"Republicans in the US Congress are trying to pass legislation which would keep female soldiers out of combat."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4560847.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4560847.stm
Well, anyone can be trained to handle extreme stress. This is what basic training is for. Funny thing is no-one knows exactly what they will do when they get into a for-real combat situation. Live fire excercises on the training course not-withstanding it's a different situation when there is someone who is actually trying to kill you and not just firing live bullets to teach you to keep your head down.ginshun said:I am still torn on the issue really. I don't think it is fair to all out deny women the right to fight on the front lines. All I know is that if I get into a high stress, life and death situation, I can think of a lot more guys that I know that I would want with me that I can think of women. I am trying to not sound sexist here, and I am sure there are plenty of women who can handle those types of situations just fine, and I am also sure that there are plenty of men who would freak out. It just that in general women tend to be more emotional and physically weaker than men. I know these are stereotypes, but as general rules, I have never seen anything to contradict them. If I am in a tough situation I would want the physically and mentally strongest people behind me. Whether that is a man or a woman makes no difference, thats why I think people (soldiers) have to be judged on an individual basis.
I don't know, maybe I am way off here. Whatever.
Andrew Green said:But all soldiers are required to complete training courses for their jobs. These courses are pass / fail. So if someone can't pass the course, they can't get the job.
Military courses are designed to test the thing you need to have for the job, including working under high stress conditions, I'm sure anyone that has been through any course has seen someone "loose it" as a result of the pressure put on by the course and instructors.
I'm a bit confused. Why is it that the very same people who say NO AMERICAN soldier should be in combat in Iraq, are the same one's whining about keep women out of combat in Iraq. Is it possible that the political left has a bit of a paradox in thinking going on here?Andrew Green said:"Republicans in the US Congress are trying to pass legislation which would keep female soldiers out of combat."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4560847.stm
I agree, Sapper, if they can make the physical and mental grade, I can't really make the argument. However, if politics are allowed to degrade the standard to make a certain quota, someone should be hung for it. I don't know many women who could pass the sapper course or the ranger course. Much less, any GI Janes who could, in real life pass UDT/SEAL training.Sapper6 said:i agree with that.
pick any 100 female soldiers you want, put them in sapper school, jump school, air assault, and pathfinder school. see how many make it out with all GOs.
i don't like the legislation either. if the female soldier can pass the standard, let them be whatever they'd like.
i'm sorry but there are just some things the female soldier is not up for.
as for combat service and support. females will excel in that area.
Two completely seperate issues.sgtmac_46 said:I'm a bit confused. Why is it that the very same people who say NO AMERICAN soldier should be in combat in Iraq, are the same one's whining about keep women out of combat in Iraq. Is it possible that the political left has a bit of a paradox in thinking going on here?
arnisador said:Hmmm, I don't know much about "sapper school"--Marines, right?
Whether we should be in Iraq and what the U.S. Army should look like are separate issues.
.The Sapper Leader Course trains selected combat engineer unit leaders in leadership skills, combat engineer and infantry battle drills, and the specialized engineer and infantry techniques required to perform as members of a Sapper Battalion. The course is also designed to build cohesion and esprit de corps by training soldiers in troop leading procedures, demolitions (conventional and expedient), mountaineering operations, aerial operations, airborne operations, foreign weapons, land navigation, waterborne operations and contingency threat. The course culminates in an intense field training exercise that reinforces the use of the battle drills and specialized engineer techniques learned throughout the course
"Sapper school's purpose is to push the junior combat engineer Marines through the course to understand the concepts of foot mobile breaching, demolition handling and dealing with improvised explosive devices," said Staff Sgt. Shaun A. Anderson, chief instructor of Sapper school.
Although Sapper school training focuses solely on combat engineering techniques, Marines don't have to be combat engineers to sign up.
"Basically most Marines in the combat arms (military occupational speciality) field can sign up for Sapper course," Dill said.
Signing up for Sapper school is an informal procedure, he added.