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I'm an Aviation Ordnanceman. In addition to loading bombs and humping ammo, one of the most important jobs in the AO community is record-keeping; keeping track of ordering and filing expenditure reports, maintaining training records, etc. Administration work. In my experience, these tasks are almost always delegated to females in the ranks. They might not be so great at carrying a .50 cal on their shoulders up and down ladder wells but they can keep track of what got spent where, what needs to be ordered, and who's due for a physical.

Most everyone has a job for them. It's just a matter of finding it. (This being said, I've worked with some female AOs that could more than handle their own when it came to lifting bombs.)

EOD. Explosives Ordinance Division. They were the ones that went out, sirens running, to recover unexploded ordinance in Okinawa. Women were first allowed to do those jobs in the mid 70’s. This 2 bagger was so unattractive the joke was that it was no big loss if one exploded in her face. Sorry guys.

"...This being said, I've worked with some female AOs that could more than handle their own when it came to lifting bombs..."

When it comes to most men, there is sure to be a woman out there somewhere who can perform the same physical task at the same tempo. That man just might have to look hard to find one, but for most average guys, you might have to search a bit to find one. Go around half the ship.

But if an average guy wants to find a guy who can perform the same physical task at the same tempo, sometimes all they have to do is look to their left or right. So yes...there is always a woman who can perform physical tasks at the same tempo as an average guy.

But the negatives from a mission capability, logistics, and unit cohesion perspective aren't worth it, IMO.

The problem arises when you break a leg and the efficient orderly and accurate bean counter who has the same AFC or MOS or Rate can’t heave anything up the ladder but her pen and clipboard. They don’t back fill by se, but by job. The combat calc of women is 2x for every one you have assigned, and if at all possible, the backfill needs to be a guy.

Agreed with all the comments in the OP. Saw many a gal in CS/CSS units do nothing for the whole of the assignment. Deployments? As a planner it was standard to count the females in the next up unit, multiply that number by .9 and start the personnel process request for that many supplemental slots in the TOE. We knew that 90% would not be deployable from jumpstreet.

Regarding performance under stress- some did well ( of that original 10% or so who actually went wheels up) but most usually were found in the rear with the gear doing what you said- the paperwork, unable and unwilling to be one of the “guys” and suck it up regardless of what was asked.

The few who wanted to be on the team wound up finding out the hard way that no, they cannot hump the gear for 10 hrs in the 120 heat and be able to do the mission when we got there. Had more ground and air evacs of broken gals than wounded/killed guys.

All said, my oldest daughter is an Airman who does her job with aplomb per her commander. She is personnel. Deployed twice to IRQ, never left the wire for good reason.