[gleeaikin]

First, let me say I am the mother of a Special Forces soldier now in Afghanistan. He also was in the 82nd earlier. Please note this from the article. “Yes, shifting the role means shifting the training. And you can bet, the newest female recruits here are already feeling that victory where it hurts. For starters, there are more sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups.”

It does not sound as if they are diluting the training at this time. Also, any woman who chooses to do this is not going to get pregnant to get out of combat. We women don’t invest major efforts in something just to wimp out. Remember, especially in earlier years, every time a woman had a baby, she risked death and a lot of pain.

[HenpeckedCon]

“First, let me say I am the mother of a Special Forces soldier now in Afghanistan.”

I don't think any women will be passing the “Q Course” and getting their Green Barets anytime soon. Don't get me wrong, plenty of women wear Green Barets. I was stationed at Fort Devens with the 39th Engineers and we shared the same mess hall as 10th Special Forces. Plenty of women in supply, clerks etc... They didn't have the Special Forces tab though.

[Marine_Uncle]

God’s almighty hand be upon your son as he serves his country in such capacity. I’ll respect your opinions without offering a rebuttal. We shall see in due time how this new military directive works out.

[Coldwater Creek]

I am at a lost words. Anyone that can equate combat with child birth just doesn't have a clue.

[RinaseaofDs]

With all due respect ma’am, combat is different. Nobody should be subject to it, but the role has fallen to men. Nobody should aspire to combat either. There’s nothing glorious about it. It is demeaning. Just dealing with the MOP gear alone is a matter of having to strip naked out in the wide open in front of all your mates. Then there is the shit, the piss, the bad feet, the smell - all before you get to fight.

Now, having said all that, if you have to fight, you take the people with the very best chance of surviving it, and in every case that person is not going to be female.

Combat is a fraternity nobody should have to join, but if you do, the love you build between the members of that fraternity shouldn’t result in either of two things:

1. Hemhorroids from having been engaged in anal coitus, or
2. A battlefield pregnancy

It’s just not a place for social experimentation. It’s a place where you go to exterminate the guy on the other side of the objective, period. If you do it right.

[brent13a]

It does not sound as if they are diluting the training at this time. Also, any woman who chooses to do this is not going to get pregnant to get out of combat. We women don’t invest major efforts in something just to wimp out. Remember, especially in earlier years, every time a woman had a baby, she risked death and a lot of pain.

With all due respect, you don't know anything about the girls who join the Marine Corps. Most are 'girls' (18-25) and not 'women" also.
The mindset of the girls joining the Marines isn't generally the same as a woman who is striving to break through the glass ceiling at a firm or become a successful stay-at-home mom who is raising 4 beautiful children.
Like someone said above: making it work on the front lines has zero to do with "dedication" and everything to do with ABILITY.

[Pentagon Leatherneck]

I appreciate your son’s service, as well as your view from a woman’s perspective. I served in a fairly demanding combat field (jet pilot) and had enough cross-training and exposure to infantry that I felt I could have done it, but chose not to. Supporting grunts with high explosives from above was my challenge of choice.

I have no doubt that a small percentage of women could set out from the get-go to be infantry Marines, condition themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally to be grunts, and do it at least adequately. Extreme combat conditions being the exception rather than the rule, the very few to succeed in training (The Basic School hasn’t passed any infantry women so far)might very well have successful careers, at least for a while if other life interests superceded their desire to be combat grunts.

But exceptions to the rule don’t mean this is a good policy for all women. Upper body strength, stamina under duress, long-term strength when wounded, and aggressive instinct are all natural factors and, thank God, women are different from men. Also, they don’t chew/spit and try to out-fart their buddies.

TC

[Dick Vomer]

It does not sound as if they are diluting the training at this time. Also, any woman who chooses to do this is not going to get pregnant to get out of combat. We women don’t invest major efforts in something just to wimp out. Remember, especially in earlier years, every time a woman had a baby, she risked death and a lot of pain......

uh, I've taken care of Army females that outnumbered men 9:1 with low back pain, sore knees, "stress", ankle sprains on a HIKE!!!

When they have to slog through some brush, sprint across some dirt and lay cover for their unit or try flanking a position in the dark after humping it for miles with all your gear.... tell me how many of them are going to crap out and die. My problem isn't with them dying, my problem is if they're supposed to cover my son's flank and they didn't, HE'S dead and the feminist will only care about combat not "being fair".