Until we have a shortage of qualified males needed to fill these combat MOS's, why are we even entertaining women in these roles?

Scubasteve, I agree with you on that dude. Every rifleman I know has agreed that women in combat are more of a liability than anything.

Bring up the hygiene issue.

Also FYI, the first 2 females allowed into Marine Infantry Officers Course (IOC) FAILED a couple weeks ago. They voluntarily washed out, couldn't hack it. We've been fighting the majority of wars for thousands of year... men. I don't see that it should be any different and comparing it with blacks and racism is ridiculous, there is no comparison there.

So you guys are telling me that GI Jane is fake? I though it was based on a true story.

I know I'm no expert on women but I heard that they don't have to spend some many days in the field. Don't if that's true, didn't care to look up the regs and never been to the field, my unit deployed when I arrived.

But hey if they can pass the same standards then I don't see a problem.

101st
 

You are right they are more air assault with the nick name dope on the rope. When I was in there were only 3 airborne units left, 82nd Fort Bragg, A unit in Alaska, and I believe it was 113th in Italy.

When I was in combat I did not want women there. The Israeli experiment failed miserably.

Now the attached video shows a female force that could make it in any of todays front line units. Why it was successful I have no idea but they were very good at war.

This video is not in english but you won't have any trouble understanding what is being taught and said if you were in the military

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD1K9gNErwA

This is down in the Delta where I was at Bin Thuy just outside of CanTho.

I still don't get how they are air assault. I did AA school at Drum but we don't call ourselves that. It's not like the 101 gets extra AA training, they simply have their own qualified school there. The airborne unit in Italy is the 173rd. When I was thinking of reenlisting that was my second choice if I couldn't get a RIP (RASP now?) contract.

Watch the beginning of "We Were Solders" or better yet, read the book. It goes into a bit of detail of how the 101st was transitioned from a classical airborne division into this new concept of "air mobile" then "air assault." Then look at how they were used in Desert Storm - that's what sets them apart from other infantry divisions.

Wasn't We Were Soldiers 1st Cav? :confused: My point is they don't do anything different to be an "AA unit". It's not like every soldier stationed at Campbell goes through AA school. Plus most infantry divisions do plenty of air assault missions in Afghanistan. The same could even be said about the 10th Mountain. Not everyone goes to Mountain Warfare school (although we do ruck march three times a week and go to Vermont a lot for mountain style training- at least my unit did). Hell even having a tab isn't required to be in a Ranger batt. I dunno I just don't get their emphasis on being an AA division other than losing their airborne designation.

I'm not bashing the division or anything and if the entire division became AA qualified I think it would be very beneficial to the Army, especially in modern warfare.

This thread is hilarious everyone is arguing over spilt milk lol. I think this point was brought up and it has a lot to do with it. Females can't to a lot of things got hygienic reasons. When we went to the cop for a week or jss we would leave our females behind because we would not have access to showers. In the field sanitation fm it states that females need showers every 3 days if not it can effect their health

They don't. The only unit where women can be said to participate as typical combat soldiers is Karakal, which has been tasked with patrolling a god-forsaken, quiet strip of desert on the border with Egypt (which is probably much less quiet these last few weeks). It's not a special forces unit, really, just a unit with a less mainstream task. They do generic infantry training from what I've heard.

This may be the only instance of a female Israeli soldier in actual combat since the war of independence:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=263_1...657&comments=1

One of the soldiers hid during the firefight:

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomac...ident-1.466584

Because until we stop operating in Muslim countries, we will need our uniformed women to talk to the local female populace.

Oh, the FET teams. LOL! Other than having them feel up the local women for weapons and contraband, the local women (Afg) are about as willing to give up their [talib] relatives to a Wook as they are to a Dude. Their presence being a necessity is questionable at best.

I can quote a gunny addressing a group from a FET team on their way to a mission (week or 2 outside leatherneck)... "Take what you think you are going to need, your Marine brothers will help you carry it!"

I think that about sums it up.

Calguns has gone to hell! Back in the day someone would of posted a pic of a hottie with a m4.

I spent 11 years in Civil Affairs, deployed with SF here and there. Never saw a SF female but there were female trainers for the SF classrooms. That's the closest it got. However I recall seeing a bunch of Navy types training for Afghanistan which is a land locked country. We are getting closer to ONE force.

i remember seeing plenty of women in the SF compound in Iraq. they were there for recreational activities. sometimes i would see the guys pick up on the females on the FOB and i would shake my head and it was guilt by association since we worked with them. it was quite fun to see it. there was nothing anyone could do 11B you have no chance when the SF guys are hounding the females.

maby its like what the marine scount snipers do if they bang a girl they give the girl their teeshirt that has SS on it.... Possible the sf do the same and she took it to heart.