Here’s the story if you need to know more…I don’t.
Category: Military issues
-
Women in Special Forces
Karen sends along a link to Jezebel and the Washington Post, both which totally disregard the lives of people involved in special operations and determine that it’s merely a social issue, not having anything to do with the success of our troops in combat. From the Post;
But all is not fair in war. The justifications used to keep women out of combat and special ops units are the same paternalistic, discriminatory excuses used in favor of upholding racial segregation in the military and, more recently, the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding gays and lesbians. In short, they have little to do with individual capability and reveal far more about ingrained ideas and misconceptions regarding psychology, sexuality and physiology.
Yes, once again the intellectually vacant use the racial segregation as an excuse to allow someone to serve. Except that all of us know that Black men are the equal of white men when it comes to their performance in combat. Women, not so much. I’ll never forget the female cadet who told me she couldn’t shine her boots the night before because her “vulva ached”.
Excuses for excluding women from special operations training are more about socialization than actual performance, according to these two authors…two authors who obviously have absolutely no experience with military training as well as no experience in combat.
So their proof that women can train in Special Operations? Hollywood;
Of course, one woman has made it through BUD/S: “G.I. Jane’s” Demi Moore. The 1997 film, directed by Ridley Scott (“Alien,” “Thelma & Louise”), chronicles the story of a fictional Navy officer named Jordan O’Neil, who is handpicked by an ambitious Texas senator to undergo SEAL training as a sort of test case. (In true Hollywood fashion, Jordan stumbles a bit along the way but eventually triumphs over both the physical challenges and her male peers’ antagonistic posturing.)
“I’ll admit that Ridley and Demi and I engaged in a bit of wish fulfillment when we made the movie,” says one of the film’s screenwriters, David Twohy. “Did we really think it was 100 percent feasible (and desirable) that women serve as Navy SEALs? Probably not. But we did think the time had come for a dramatic discussion of the issue, and we thought it because history was clearly showing us the way.”
I’ve never seen the movie because I know the type of stereotypical males they portrayed just by instinct. I’m sure it was made in the model of most Lifetime Channel movies with a dainty woman triumphing over evil, burly men.
Yes, I know there are women directly supporting special operations, but there’s a big difference in gathering intelligence and acting on that intelligence. Patrolling a village while surrounded by infantrymen is whole lot different than being an integral member of a team, upon whom nine other people depend on your particular skill to be successful – perhaps over a weeks- or months- long period. And you have to be at 100% regardless of how you feel one day.
“Men do sort of have an absolute advantage over women in, say, upper-body strength, but the extent to which that really makes sense as an issue, I don’t know,” he says. “My sense is that there are some women who would love to challenge the forces and see if they could get through. And I know some who are so fit that they probably could.”
Yeah, mechanically speaking, men’s center of gravity is their chest and shoulders, while women’s center of gravity is in their hips – that’s why women can do more situps and men can do more pushups. It’s also why men are better at humping the stuff they need to survive combat suspended from their shoulders.
Ever notice how they identify female victims on CSI or Bones by looking at their hips and leg bones?
Women are also more susceptible to knee and hip stress injuries because of the mechanics of their bodies – there’s nothing social about their weaknesses and the potential for them to be a burden rather than an asset to their team in some remote mountainous region battling a determined enemy.
I think it’s rather disingenuous of both of the authors to disregard all of the evidence against women performing in Special Operations roles based solely on their gender-loyalty and without a rational discussion of the facts. There are things men suck at, too (ask my wife), it just doesn’t happen to be fighting our country’s enemy on his terms.
-
Legislation to allow women in combat specialties
That fake Mexican woman in Congress has decided to amend the Defense budget with a bill that would lift restrictions that prevent women from serving in combat Military Occupational Specialties in the Marines and the Army according to the Air Force Times;
Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, has prepared an amendment repealing the policy that prevents women from serving in front-line combat units in the Army and Marine Corps.
The House is scheduled to take up HR 1540, the 2012 defense authorization bill, next week with plans to pass the $689 billion policy bill by Memorial Day.
Sanchez’s amendment would implement a recommendation made earlier this year by the Military Leadership Diversity Committee, a group of current and retired officers, noncommissioned officers and civilians, which determined that combat exclusion laws hurt advancement opportunities for women. The final report of the commission was due at the end of March but has been delayed until later this year because defense officials said it needed more study.
Ya know what else hurts advancement opportunities for women? Death. I know that the “group of current and retired officers, noncommissioned officers and civilians” included no one who actually participated in combat while in uniform. They couldn’t have if they arrived at the conclusion that success in career advancement has priority over the forces’ safety.
Every time I hear this discussion, I flash on Shannon Faulkner who fought for years a legal battle to get into The Citadel, and then when she did, she crapped out because she’d gotten so bovine-like that she couldn’t meet the standards. In other words, she expected to be carried on the backs of the corps of cadets through graduation.
Combat has one standard and there’s no room for weak backs. I’ll admit that there are men who can’t meet the standards…I chaptered three of them before we went to Desert Storm.
Speaking of Desert Storm, let me tell you about our support battalion’s ambulance platoon. Out of 22 members, 10 got pregnant in the two months between our notification and deployment so they couldn’t deploy. Was that a readiness issue? After we deployed to the desert, some of the members of that same platoon drove around to the battalions selling sex at $75 a pop out of the back of their ambulances.
Are all women in the military like that? Certainly not. I’ve known some women who could run circles around many men and who were as chaste as the day is long, but all it takes is one Shannon Faulkner to screw up an infantry platoon’s proficiency and performance. And we all know the politically correct crap that goes along with “the first [insert minority ID here] person to…” in the military.
