I’ve been on DOZENS of speed and forced marches where the men were FORCED to pick up the womens’ loads. On the five-mile speed march, the women dropped their gear less than 1/2 mile from the start and the rest of us picked up their rifles and slung their ruck between two of us. At the end, the women hurried to pick up their gear and then rant to the front of the line, sometimes crossing first.
To be fair, there were women soldiers who wanted nothing to do with this. Some were admin and some were nurses, who only wanted to serve and hand no delusions about being men. Then there where the types that wanted all the perks with none of the responsibility. That never worked out well.
There are certainly reasonable accomodations for women serving in support roles. Certainly, a nurse should not be subject to the same phyiscal standards of a grunt or gunner, and their service can be just as rewarding and appreciated.
I agree. I’ve been on humps where we had to carry and drag male Marines to the finish line. I can only imagine what it must be like to be on a hump with women. At least the ones I’ve been on. I can’t see many women humping up Mt. Fuji in Japan, that’s for sure.
I also agree about women not being subject to the same physical standards or requirements of men. It’s just a ridiculous idea because overall, women are not as strong as men. It’s just a fact that you can’t get around. People like Congresswoman Sanchez will just have to accept that as an immutable law of nature. I’ve gotten over the fact that I can’t have a baby. She needs to move on as well...
I was lucky enough to have worn both combat arms (Armor) and combat support (MP) brass on my collar during my Army career and my perspective has been forged thusly. I would NEVER want a female serving in a tank crew. As for MP operations where there is significant interaction with host nation civilians, third country nationals, etc., female soldiers are invaluable.