[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Comments from the link:

Kevin, you make a valid point, but I don’t think it’s the same thing. Generally, the older you are, the higher ranked you are. The higher ranked you are, the less you are required to do most physical taskings. The age requirements make sense as long as they equal for men and women. In my opinion.

Kevin says: So, should the military enlist a 35 year old male recruit who will be unable to perform at the levels of his 21-year-old counterparts?

Not unless he is recruited into a specialty which his background suits him for, and which doesn’t require heavy lifting. Old Sarge re-upped after 911, and I don’t know that he was in shape to meet the standards for an 18-yo Private when he went back in. But he had experience which the Army obviously valued.

[Old Sarge]

Old Sarge re-upped after 911, and I don’t know that he was in shape to meet the standards for an 18-yo Private when he went back in. But he had experience which the Army obviously valued.

Too bloody right I couldn't keep up with the kids on a 2-mile track!

I was NOT, nor never was, Infantry. As an Intel geek, I had a skill set which kept me at a distance from things; but the mission demanded that I knew how to move/shoot/communicate at least as well as the young'uns.

Sometimes I was on convoy duty; sometimes I was on LRS missions. Daily we were paying attention to FOB Defense. All of this was as a long-in-the-tooth, 43yo E-6, and I burned up a few tubes of IcyHot trying to run with the big dogs.

And just as a nod to the girls: The Bride was a USAF medic, and ate the same dirt I did. She has stories of wymmyn trying to be She-Ra, same as I do. Same as we all do. But we who have wore the suit and ate the dirt know the deal.