scoutpilot
10-Year Member
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2010
- Messages
- 4,479
Sam - hate to break it to you but.... it's not the military that is discriminatory it's Congress. You don't haul a 100lb pack up a mountain in Afghanistan as a FA officer. The reason women are banned from certain occupations is because they are female. dictated by congress. inherent danger as well as questioning the ability (not physical) of females to pull the trigger.
PT tests - females who go to Airborne and Air Assault perform the same physical tests and skills as their male counterparts.
Nothing personal, JAM, but you've been wrong about many of the things you've said in this thread.
For starters, today you absolutely will haul a pack like that up a mountain like that in an Afghanistan like that as an FA officer. The FA branch has undergone a sea change in this conflict, with the low volume of fires needed. As a result, FA battalions have functioned essentially as infantry, performing daily mounted and dismounted patrols, filling MiTT roles (though MiTTs are now gone) on a battalion-wide tasking, as well as providing rapid counterfire support from mortars and emplaced guns, complemented by precision GMLRS fires.
Just_A_Mom said:Pima - The APFT does have different standars for males and females. But that is the test to pass only in order to keep wearing the uniform. Passing the APFT only qualfies you for a desk job.
Incorrect. In an ideal Army, maybe that would work. In reality, the real Army is full of units who let people slide by for years with sub-par PT performance. There are many overweight, physically poor soldiers in the Army who have not taken a PT test in years, or who have barely passed one. That includes officers. The regular Army is far too easy on those who perform at a sub-par physical level. There are plenty of "leaders" in the Army who can barely squeak out a 180 on the APFT.
Just_A_Mom said:When you see a female with AirBorne wings - she completed the same course to the same standards to her male counterparts.
Yes, but it would be more accurate to say that the men performed to the female standards. There is no explicit running test in airborne school, but SMs are expected to maintain a 9:00 mile pace for 4 miles. The 9:00/mile pace is a failing pace for the male APFT, but is a passing score for a female APFT.
You asked when the last time was that you heard of a 140-lb Ranger hauling his 200 pound buddy to safety. That has happened many times, and not just in the Rangers. But for the record, you will hear very little about their exploits, as they are not functioning in their traditional capacity in theater, and their missions are not for public consumption.
As for women in combat...that's an argument that isn't really worth having. The handwriting is on the wall, in more ways that one. But there's always value in arguing from a position of correct information.