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MILITARY: Female Marines to get combat assignments
NC Times ^ | April 24, 2012 | Mark Walker

Posted on 04/24/2012 2:26:42 PM PDT by jazusamo

The Marine Corps said Tuesday that it is taking another step toward allowing women to serve in combat roles.

Gen. James Amos, Marine Corps commandant, said selected groups of female Marines will get combat unit assignments later this year as part of a study on the appropriateness of women on the battlefield.

Amos announced the initiative in a message posted on a service website.

The program calls for assigning women officers, gunnery sergeants and staff sergeants to combat artillery, tank, amphibious, engineer and assault units.

Current law restricts women from serving in direct combat in all but a few assignments, such as motor transport or aircraft crews.

But in practice women have served in combat jobs as special "attachments" during the Iraq war and in Afghanistan. More than 140 U.S. military women have been killed in the wars.

Last year, Congress ordered a review of the policy formally excluding women from combat roles.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta took that a further step in February by directing the services assign women to some combat roles and study the results.

(Excerpt) Read more at nctimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bam; combat; marines; usmc; women
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21 posted on 04/24/2012 2:43:34 PM PDT by jazusamo ("Intellect is not wisdom" -- Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

Gen. James Amos, Marine Corps commandant = dumba$$


22 posted on 04/24/2012 2:43:41 PM PDT by Sarajevo ( Alcohol does not solve any problems, but then again, neither does milk.)
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To: MagUSNRET

When I was in the USAF there was a limit of 40lbs for women

When the great experiment on the airfield started and women were now mechanics for the planes the guys wouldnt carry their 100lb tool chests for them

The girls complained...

Oh my...

the problem was blamed on the bad male chalvanisic guys


23 posted on 04/24/2012 2:44:26 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana (Why should I vote for Bishop Romney when he hates me because I am a Christian)
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To: jazusamo

Tank units?

My CO gave me his reasoning for not allowing women into Armor units: In Desert Shield, his unit was so bored and on edge, there were fist fights over the best MRE...he was confident that the addition of a woman to fight over would result in soldiers killing each other.

There is also the matter of living practically on top of each other, changing and bathing in front of each other, etc.

But the real issue is good ole upper body strength. I have seen women try to load a tank round (as a cadet)...not pretty. I’m sure there a few women out there who could do it...but the vast majority would be too slow. And, there were a variety of jobs on a tank that some of the smaller guys couldn’t do well - mostly dealing with maintenance and the track.

I’m left asking - Does this increase our readiness? If the answer is no, then why are we doing it?


24 posted on 04/24/2012 2:44:52 PM PDT by lacrew (Mr. Soetoro, we regret to inform you that your race card is over the credit limit.)
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To: jazusamo

I used to be a gunbunny on a M198 towed arty piece. We had to routinely run gun drills with reduced crews and you had better be able to pick up that 90 lb 155 shell by yourself. (Normally it’s two guys carrying it on a tray)


25 posted on 04/24/2012 2:45:15 PM PDT by Molon Labbie (A Bounty on Zimmerman, Can Be A Bounty On ANYONE. No NBPP Mob Justice!)
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Comment #26 Removed by Moderator

To: Responsibility2nd

When men go down to the sea in ships...

When women first started to be asigned to ships in the Navy

and found out that it wasnt all the cute fun they thought it would be

they got preggers just to be reasigned to shore duty...


27 posted on 04/24/2012 2:47:30 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana (Why should I vote for Bishop Romney when he hates me because I am a Christian)
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To: Responsibility2nd
Why? Cause they’re knocked up.

Well, I guess they should only be allowed to serve on submarines then..../snorting sarcasm.

Seriously, no one can convince me this is not done with the intention of moral, and emasculating intentions.

AKA, PC.

