Posted on 01/10/2015 6:55:37 AM PST by ABN 505
Two female Marine officers who volunteered to attempt the Corps’ challenging Infantry Officer Course did not proceed beyond the first day of the course, a Marine Corps spokesperson confirms to the Free Beacon. The two were the only female officers attempting the course in the current cycle, which began Thursday in Quantico, Virginia.
With the two most recent drops, there have been 29 attempts by female officers to pass the course since women have been allowed to volunteer, with none making it to graduation. (At least one woman has attempted the course more than once.) Only three female officers have made it beyond the initial day of training, a grueling evaluation known as the Combat Endurance Test, or CET. Male officers also regularly fail to pass the CET, and the overall course has a substantial attrition rate for males.
Another thread had a related article, the drops were due to poor performance on formation marches with 100+ lb packs.
My momma wouldn’t have faired well on the beaches of Iwo Jima. Will is important, but it’s not a substitute for ability.
Yes, I can believe that a march with 100+ lbs. would attrite women and some men.
“My daughter is in cross fit & is pretty amazing. She did a tough muddier & enjoyed the heck out of it.”
My SIL was pretty athletic. He spent a few years in the Marines in the infantry. At the end, he was 1.5 inches shorter. Both shoulders have damage to the bones. Both knees are totally shot. Those are wear and tear injuries, unlike the damage to his brain and back (IEDs). His gut is badly messed up. His unit was getting water from the field because it was the only water available. He was one of the ones who became ill. He lost 60 lbs - from 205 down to 145.
The infantry is nothing like cross fit. Nothing.
As my ex-USMC daughter points out, just passing the course wouldn’t mean squat. Maintaining that level of activity for the next 6-15 years would, but she doesn’t believe any woman can handle that much pressure that long. Maybe it is because she has watched her husband go up the stairs one step at a time...
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