Marine raid breaks gender barrier (Women in Combat)

Stars and Stripes ^ | 4 May 2005 | Sandra Jontz

[Pete98]

There's no way the rampant leftism in our military and in the press would allow our troops to kill random ragheads. Same for average Americans "knowing their enemy and destroying it."

Our leftists simply will not let us fight in the proper way.

[risk]

hi5

[Sacajaweau]

And when you stand before a 200 lb fellow wounded warrior and admit "I can't carry him" to safety......

There's more to being in the infantry than carrying a gun and I want my brother by my side not my sister. It's war!!

[Meldrim]

"Lance Cpl. Erin Libby doesn’t want to be treated the same as her male Marine Corps counterparts."

Well, we could start by eliminating the reduced physical fitness, height and weight standards. The promotion and selection quota's probably ought to go as well.

[Meldrim]

"Get your ass from behind that keyboard and join up. The reason so many women are creeping toward the front lines is because there aren't enough men to take their places."

Resume the Draft, as we've done in all of our other wars, and it won't be necessary...

[cyborg]

I think the standards should be the same. I had a female training instructor that trained women according to male standards. She was one tough b*tch too OMG.

[Blueflag]

It's not so much about the grossness of the acts on one particular gender or the other. It is more about how our society so abhors (rightly so) the sexual abuse and torture of women. WE hate it and will react strongly. The enemy knows it. It represents a strategic strength for them, and a 'weakness' (in their minds) for us.

We cannot stomach the idea of women being tortured and may not deal rationally with an enemy whom we believe would relish it.

[Blueflag]

Darn few if any female grunts could haul an M-249 and 300 rounds around all day.


But then again, not every guy is man enough to handle the SAW ;-)

[rabidralph]

It seems the Marines need all the help they can get and now they're happy to be getting it from their WMs.

[fnord]

They’re often referred to as the WMs, or women Marines. They hate it, and the crass distortions of the acronym some say they’ve heard.

We used to call them BAMs (but only out of hearing)

[Americanexpat]

I don't think 20 - 30 Arabs gang raping a female soldier is going to cause the American soldiers to lose heart in the war. What it will do is cause them to take off the gloves, stop taking prisoners. Panties on the head will be a cartoon to what happens to prisoner's after that.

The VC and NVA used to kill and mutilate our wounded soldiers, thinking we would be too terrified of them to fight, there weren't too many prisoners taken after that. Same thing happened in Korea after troops found POWs shot in the head and buried in mass graves. WWII vets did the same in both theaters of the war.

Our guys have been fighting a gentleman's war in Iraq compared to other wars, but don't piss em off.

[cynicom]

False bravado, stupidity, or both?

To form an opinion all one has to do is watch the currently running Marine training film airing on Military channel.

[TomasUSMC]

URRRRAAAAH BABY.

One thing though. I think after an IED ambush, some of our ladys might do a fine job of interrogating those male scumbags. It would do wonders for their arab male mindset to see a woman yelling and kicking their ass.

[Piquaboy]

This social engineering of the armed forces is ruining it. Women do not belong in combat, period, end of story.

[need_a_screen_name]

I googled up BAM easy enough. I still can't find the alternate meaning for WM. What is it?

[ruiner]

I can't figure out why the media can't abbreviate state names correctly:

"Niceville, Fla."

WTF is Fla.? Florida? FL? F.L. F.L.O.R?

[CheneyChick]

Cultural sensitivities precluded male Marines from searching women, so the female Marines were meant to deflate fears of Iraqi men and women, said the battalion executive officer, Maj. Larry Miller.

The same is true in Afghanistan where "bad guys" hide under burkas. Females troops are definitely a critical element to search the women.

[joesnuffy]

“I’m out here to prove a point,” Libby said. “A lot of males think females are weak. It’s time to shine, and I’m going to leave here golden.”

That's right sweetheart.. being a Marine is all about you....

[DesertSapper]

Same here. 11 years as a Combat Engineer - including Desert Storm, subsequent Saudi and Kuwait deployments, CMTC, JRTC, NTC, etc.

I believe as a platoon sergeant who has had the honor of taking my troops overseas, living in a desert, and returning all of them safely home, I have at least a little authority on the subject.

KEEP FEMALES OUT OF COMBAT!

[DesertSapper]

Humped one for about 8 months - not fun but easier than the M60.

I was always better with my M16A1 & A2 and finally my M4. However, I liked having the SAW firepower near me as we didn't have M60's my last 6 years or so.

Of course rocking and rolling with the M2 and MK19 was jolly fun but thankfully we didn't have to carry those.

And NO, a women should NOT be in combat.