What’s really sad is that this politically motivated silliness is an insult to those few ladies who really do have what it takes, ladies like these:

Lyudmila Pavlichenko
“Lady Death” killed >300 Wehrmacht soldiers. They all probably had more upper body strength than she did, but the strength in her trigger finger was quite sufficient.

Aleksandra Samusenko
Scored three Tiger I kills in one battle with what looks like a T34/76. Don’t try this at home, folks!

Mariya Oktyabrskaya
“Spousal Fidelity” is selling all of your belongings, using the money to purchase a tank, and then driving the tank into battle to avenge your dead husband. “My name is Mariya Oktyabrskaya. You killed my husband. Prepare to die!”

Of course even these girls were not nearly as effective in combat as the best men (Rudel, Baalsrud) — but they were good enough.

But there are about 1000 reasons this idea will go wrong. First, being 0311 is one the shittiest jobs in the world, Hands down. You don’t have to be the strongest guy in the world, but the day to day requirements are facilitated by typical male strength. Grunts tend to form a ready work party and the Marines have this idle hands/devil’s workshop gospel. There are trucks to unload, trash to carry, things to set up and take down. So if you have one of the BAMs (broad assed Marines, their knickname) in your unit, then the harder shit will probably fall to you. The above post spoke of inherent favoritism towards BAMs. So when he is handing out stuff to do, she would get the heavy crap or really dirty stuff. And if there is shooting, I think the women will get shot more. Their reaction time is slower anyway, but if they have on gear, their lesser body strength will make them even slower. Big 7.62 bullets give recoil and the rifle moves off target and has to be brought back on it. Typically a first shot misses and the Marine can react and move. But if there is that second lost due to slowness, then the opportunity of the shooter to get that second round on you is higher.

Also I think there will be more malingering because the women can get away with it. The article spoke about the woman “turning her ankle” and then realizing grunts weren’t for her. Yeah sure. So she bailed. I think that will be far more common if they are put into real grunt units. Units that allow 20% women into combat units in a real shooting match would probably find themselves short staffed after two weeks due to malingering, actual injuries, casualties among the females.

But fine. That 0311 job sucks and if they put women in it, then that’s one more cool breeze guy that can stay in the rear with the gear handing out basketballs in the gym. Shit, better to be on work parties that load body bags containing women all day long than be in one. I think any guy that has anything to do romantically with any female veteran is taking a risk. If she has seen shooting, then that quadruples the risk that she is damaged goods.

You been watching too much entertainment.

Soldiers are hardly ever ripped, it is actually harmful for them to not have some energy reserves, and the very lean look either takes a lot of effort or requires sacrifices in strength.