This is completely wrong-headed, and the fake Mexican congresswoman is just doing this to ingratiate herself with feminist groups and the anti-military and social experimentation segments of her constituency.
-
All’s Well That Ends Well
Sorta…
Forty years later.
Vietnam hero cures an old Rutgers woundForty years ago, he attempted to pursue a law degree upon his return from Vietnam and rehabilitation in veterans’ hospitals. He’d been through hell, and the last place he expected to face more of it was in academia. But the climate in the late 1960s and early ’70s was often inhospitable to those who had served in Vietnam, even the most highly decorated.
Academia – Then and now?
Because of opposition to the Vietnam War and an antipathy toward those who served, Christian said, the faculty made a circus of his attempt to earn a law degree. “If I got a grade that was marginal, they would release it to the newspapers and news media,” he said.
Christian said certain of the deans had disputed the existence and severity of his war injuries, many of which are not obvious. “I was asked by the administration to disrobe in front of the student body because they didn’t think I was a disabled veteran,” Christian said.
“At the time there was no Americans With Disabilities Act and there was no Privacy Act,” he said. “They couldn’t touch the politicians, but they could touch a war hero.”
He said some faculty members would post lists of purported Vietnam heroes – lists that would include North Vietnamese names.
I haven’t vetted this story, Jonn or someone else with more ready resources can do so. I can personally vouch for the atmosphere in many colleges back then and that’s why I decided to post this. Consider this a history lesson if nothing else.
Update: Thanks to those who filled in the blanks, so to speak. Even I remembered the name, but this IS TAH. So I added the caveat.
-
Navy to name ship for Cesar Chavez
Well, at least he served in the Navy for two years, but they admit that it’s being done for purely political reasons.
“We suggested the name Cesar Chavez for the ship because we’re in Barrio Logan and want to be good neighbors, and we want to show respect for our workers,” said James Gill, a NASSCO spokesman.
About 60 percent of NASSCO’s 3,600 employees are Hispanic.
I should be clear, I’m in no way opposed to Cesar Chavez, nor do I disparage his work, but what’s the standard for naming ships anymore? He spent two years in the Navy from the age of 17 with an undistinguished career. He described those as the “two worst years of my life”. I hope they engrave those sage words on the bow.
ADDED: Duncan Hunter seems to agree with me says Stars & Stripes;
“If this decision were about recognizing the Hispanic community’s contribution to our nation, many other names come to mind, including Marine CorpsSgt. Rafael Peralta, who was nominated for the Medal of Honor for action in Iraq,” Hunter said.
A Navy Cross awardee sounds a little more sensible than a guy who hated his time in the Navy.
Thanks to Jeff Schogol for the link.
-
That’s why it’s called “training”
In the Huffington Post, Gay “Rights” Groups (whatever that means) complain the soldiers and Marines aren’t taking seriously their training in preparation for the repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy;
Gay and lesbian service members say that some of the sessions have been punctuated by joking, snickering and eye-rolling by trainers and trainees.
So people who are currently serving illegally are complaining that the training to prepare the military for their ability to serve legally isn’t professional enough? That’s why it’s called “training”, you big cry babies. No one takes an algebra class when they know all about algebra. Maybe we should have sensitivity classes for people who are serving in the military while they’re gay, so they can learn to be more tolerant of straight people during this transition.
It certainly sounds like they need it more than anyone else involved.
In the taped session that Servicemembers United, a gay advocacy group, provided to HuffPost, a gruff gunnery sergeant states that most of the Marine Corps is against allowing gays to serve openly. But, like it or not, he says, the repeal is a lawful order and Marines follow orders. He then predicts a media circus the first time a Marine charges he or she has been assaulted because of his or her sexual orientation. He warns the group in a tone that suggests he doesn’t altogether approve that the days of ribbing others as “fags” are over.
Oh, so now we get to judge people’s intentions based on their “tone” as it’s perceived by the aggrieved? Then it’s all over. The gays are never going to be happy…be prepared for the perpetual bitching.
TSO tells me he ran into Dan Choi at the airport the other day. I hope I never get put in that position.
-
Secret awards for SEALs?
The Rumor Doctor, Jeff Schogol, who TSO and I met over breakfast at the Milblog Conference, by the way, investigates whether it’s possible that the members of SEAL Team6 who took out Usama bin Laden last weekend will get secret awards for the successful conclusion of their intrepid mission.
That’s what the Associated Press speculated in a recent story; however, an alert reader told The Rumor Doctor that in his 23-year career in the Army, he’s never heard of a secret award, prompting The Doctor to peer into the dark.
-
The Dogs of War
The New York Times reports on the dogs who follow us, and sometimes lead us, into this nation’s conflicts like the one in the photo above making a practice jump with the 10th Special Forces group over the Gulf of Mexico.
American troops may be starting to come home this summer, but more dogs are going in. In 2007, the Marines began a pilot program in Afghanistan with nine bomb-sniffing dogs, a number that has grown to 350 and is expected to reach nearly 650 by the end of the year. Over all, there are some 2,700 dogs on active duty in the American military. A decade ago, before the Sept. 11 attacks, there were 1,800.
“Most of the public isn’t aware of what these dogs add to national security,” said Gerry Proctor, a spokesman for training programs at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, including the Military Working Dog School. Dogs are used for protection, pursuit, tracking and search and rescue, but the military is also increasingly relying on them to sniff out the homemade bombs that cause the vast majority of American casualties in Afghanistan. So far, no human or human-made technology can do better.
