Missing in this discussion is the fact that passing the Combat Endurance Course on Day One of the Infantry Officers Course (IOC) is just meeting the minimum physical standard in order to cross the threshold and attend the course. A small but significant number of male Marine officers don’t pass the Day One test either.
Those that do get to attend the course. If that is just the introduction, what is the rest of the course like? Normally, these courses build up to a very demanding physical and mental crescendo.
Why did the four woman Marine officers that reportedly passed the Day One test subsequently drop?
What happened to the women Marine enlisted that passed the basic infantry training course at School of Infantry (SOI)? How many tried? How many passed? What were the reasons for the drops? Where are the women Marines who passed the SOI course currently serving?
What is the IOC graduation rate?
What is the IOC drop rate (after Day One) due to injury is?
Making rational arguments is futile. Women will become infantrymen and Special Operators no matter how many need to get killed to make a political point. The problem is that standards will be lower across the board, and once the celebrity status is over, very, very few women will be interested signing up to be in the infantry or in special ops.