Posted on 06/15/2016 11:05:22 AM PDT by Retain Mike
U. S. Marine Capt. Katie Petronio was a dynamo upon graduation from Bowdoin College in 2007. Standing 5 feet 3 inches, she could squat 200 pounds, and she seemed as ready for a combat role as many men were.
But just five years later, her body had figuratively started crumbling under the stress of service in Iraq and Afghanistan as a combat engineer officer. Her spine had compressed her nerves to the point of causing neuropathy. Her thigh muscles started to atrophy. She lost 17 pounds and was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome, which led to infertility. The experience prompted her to write a 2012 article for the Marine Corps Gazette. Its title: “Get Over It! We Are Not All Created Equal.”
(Excerpt) Read more at world.wng.org ...
Looks like Split ends is a real problem in female boot camp.
Not if you know anything about lifting weights. A two hundred pound squat is nothing. She certainly couldn't carry a wounded 200-lb fellow marine very far out of danger's reach without a healthy dose of adrenaline. If I were the wounded marine, I wouldn't be very happy knowing my life depended on that. We are not all created equal, indeed. Don't get me wrong; I admire her spunk. But see where it has gotten her... The physical and mental rigors of combat have reduced her to a walking wreck. Sad.
Women have no place in combat. Its not that women lack, intelligence or bravery. They are just not physically able. There are plenty of jobs in the military for women just not the front lines.
In the Six Day War the Israelis entered the war subscribing to a gender integrated policy but the consequences were so disastrous that women were withdrawn very early on in the war.
Israel is a special case of a tiny country surrounded by genocidal enemies who wish to destroy it.
In real war the state of Israel will be fighting back against the wall in a war of genocidal extinction and, due to the geographically small size of Israel, the entire country is the front lines so it is imperative that Israeli women have military training.
In order to best defend Israel while still protecting the State of Israel, the IDF has formed Battalions such as the Caracal Battalion made up of women with enough men to do the heavy physical lifting. Even at with these constraints, Israeli women have an astronomical training injury rate and many of the injuries lead to long term disability
These are not front line combat battalions but are instead more geared rear area security tasks.
Elaine Donnelly and others called this in the 1980s. In Navy Aviation Officer Candidate School (see “An Officer and a Gentleman”) they set different, far lower PT standards for women. The O-Course at Newport has a bulkhead you have to scramble over, except the women’s is two feet shorter. People notice but are forbidden to talk about it.
Agree. 200 pound squat is nothing. I am 63 and have been lifting weights regularly for a little over a year now. I do 550 pounds at 7 to 8 reps on the fourth set as I finish up my normal squat routine. I am in decent shape, but by no means a bad ass.
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2013/01/get-over-it-we-are-not-all-created-equal.html
“At OCS the attrition rate for female candidates in 2011 was historically low at 40 percent, while the male candidates attrite at a much lower rate of 16 percent. Of candidates who were dropped from training because they were injured or not physically qualified, females were breaking at a much higher rate than males, 14 percent versus 4 percent. The same trends were seen at TBS in 2011; the attrition rate for females was 13 percent versus 5 percent for males, and 5 percent of females were found not physically qualified compared with 1 percent of males. Further, both of these training venues have physical fitness standards that are easier for females; at IOC there is one standard regardless of gender. The attrition rate for males attending IOC in 2011 was 17 percent. Should female Marines ultimately attend IOC, we can expect significantly higher attrition rates and long-term injuries for women.”
....
“Even if a female can meet the short-term physical, mental, and moral leadership requirements of an infantry officer, by the time that she is eligible to serve in a strategic leadership position, at the 20-year mark or beyond, there is a miniscule probability that she’ll be physically capable of serving at all. Again, it becomes a question of longevity.”
One such Christian dad has grappled with the issue and is at peace with where God has called his daughter. Glenn Kosirog owns a pharmacy in Chicago. In a 2012 court case, he successfully won the right not to stock the morning-after pill. Kosirog’s 29-year-old daughter, Hannah, is a captain in the Air Force and a contracting officer at the National Reconnaissance Office.
Whoa! If you’re doing 7 to 8 reps on your 4th set with 550 lbs (I take it this is with free weights?), AND you’re 63 years old, THAT IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF A BAD ASS, imo! In my prime, I could never squat 550 lbs. But I got to a 405 lbs bench press with free weights, and most people would not have wanted to mess with me. Not that I regarded myself as a B.A., but I felt pretty safe walking around. Hat’s off to you, young fella!
At least the one in the center looks like she knows where she is. The two on the left have that “What the hell am I doing here.” expression on their faces.
Thanks for the link. Great article.
I would hate to be the one in the front of that picture knowing that there are fifty people standing behind me all breaking the first rule of gun safety.
Is the first rule of gun safety “Only aim gun at something you want to kill” or “Do not put finger on trigger until you are ready to kill”?
Because I get them mixed up.
Wait, I totally forgot “Consider all guns loaded and treat them as such”.
There are plenty of male REMFs who are not pleased to hear that.
LOL!
Classic picture isn’t it?
Yep, the first rule of gun safety, as taught to me, is: never point your weapon towards another person unless you mean to shoot them.
Corollary: Yep, it could be loaded even though you’re sure it isn’t.
Well, apparently she agrees with you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.