his shoulder, you're gonna' drop him.

[LivinSoFree]

If you and I are in a fighting hole in the middle of the sandbox, and I take a round to the leg, are you going to be able to buddy drag me (180 pounds), my deuce gear/daypack (15 pounds), my weapon (7.5 pounds), interceptor vest and kevlar (15 pounds), plus you and all your gear, back to the BAS or the Corpsman under fire? I seriously doubt it, and I don't want to take the chance.

[semperfidelis20]

women shouldnt be in combat simply because, combat is not a place for women. not trying to be sexist or anthing. but that is that. throughout history women have not been in combat and just because things are "being made fare" does not me women should be in combat. ive met a few girls that i would rather be beside me than some guys. but combat is not a place for women. im all for women's rights. but this is one place that they should not be.

[BHABIT]

Oh well...here we go!!

I haven't spent too much time in platoon strength, my combat experience was LRP. When we would refit we would spend days just removing the smell of humanity. You would be surprised what you can smell when on patrol.

I've always been a proponent of EQUAL RIGHTS, and have always felt if you wear the colors you better be able to do the job. I know some tough females that can more than hold their own in any situation...CQC, SERE or whatever, but there is one thing that they can't do... that's stop the monthly cycle. When I'd be on patrol and tracking you can smell it... that is a liability!

[Nagalfar]

Let me first say, that if a woman meets ALL of the SAME testing standards that the men do I will gladly back her for doing any job she wants to do, but that is not the way it is, standards have been reduced for women so they can pass, this is total BULL.. there is a reason and a point to having "standards", it means everyone can do their job, it means everyone on that team has a common level of physical prowess, a common level of mental toughness/awareness that is required for those personnel to go from being a individual, to being a team member, the point being, the fastest team in no faster than the slowest person on that team, and when the slowest person don’t have the physical or mental ability to keep up their end, someone else in that team has to pull the slack for the weakest, that in turn making that team more vulnerable to the hazards of it’s duty..

I say this, to the women in the military, who are finding the military a male domineered institution, this is a surprise? to who? it has been a male domineered, run, and designed for men, by men institution since its inception, it has been refined, and is constantly being refined to make it as effective as possible, which in a most basic of terms means, doing things this way saves lives, and makes us more combat effective, as we have learned from going over and over, most every after action report ever written, by reading both ours and those of our enemies, and our own personnel that doing it "this way" will make us more effective in the field.

Women have a place in the military, and if they pass the same tests as a man, they should have any job a man can have, but there is where it gets murky, women in combat zones, have a HUGE pregnancy rate.. during the first gulf war, the pregnancy rate was so high the pentagon tried very hard to hide the actual numbers, and still do, try getting the numbers for current personal that come up pregnant, you cant get it. The point of this being, get pregnant and go home where its safe (I feel this to be a modern form of bugging out) the bug out rate of female personal on the line is through the roof based on all conventional reports, point being if this was in fact error the pentagon would give us the actual numbers of the in the field pregnancy rate, it is my opinion this DESTROYS units that have trained for combat with these personnel, and have come to depend on them, you cant just slide another body in there and expect it to not detract from that units ability to fight.. it does.. and that gets people killed.

Women can be every bit as effective in combat as men, as any Waffen soldiers who met some of Russia's women on the eastern front will attest to, they were every bit as good, and as brutal as the Russian men, V.C. used women, very effectively, there are 1000's of times though out history were women have been used in very effectively in combat.. and most of the time they have been as effective as the men, with the proper training, and discipline.. do we somehow think that lowering standards, and not enforcing discipline so that they can remain in uniform to show what the world that, wow, isn't America progressive, or P.C. its costing us, lives, unit moral, money and wasted time.. I feel the form is right.. but the execution is totally bass akward..

There are a lot of good and bad women in the military, just like men, but giving them a key role in combat units, and letting them just bug out when the lead starts flying is bull, this was not intended to attack or make anyone mad.. these are my thoughts..

[Lorix]

I didn't mean I was better than those on the front line. I am a poolee, and I was referring to those poolees I train with at the pool functions. I'm stronger than most of the guys going into the Marines where I'm from, and many of them are going into infintry. Even though I am a woman, you shouldn't doubt me, I'm a lot stronger than I look.

[Cheezballz]

Theirs an actual study that men take more stress mentally than women, women are more emotional, so imagine if some male Marines still get shooken up in the war imagine the women, yet alone grunts think of female Marines as just females. Your not gonna put 30 females in a grunt battallion, imagine if u do, trainin wouldn't be as hard, NCO's have to watch their back as to what they say, and i definitely don't think females can hump as much gear as males. well those are my 2centz! 1st CEB oorahh!!!!

[cajunguy]

Poolees are just that. POOLEES. They are not Marines. They have not yet passed the first crucial test, that of Marine Corps boot camp.

And guess what. It gets harder from there on. Especially if they are going into infantry (not "infintry", by the way) units. They will be preparing and training more for combat, and survival in combat. Then if they (very likely) get to an actual combat environment, it will get harder still.

Just because you are bigger, badder, tougher than your fellow poolees does not equate to being bigger, badder, tougher in a combat environment.

I can appreciate your motivation, Lorix, don't let up. It will take all of that motivation just to become one of "The Few", wherever you end up serving. Best of luck to you.

[hrscowboy]

HEAR MY WORDS LADIES WE DONT NEED NO PREFUME SMELLING, PMSING, WHINNING NANCY IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE.. IT DONT WORK THEY HAVE TRIED IT AND IT FLOPPED. THE DAY THEY LET A WOMAN IN THE ACTUAL FIGHT THATS THE DAY I TURN MY GEAR IN AND SAY THIS DOG DONT HUNT WITH NO WOMEN.... ENUFF SAID..

[Catz1611]

Women know from the get go where they can and can't serve and Joining any branch of the service is not something that anyone is Forced to do..it's all Volunteer and Not every volunteer is or has to be accepted. So why should the Military let women into any Combat MOS? There isn't any equality in the fitness tests soo why not start there if there are going to be complaints about Equality??


More important, How would letting women into those MOS's make our military stronger? what Benifits would there be?

I absolutely agee women would be nothing but a liability for the men... Not to mention it would cause more problems and more desention than Comradarie..

[Phantom Blooper]

I Knew G.I. Jane,I served with G.I. Jane. And you young lady,are NOT G.I.Jane.

My names Chuck Hall and I'm responsible for this comment! Semper Fidelis!