Where I currently work I see this on a daily basis. It’s hard to stay sane, honestly. You hit the nail on the head with the military’s obsession with toys, not men. I work with Ft. Benning on acquisitions and analysis. There has not been one peep from them about this. But they’ll spend all day telling you how important it is to buy 100 more pounds of lightweight crap, and how computer games are better training tools than an E-6 in the woods with his snuffies!

Don’t get me started on AUSA, and the Infantry Association (of which I am a life member). All they want to do is talk to Congress about gadgets and pay raises.

Back in 2000 two Rangers ruck marched from Ft. Benning to Washington D.C. over a fucking hat. Does anyone remember this? Don’t get me wrong, black berets for everyone are gay. But when homosexuals are shoved down our throat and now women in combat arms, who is rucking to D.C. over something that will destroy our fighting culture?

Thanks for the supportive comments. I thought I might get raked over the coals for my reluctance to support our “non-gender specific, non-sexual preference specific peoples in uniforms”.

“For rising generations it will become a real problem at what point the policies you are ordered to carry out have become so iniquitous that a decent man must seek some other profession…” C.S. Lewis

What also frustrates me is that so many of those pushing for allowing women into Combat Arms have no stake in the game. GEN Dempsey will not have to pay the price of his failure. The 1LT and CPT in combat will. But, at least GEN Dempsey will feel good about himself.

I argue with my father – a big liberal – about this stuff all the time. He’s one of those guys who thinks the military is made of interchangeable cogs, like every other government job. To want to serve in the military requires that you have respect for the culture that the military defends. I’m not sure I ahve that respect anymore.

David Hackworth is currently spinning in his grave.

Make sure you know that the link I give discussing my son’s view of women in combat is from him, NOT the WSJ article (which my son read, and said, yep, that’s right – and then proceeded to tell me things from his own experience that added to the WSJ report but not reported herein). But the man in the WSJ article is not my son. My son was in Fallujah in 2007. The first day he showed up he and the other Marines were laying down on their backs passing sandbags over their heads to construct the walls of FOB Reaper, while being shot at.

Different subject. I see the network domain from which you are writing. For my readers, Travis’ comment is legitimate. That you sir for your heart-felt perspectives. My best to you.

I have always considered it an obligation for a man to serve his country, especially in a time of combat. Right or wrong, a man has to show that he is willing to serve in the defense of his society. In America, we count on our government being right, even when it isn’t. I’ve always loved the American foot soldier, even as a boy. For the sake of the infantrymen, I supported my country’s military. Now, I think that we need to reconsider our unconditional support for the military. The Army, USMC, USN and USAF will now more resemble the MP platoon described (that too sounds familiar – a USMA classmate of mine who is a female made sport of letting her men know she was “available” to them; that’s your tax dollars at work educating our “finest” women). I can no longer support such an institution that is bent on destroying the values for which I fought. Nor will I ever encourage my son to enlist. I’ll do a better job of making him a man. And if I have a daughter, I’ll be the first to send her to Canada or South America before she is ever drafted. If she were to enlist, she won’t be welcome in my home.

The U.S. military is now a political tool. It is no longer worthy of material or moral support.

But the Army did it too, e.g., in the Korengal. Hey, BTW, I don’t think there were any women in the Korengal.

Point.

I wasn’t going to say anything about it because I don’t want readers to think that I don’t have the utmost respect for those who have seen combat, like you do.

But there is a difference between mechanized warfare (and I know that the Army has opted in favor of Striker-style warfare) as opposed to infantry foot-based warfare, and especially long term, protracted duration expeditionary warfare.

Dave Letterman: Finally! There will be someone in the tank who will stop and ask for directions.

I’ll be honest. It is a freaking nightmare to have women in my squad. When I was in Iraq, a female Soldier threw a clamshell of food against the wall and called my NCOIC a “faggot bitch” in front of several other Soldiers and about a dozen Iraqi’s. Oh, and did I mention the Iraqi’s were detainees? Nothing happened to her. Why? Because Army females are almost untouchable (in the discipline sense, not the get preggers on deployment sense). That is a lesson I would learn the hard way a few years later. I had a problem female Soldier who, because of her conduct and absolute and total lack of work ethic was absolutely destroying the morale of all the other troops. I would have rather been short handed than have her on shift. I tried to take corrective measures and the result? I got a visit from my PSG who accused me of playing favorites. And a nice little EO complaint. I gave up. I avoided her for the rest of deployment – hard to do since we were on the same shift.

The worst are the ones that are sorta cute but are deployment hot. They somehow convice guys to work extra shifts for them. I knew a few girls who called their little crew the “Career Killers,” because they collected at least a few scalps. In fact, I have had two commanders, a 1SG and a few SFCs relieved of duty because of their (aleged) extra carricular activites. That is really good for combat readyness.

Another bonus of serving with females? The rape prevention classes, mandatory of course. These are fun little propaganda seminars where everyone with a penis is considered to be a criminal, just looking to drug and rape a chick. And they wonder why young men in the military commit suicide? Since birth, our boys have been treated like shit and it doesn’t stop in the military.

How about unit cohesion? Well, there was one on again, off again couple that made life hell for pretty much every NCO in the unit. Between his jealousy, her taunting flirtations with every swinging Richard in the AO and the twenty or thirty phone calls each day, it was tough for either one to be productive. And he was an NCO. How was he able to do his job when his entire day was spent checking up on the misses? Lets add sex into the equation. Say my MP company is one hundred guys, twenty girls – just to keep the math easy. Ten of those girls are married. In my experience, eight of those ten will cheat on their husbands. All ten of the single females will be in a relationship with someone in the unit. For this exercise, we will keep it in house. Assuming all the females having sex are with Soldiers in their unit, that means about 18 guys are having sex. 82 are not. Do you know how petty young men can get when they arent getting any but a married SSG is plowing his way thru the units females? Does that sexual frustration and envy help morale?

How about leadership? Well, on my last deployment, our 1LT (who took the place of a CPT who was relieved for an alleged relationship with a “Career Killer.”) and our 1SG spent a good chunk of each day dealing with getting pregnant females home, mediating relationships, making sure all the Joes went to the latest sexual harassment training, rape prevention training, etc. So good luck just performing the mission.

Right now, military females are in a win – win situation. They get the same benefits as a guy, don’t have to do the same work, can get pregnant (I know a female MP in Texas who has been pregnant three times on a five year contract – unmarried, of course) and they are treated better than every other Joe.

Women have and never will be held to the same standards as men. Most proffessional miliatry my ass. We are screwed.