But they already have. P.T. scores between men and women are different. They were different when I inducted at Ft. Benning in 1988. By different I mean that a female age 19, can do 50 pushups and pass with a high score. A male, 19, doing 50 pushups is a fail if my memory serves me correctly. But you get the point in any case.
Yes back then women demanded to be treated equally. Scratch that. Women wanted set asides and affirmative action and lowered physical standards. Women wanted to be excused from physical training when they had heavy periods. Damn, I just had to get up and do it.
Now I knew some women that could shoot. But I knew fewer that would hump a pack all day.
“Now I knew some women that could shoot. But I knew fewer that would hump a pack all day.”
I had my 18th birthday in Army BCT @ Ft. Jackson, SC. I was in the very first co-ed training platoon in 1979.
It got REALLY tiring dragging the boys along every road march. ;)
Physically, some of us can do more, some less. I agree that standards should NEVER have been lowered to let women in the military, but that barn door is already wide open. Sadly, anything goes in today’s military.
I am so GLAD to be out of the military these days. I DO miss the life, though. :)
> Now I knew some women that could shoot. But I knew fewer that would hump a pack all day.
Women can be excellent shooters with the right training. I remember a few that graduated in my class that scored in the high ‘80’s and low 90’s. The guys that made it to SWAT were required to shoot mid to high 90’s.
The weirdest thing to me was Airborne school. The men had to do 10 chin-ups before eating...so every mess hall at the Airborne school had a chin-up bar. The purpose of this was to ensure you were strong enough to ‘slip’, which is pulling part of the risers, to steer...done on the older parachutes (T10C).
Right next to each chin-up bar was a pathetic bar sitting around 2 feet off the ground. The women would lie on their back and pull themselves up.
It made no sense - the entire point of the exercise was to be strong enough to handle things, all by your lonesome, in the air. But that’s not important for women?
Another one that kind of ticked me off. Before we jumped, the ‘Jumpmaster’ would inspect us, physically touching important parts of the chute, and running hands along the harness, to make sure the straps weren’t crossed and set to amputate your genitals. The female Jumpmaster - didn’t run the hands along the straps. Again, if this is important enough to check...important enough to uncomfortably have another man touch you in that area...isn’t it just as important, when you have a female jumpmaster?
That kind of stuff drove me crazy.
That's not correct. Army PT standards in basic training for ages 17-21 are 35 pushups, 47 situps and a two-mile run in 16:46 or less. These standards rise in AIT. My soldier did 48/72/14:05 just two weeks ago.
http://www.military.com/military-fitness/army-fitness-requirements/army-basic-training-pft
That said, the standard for females in basic is 13/47/19:42. Which is of course nowhere near the male standard.