SOMETHING DIFFERENT FROM THE UNITED STATES

[browningautorifle]

Curious as to why none of you seem to be wondering

When I was teaching recruits for a daily job, I had the third platoon that was to have females integrated into the infantry in Canada. The first two had been failures and they were going to start the trials over again with my training platoon. Then the trials were abruptly ended and I was told that it was straight ahead and they are integrated. None of the 11 females to the 22 males completed the course however, that was 1987 or thereabouts. There have been lots of them come and go in my regiment since and I sure had my share again in the reserves after. I've seen them in all jobs and positions and every trade. I no longer question any of it because it would simply prove to the youngers that I'm stuck in a wheel rut of age or time and can't accept new things. Besides, a female infantry NCO saved the life of a good friend of mine in Afghanistan when a Taliban fighter was about to shoot him from behind. She shot the Taliban through the head from a few feet away without hesitation... They're in to stay and I have to accept that they're in all roles and ranks and positions.

[Aragorn243]

I don't have a problem with women in the military. My unit was about 30% female but we were an ordnance unit, not an airborne unit. They have tried to integrate women into combat roles for several years now with the PC police but they fail out every time. Israel was famous for integrating them but they even had to admit if failed.

The US women's soccer team that has won three gold medals lost to a 15 year old high school boys team. Not being nasty, just realistic. The strength and endurance simply isn't there.

There are roles for women in the military, even combat roles, fighter pilots, tank drivers/commanders, artillery, but infantry, isn't happening.

[RogueAussie]

Those chutes are a lot different from the old T-10 I used from the early 1960.
Main and reserve are totally redesigned.
Airborne All The Way.

I was jumping in the 90s and we were still jumping with the T10B-D and the MC1 chutes.

[5whiskey]

I’m just wondering why no one jumped with a full ruck and combat load except the CO. No comment on the all female jump school, I see nothing wrong one way or the other. As a father of three daughters I have to be the worlds biggest feminist. At the same rate, I’m very much a “get tough or else” kind of guy. Which is why I ask the question why did they jump slick.

I never did jump, nor would I. I’ve fast roped 60’ with a crew serve weapon and a full combat load. Different, yes, but no less demanding. Especially when the machine gunner gets stuck by his gear in the hell hole of a CH53 and has to be kicked free!

The US women's soccer team that has won three gold medals lost to a 15 year old high school boys team. Not being nasty, just realistic. The strength and endurance simply isn't there.

There are roles for women in the military, even combat roles, fighter pilots, tank drivers/commanders, artillery, but infantry, isn't happening.

Generally, in the matter of wholesale integration of women in the infantry, I agree. There are special cases where I’ve seen a few women who could outperform 90% of men in the infantry. The greater argument against it, IMO, is the disrupted chain of command and order that inevitably will result from necessary cohabitation of male and females, and the resulting relationships that are likely to ensue. That does not fit into infantry lifestyle well at all. Both of my combat deployments, we almost never saw a female. If we did, they were kept on lockdown from us. And for good reason. Grunts do what they do, and thinking about hooking up is inevitable when opportunity is there. That’s the last thought anyone needs prior to or during a mission. That’s not the females fault, nor is it necessarily because they can’t hack it. It’s because many/most of the 20 year old males that frequent the infantry can’t be trusted more than anything.

[browningautorifle]

The strength and endurance simply isn't there.

Agreed, that was why they didn't complete my basic course. They simply didn't have the ingredients.

Which is why I ask the question why did they jump slick.

Every unit has parachutes that need to be unpacked and training in different forms. They do bare a$$ jumps on occasion...

[Gil Boyd]

My son transferred out of The Parachute Regiment to the Royal Army Medical Corps and did two tours of Iraq and five tours of Afghanistan.
He often says, "some" not all of the girls under his command were outstanding and saved a lot of both UK and U.S soldiers lives as front line medics.
They took their shots at times and held the line when the s*** hit the fan, and were always attracting fire and were always in it at great risk to themselves when many men hid underfire....just saying.
Strong and weak in both sexes IMHO

[browningautorifle]

"some" not all of the girls under his command were outstanding

UK navy corpsman Kate Louise Nesbitt is about five feet tall and won the MC in Iraq for gallantry. We had a couple KIA in Afghanistan while out front. Several stood out for bravery as well. No awards as we were painfully short of that, the troops knew though.

[Gil Boyd]

ALL Taliban captured stated, the Medics whether they were male or female were their priority as a target ..................Operational FACT

[Bruce_in_Oz]

How many of these women are trained and qualified medics? Most?

I doubt they are going to be deployed en masse in the field as combat troops. However, if you belong to a unit that steps out of aircraft in flight for a living, you are probably obliged to do more than just empathize from a safe distance.