28 posted on 04/24/2012 2:50:46 PM PDT by Las Vegas Ron (Rush Limbaugh = the Beethoven of talk radio - http://www.istandwithrush.org/)
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To: P-Marlowe; jazusamo

In a military organization scheme, a list per unit that is law approved by Congress, if a combat squad is listed as, for example, 8 troops, they don’t get to have 9 or 10 to make up for a physically weak member of the squad.

They get 8. Period. And being one hundred percent filled with people is generally the rule only for units as they deploy to war (not always), and that only exists until first contact with the enemy.

A combat unit cannot afford a weak member. In MANY scenarios having a unit at 70% is pushing the boundaries of combat effectiveness.


29 posted on 04/24/2012 2:52:11 PM PDT by xzins (Vote Goode Not Evil! (the lesser of 2 evils is still evil))
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To: jazusamo

Is this what you men want?


30 posted on 04/24/2012 2:52:40 PM PDT by donna (...gay couples raising kids. That's the American way... -Mitt Romney)
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To: jazusamo

Maybe they are talking about shemale marines. You never know.


31 posted on 04/24/2012 2:55:28 PM PDT by forgotten man (forgotten man)
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To: lacrew
The same argument is true to the police and firefighters. The requirements for strength and endurance are commonsense and applicable for the job.
32 posted on 04/24/2012 2:56:14 PM PDT by Theoria (Rush Limbaugh: Ron Paul sounds like an Islamic terrorist)
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To: donna
Is this what you men want?

Not this one nor do I know any that do. It seems politicians want it and the military brass work for politicians.

33 posted on 04/24/2012 2:58:40 PM PDT by jazusamo ("Intellect is not wisdom" -- Thomas Sowell)
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To: Las Vegas Ron

Political Correctness has ruined our schools, ruined our military, ruined our churches, ruined our country...and the American culture. I am ashamed that we allowed liberal arseholes do this to our country!


34 posted on 04/24/2012 2:58:53 PM PDT by MagUSNRET (I have always been proud of my country, it is my government that I am ashamed of!)
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To: MagUSNRET

Amen to your post and your tag line!


35 posted on 04/24/2012 3:01:05 PM PDT by Las Vegas Ron (Rush Limbaugh = the Beethoven of talk radio - http://www.istandwithrush.org/)
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To: jazusamo

Feminization of the military.

In conjunction with a zero-tolerance mentality over common sense.


36 posted on 04/24/2012 3:01:34 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: xzins
"They won't have strength to put a round in a tube...."

Ummm....you didn't listen. They are being put in LEADERSHIP positions, not in the grunt jobs.

This will mean less opportunity for advancement, and less experienced leadership, resulting in more death and less retainment.

Gee, a win-win for Progressives.

My son spent 12 years on boomers before getting a 2 year shore duty because women in his rating could not deploy, taking up nearly all shore allotments.

37 posted on 04/24/2012 3:01:58 PM PDT by diogenes ghost
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To: MagUSNRET

Butch dykes generally do not like men very much. I would not want them watching my back, frankly. Don’t think they’d do all they could do to cover my ass.


38 posted on 04/24/2012 3:03:06 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: jazusamo

Study this:

Female Marine Captain is captured by Iranians. They beat her for a while and they check her to make sure that she can conceive.

They rape her repeatedly until she becomes pregnant, and force her to term. They cut the child from the womb at about the eight month and execute it on live TV with a bayonette.

That’s something to consider in any warfighting scenario analysis you care to gin up.


39 posted on 04/24/2012 3:03:12 PM PDT by RinaseaofDs (Does beheading qualify as 'breaking my back', in the Jeffersonian sense of the expression?)
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To: jazusamo

Don’t be surprised. He isn’t well-liked by the Marines I know. He was on base here last week, and guys were scrambling to find ways to avoid meeting him. This is the first Commandant in my husband’s 17 years in the Corps that I have seen Marines so actively go out of their way to avoid.


40 posted on 04/24/2012 3:04:29 PM PDT by USMCWife6869
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