[VeniVidiVici]

A group of female Army cooks apparently felt the same way. They were deployed to Iraq where they discovered all the cooking was done by civilian contractors. Instead, they were pressed into service as infantry and came home proudly wearing the highly prized Combat Infantryman Badge, earned only by participating in a firefight with the enemy while a member of or assigned with infantry or special forces.

This sounds like a load of BS to me. I have a very hard time believing a CIB would be awarded to cooks, let alone female cooks. Can anyone verify this?

[elcid1970]

IIRC, the Combat Infantryman Badge is awarded only to those holding the MOS of 11B or 11H.

Those cooks probably did earn the Combat Action Badge which is not MOS-specific.

Anyway, too many of our women are being killed in combat, it’s an outrage. The Israelis don’t even do this.

[R. Scott]

The writer may have confused the Combat Infantry Badge with the Combat Action Badge. The last I knew the Combat Infantry Badge is only awarded to people holding an Infantry or special Forces MOS.

[SJSAMPLE]

The uninformed journalist was probably thinking of the Combat Action Badge, which is awarded to non-infantry soldiers who’ve seen combat. One must BE infantry to earn the CIB, not cook, drive or clean for them.

[wardaddy]

I think you can get a CIB being in forward combat theatre and never had engaged the enemy

as usual the author is nspeaking our his-her arse with their propaganda

[Tainan]

CAB not CIB...dumbass journo again.

CIB goes only to someone who carries or has carried an Infantry MOS. I've seen a lot of cooks, supply, clerks, etc. with a CIB - BUT they were previous enlistment Infantry and thats where they earned it.
This newly created CAB is not the same thing. Props to the troops for throwing lead at haji...but they ain't Infantry.

And another thing...
In basic officer training, this young woman was offered the chance to take the physical exam for acceptance into Ranger school, the Army's legendarily tough commando course. She and two other women aced the test – even though they were barred from attending the male-only school or to join Ranger units.

Call me sexist, and I am, but when they start awarding RANGER tabs to split tails I end my membership in the USARA and the 75th Ranger Regiment Association. This is ridiculous and dangerous thinking for the troops in the field.
They lowered the standards for Airborne training and let them in to the detriment of the training and mission demands. All for show & no go.