Posted on 05/09/2015 7:08:14 AM PDT by iowamark
The military is presently under a national spotlight regarding women in combat, with branches testing how women can physically handle grueling physical standards associated with combat arms training. A video going viral adds some interesting context to that. The video shows a U.S. Army captain, who is a woman, completing a 12-mile ruck march on a course that is open to women and outside of the discussion on women in combat arms — the Expert Field Medical Badge course. The competitive decoration is open to soldiers in the medical field and is one of the toughest decorations to earn.
In the video, Capt. Sarah Cudd grinds out the final steps of a 12-mile ruck march that had to be completed in three hours as part of the qualifications for the course. It’s one of the most grueling courses in the Army; a 2013 Army report describes the success rate as just 17%. Cudd, an Army veterinarian, joins those ranks in an extremely motivating fashion.
The video was posted to Facebook April 28, by Capt. Lloyd Mason, whose Facebook page describes him as the program manager for the Expert Field Medical Badge course at Fort Dix, New Jersey. The video has been shared more than 22,000 times since.
It’s fiercely motivating — Cudd can be seen gritting it out just a few dozen feet from the finish line. She crumples to the ground from exhaustion twice, and is slow to rise each time. The determination, however, is palpable, as is the energy and support from the onlooking soldiers who surround her. The crowd’s cheers grow as Cudd gets nearer to the finish line. When she finally crosses it, she’s surrounded by supportive soldiers; the cheers are deafening, and she immediately collapses. The time on the clock reads 2 hours, 46 minutes, and 53 seconds. She had three hours.
The U.S. Army’s Public Health Command shared the video to Facebook days later, saying Cudd “shows us all what ‘never quitting’ looks like.”
The Expert Field Medical Badge course also involves tasks surrounding tactical combat care, medical and casualty evacuation, warrior skills, and communication; as well as a physical fitness test; a land navigation course; weapons qualifications; and a comprehensive written test.
Task & Purpose reached out to a former Army combat medic, Samuel Innocent, who served with the 10th Mountain Division in Fort Drum, New York. He described the course as, “The second-hardest badge in the Army to get outside of the Infantry Expert Badge.”
Ranger School: All 8 Female Soldiers Enrolled in Army Combat Course Fail to Advance to Next Phase
The women survived the initial days of the first-ever Ranger School to include women, but failed to advance to the second phase. They will be allowed to restart the first phase.
There is more to it that just not quitting.
12 Miles in full gear, in the Marines that’s called practice.
recycling-not just for ‘greens’ any more.
I’d wager that I could have done it w/o having to dig so deep to finish - at 62 years of age. I am under no illusion that it makes me a good candidate for such combat campaigns as might be inferred when a woman manages to accomplish such a feat. I do commend her for digging deep to fight through her exhaustion though - always an admirable trait.
This is big news, and the reason is that it’s so rare for women to be so physically tough.
The fact that it’s news is proof of sorts that women aren’t suited for a military that’s designed to go to war.
They are more suited for a military that is designed to make a political statement.
I can tell you it was a lot easier to do 12 miles in Panama as a 25 year old. The last time I did a 12 mile before 2001.
I think I lost 1/4 of my bottom feet skin to blisters after the march.
Gives everything? Did she die?
How many guys didn’t make the cut? This shows somebody is trying to keep high standards and rightly so. Women have been in combat and continue to be as combat changes. I am against women in combat units.
How did you do?
Just 12 miles. Really?
25 miles, route march, in full gear, was a hell of a way to spend a Saturday. The worst was, as a comm tech, you get this arrogant idea that you shouldn’t have to put up with this ‘nonsense’, (Almost said the Other.). The other problem is that, as a Marine, you’d rather die than quit. After all, you’re just as good as an 0311.
After watching her struggle to the finish line I wondered how well her body will respond to that punishment. Will she be stronger or will this cause medical problems down the road? Also what use is she in her condition to her unit? Anyone in that condition is not a asset but a liability. From what I have seen most of the males do not look all that stressed and are fully able to function after finishing the course.
Two (or more) considerations:
1) In the modern military how important is combat level physical abiliy? Although I was 2nd fastest in a 5 mile run in my batallion of several hundred and at 130 lb I could out wrestle the Sgt who was allegedly the best at hand to hand combat, my 1s Sgt made me personnel clerk for 2 reasons: #1 I could not keep rhythym when marching and #2 in hand to hand combat I did not have the instinct to finish a guy off.
Of the 550,000 in uniform in Vietnam when I was there under LBJ most of us were not fighters. We were supply clerks, cooks, truck drivers, mechanics, and other support areas. We were never trained in how to use a weapon beyond cleaning it. We were never issued ammo. We were never expected to fight.
Could women have done our jobs in Vietnam? Of course.
2) Combat ability is needed in some people in the military. Would you rather have Rhonda Rousey or me beside you in combat? Although most men are physically better than most women, a few women are better than most men. Maybe the military should be more oriented toward the individual and not toward the identity group of the individual.
3) Women complain of rape and harassment in the military. This is the real problem many don’t want to discuss.
My unit in Vietnam had 3 homosexuals. Two of them kept it to themselves and were not a problem. But the 3rd homo was constantly harassing and molesting other guys. Some unwanted advances were rejected in a calm, firm manner. Some were rejected in a violent manner. It was expected that all of us could and would handle the situation without going cry-baby to our superiors.
What is it that women in the military are not “tough enough” in character to handle the situation ?
When I was in Vietnam alcohol abuse was rampant and guys did stupid things when high. Are alcohol and drug abuse now a major factor in harassments? Does anyone understand why some units have a much bigger problem with this than other units?
In order to be recycled, you have to have demonstrated motivation and performance that indicate that you will successfully complete the course, given a chance to either heal from an injury or be re-evaluated in performance with a different peer group. Not all students who fail a phase get recycled. In fact, only a small portion usually do. Until now.
Now, the deck looks stacked to me since ALL of these female students are being recycled, but I expected as much. This is the first breach in standards. The Ranger cadre board has been compromised by the female observer Zampolits assigned to watch over these female students. The Big Army has decreed that there will be female Ranger graduates, bottom line.
Onward into the Brave New World.
I know. I’ve done more than12 miles with a prc119, the rest of my load and carried the tube for an 81 and the pod for a 50 for part of the way.
Hell, if I heard we were doing 12, I’d think, “ easy day”.
I got the EFMB in 1984. It was tough. The biggest item to weed people out was the written test. Then three days of field items. 170 Took the written test 70 passed. 35 passed the field event. Day night compass course. Evacuation of field casualties. Communications. Then plan soldier tasks, weapon etc. The last item was the march and you didn’t know if you passed to take do the March till just before it started. It wasn’t like just walking out to go on a 12 mile march. It was 3 days of hard work followed by a march. Yes we had women pass with no more difficulty than the rest. Even had a little blond gal we named private Benjamin!
How many veterinarians see combat?
I wondered about that too. Go to the highlighted link, veterinarian. It explains that they tend to wounded war dogs in indian country.
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