scoutpilot
10-Year Member
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2010
- Messages
- 4,479
Branch transfer approved.
http://www.armytimes.com/story/mili...armys-first-female-infantry-officer/83591066/
The comments section is an interesting read.
Congratulations to the Captain.
Ughh, the comments!!! Trolls unleashing vitriol and disrespect. One poster even commented they hope she gets raped...really? Congrats to the Captain. I wish her nothing but the best...she has a tough road ahead.
Not asking for anyone to celebrate and questioning is a good thing but the level of disrespect posted by past and present military on these posts is unnerving for anyone with a female family member or friend serving. Will we ever reach a point in which we can respectfully disagree about these issues without calling females derogatory names and spewing hatred?Have we really reached the point where it is expected that we will not only accept, but celebrate, decisions made by politicians, without question?
No, I sincerely doubt we ever will (on any topic). The anonymity of most of these responses fuels the vitriol even more.Will we ever reach a point in which we can respectfully disagree
Sorry but I am not sure if I can agree with you on this LongAgoPlebe. First off, I have seen positive and negative opinions from what I presume to be the entire racial cross section of the active, retired, former military and civilian world. I have seen positive and negative opinions from self-declared females. So, this isn't a "white guy who is threatened" backlash.bad behavior on the part of (typically) white guys who feel threatened
We may never know the true story of what concessions (if any) were extended to the female Ranger candidates. There are certainly a number of people who claim to be in the know who say there were. And others, of course, who say otherwise. Unless you were there (and not necessarily even then!), you can not claim to have knowledge either way. Claiming that they are "BS conspiracy theories" doesn't make them so.OR some BS conspiracy theory about how the "intruder" isn't qualified but the system is rigged
Agree and unfortunately I don't believe it will ever change. I just find it incredibly sad that in my 10 years of following military posts on various sites vitriol almost always comes out on articles featuring achievements of females in the military. Many of those comments group all females in derogatory wide sweeping generalizations. When I read articles or posts about men doing remarkable things the majority of comments are congratulatory and positive. Even when there are articles and posts about military members doing things truly unbecoming the vile comments are often nowhere near the level that is spewed at remarkable women such as Captain Griest. I am extremely proud of my kids that are serving….but when I read comments by military trolls past and present it gives me chills. I stay away from comment sections now…unless someone directs me to them.No, I sincerely doubt we ever will (on any topic). The anonymity of most of these responses fuels the vitriol even more.
Absent the scurrilous "rape" comment, are we really surprised that there is a negative reaction, a number of which probably come from "been there-done that" types? Have we really reached the point where it is expected that we will not only accept, but celebrate, decisions made by politicians, without question?
"Tough road?" I don't think so. It'll be paved and and then gilded over.
And what position are you in to question it? Are you a combat arms leader? Do you know the standards to which female infantry officers are held? Or female Ranger students? Or is this yet another permutation of the tired old line that women don't belong because they supposedly can't meet some arbitrary standard to which no men are actually held (i.e. the old "if she can't pull a 230 pound man out of a burning tank" lament). To say the road will be "paved and gilded" is insane, tone-deaf, and largely a pathetic comment. Having borne witness to a woman being the first of her kind in a unit that has never had women, I can tell you the road is anything but smooth. It's a slog.
The world doesn't need any more blowhards in the cheap seats saying women can't do this or that simply because we never let them before. I'd put my female officer--the first in that previously closed unit--up against any man on this forum or in our community. She's a physical beast and a talented leader with boundless energy. And unlike most of my other guys, she writes well, thinks clearly, and doesn't keep her kit smelling like a sack of farts and gym socks. I'd photocopy her in a heartbeat if I could and hire all of them.
One of the hallmarks of the military (I'll do you the respect of assuming you served, as I don't know your background) as you probably recall is that you don't have to like the legal order. You do have to shut up and execute it. This is one of those times where we should execute it with vigor. We can't hope to have the world's best volunteer force in perpetuity if we tell bright, strong, energetic leaders that they don't belong simply because their personal plumbing is internal.
And you have maintained my perpetually dim view of government employees.This from the man that skewered the pictures of laughing girls in the "New Cadet BBQ" thread. A thread in which you and MomWPGirl were diametrically opposed IIRC.
Never served, never claimed to. But I have worked for the federal government, certain mechanisms of which are universal. Clearly the world needs less "blowhards" and more "yes men."
And thank you for the biology lesson. I had clearly been misinformed on the singular physical dimorphism between men and women being the location of their "plumbing."
If nothing else comes of this internecine bickering, you've given me new respect for the leadership in the Marine Corps.
Glad to see that a woman was given an opportunity like this one and succeeded. I think it really shows that females have a lot more potential than many people think and under proper conditions, they can do close to anything that any man can do.
This makes me wonder though, could this lead to women being held to the same physical fitness standards as men? If a woman can make it through ranger school can't women also reach the male PFT standards? I wonder if differing men's and women's standards for physical fitness is actually putting women at a disadvantage. They may have gotten used to the lower standards and now just try to reach those when they actually have the potential to meet the male standards if they just aimed higher. If we held women to the same standard as men, might that lead to more women like this one accomplishing things that many thought they couldn't? I think it would be cool if one day a female becoming an infantry officer isn't considered news worthy.
Infantry and combat arms are on the front lines being asked, and quite honestly expected to do the most difficult and horrendous tasks. They are the equivalent of the “thin blue line” from law enforcement, the tip of the spear. How will putting women in those positions, infantry squads and platoons, make such "spears" more deadly and lethal? And if they will not then why is it being done?