I joined in 1974, retired in 2008 and spent the next four years in Afghanistan with the Marines at Regional Command Southwest; Never, in my 40 year association have female Marines performed the same physical fitness requirements as men.
Females have zero business being employed with Ground Combat units.
Political correctness will destroy the armed forces,
Gunner’s got his weapon zeroed in. Started out as a Navy HM and became a special ops “technician” privileged to serve the USMC in various infantry and Recon units. Later, became I&I of the 4th MedBn, colocated with 4th TankBn at Miramar, as a commissioned officer, with both Navy and Marine Corps females aboard. WMs, to my knowledge, have never had to meet the same PFT standards as male Devil Dogs, and I and my staff oversaw numerous Marine Corps and Navy physical fitness tests. Likewise for women in the Navy.
From my personal observation and close proximity to them, I also never came across a single WM that wanted to go into combat arms, except for maybe aviation. That includes female Marine officers who’d been series commanders at Parris Island. All of them admitted they’d never be able to hack the Marine Corps’ infantry officer course, let alone enlisted WMs heading for the School of Infantry. MCT is tough, no doubt, but it’s NOT SOI. ‘Nuff said about that.
I’m also in the same fighting hole with the Gunner when it comes to women serving in ground combat units as well as special operations/special warfare units as lead slingers.
WOMEN DO NOT BELONG IN THE INFANTRY, OR ARMOR OR ARTILLERY, PERIOD. They’re just gonna end up getting more people killed, no matter how gung-ho they may be to pull their weight. They can’t. Not at full combat load or in maneuvering on the field of battle in the face of direct, indirect and grazing or harassing fires. I’ve seen them try it in controlled training environments at Twenty-Nine Palms. What a clusterfark.
Hell, I know plenty of males that also can’t. No shame in that for the WMs or female HMs agitating to serve in Marine Corps infantry units as their Corpsmen.