|
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It is fortunate for the United States that its military performs a largely symbolic function. It continues to employ infantry by the 100s of thousands, yet there is no prospect of a war in which massed infantry formations will play a part.
All the wars the US has fought in recent history have been won by superior technology, almost always deployed from over-head platforms. The only ground forces that have made a significant contribution to the outcome (vs cleaning up afterwards) have been special forces. Funnily enough these are the units which don't admit women.
sd
Those who like this sort of thing
will find this the sort of thing they like.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It is foolish to believe that technology alone will ever win a war. True, we chased the Iraqis out of Kuwait, but we never conquered Hussein. True, we have decimated the Taliban, but we have not establised control in Afghanistan. The one ultimate truth of war is that, in order to control a particular territory or to completely vanquish an enemy, boots must be dirtied and soldiers must be placed at risk of injury. An army is absolutely required in order to do this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When the only people in earshot are other men, I can speak freely - but when women are around I have to walk on eggshells. There are worthless dogs at my company who have actually gotten ahead by threatening sexual harassment charges.
Then there's the issue of lowering standards.
There are plenty of men who are physically unfit for military, firefighting, and other strenuous duties. There are even more women who are unfit for these duties. The answer is not to lower the bar. The answer is for these people to either pump some iron or accept that they just aren't built to haul a passed-out 200lb. person out of a smoking building with fifty pounds of insufferably stuffy fire-retardant clothes and breathing apparatus strapped to their backs.
Another thing: Women are usually not allowed to participate in infantry and special ops, and there is a good reason for this, beside the higher likelihood that they will not perform in 115-degree heat with 60lb. packs on their backs as well as men. Women menstruate. Like other biological waste, used tampons and sanitary pads are a health risk, so they can't be taken along. They can't be buried because enemy units (who do not put women in infantry either) may encounter them. This is straight from an interview with a soldier that I saw a few months ago.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yeah, I won't even go into the worthlessness of most female marines I encountered in the Corps. That's another story.
I just wanted to say that I read somewhere a DoD report on the practicality of admitting women into infantry units. One of the tests was to through a grenade x number of meters. 80% (if my memory serves me correctly) of the women tested could not throw the grenade far enough away from themselves to keep from getting killed by their own grenade. This does not surprise me. I had to throw those damn things... they are heavy as hell and you have to throw them about 30 meters.
Oh wait, I know!!! Let's make the grenades smaller and less lethal so women can throw them!
|
|
|
|
|
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
