Women in the Infantry?

When I first joined the Army back in 2000 I was young and stupid.  I thought because I had done a couple years of Junior ROTC in high school that I was tough shit and that I could do anything a guy could do.  I even tried to convince my recruiter that I should be allowed to join the Infantry.  I wasn’t allowed to of course, because women are not allowed in the Infantry.  Back then I thought that was stupid, male chauvinist bullshit.  I was wrong.

                12 years of being an Infantryman’s wife has proved that to me.  There is no place on the front lines for women.  Now, don’t get me wrong…there are some badass women out there who could do my husband’s job…maybe.  But for the majority of women it’s just not feasible.  Here’s why…

 

1.        PT requirements:  men and women in the Army currently have different PT standards, a max score of 300 for a woman is the equivalent of a 224 on the men’s chart…and that is not good enough for the Infantry.  These guys carry at least 75lbs of gear on their backs every day not including their weapon or ammo.  Believe me, I have helped my hubs get ready for deployments and training dozens of times…and I am pretty fit…I can’t even lift most of his gear, let alone all of it at once!    

2.       Political correctness:  You know the term “Cuss like a sailor”?  Ya, take that, add in the maturity level of an 18 year old boy, multiply by 100…that’s your typical Infantryman.  And if you think they are going to change that because a woman is around think again.  It’s part of Infantry culture and has been embedded in them for hundreds of years.  If you love an Infantryman you live with it…and learn to cuss too J

3.       Feminine hygiene:  Infantrymen spend days, weeks, and months in the field with no showers let alone bathrooms.  ‘Nuf said.

4.       Privacy:  This is a foreign word to Infantrymen…IF they have showers or bathrooms the stalls are open.  They change in front of each other and many times walk around naked for fun.  Women can’t and shouldn’t do that.  They don’t need to see the men and the men defiantly don’t need to see them.

5.       Male bonding:  As I said before, Infantrymen are immature…get them together in a group and watch out…they do dumb shit…like taping someone’s dick to their leg with 100 mile an hour tape in their sleep…true story.  How are they going to bond with women??  Think it’s not important?  Think again…units that don’t have a strong bond don’t have each other’s backs…and people die.

6.       Chivalry:  Yes, Infantrymen and immature and foul-mouthed, but they are also some of the most chivalrous men on the planet.  They are going to want to take care of the women…and that will put the entire unit in jeopardy. 

7.       Jealousy and Sex:  Any woman who can make it into an Infantry unit is going to have a rocking bod…throw that into the mix of long periods away from home, sexual deprivation, immaturity and lack of privacy and you have a disaster waiting to happen.  Men will get jealous, some will cheat.  Women will get pregnant, or raped.  Add loaded weapons into all that and you’ve got a very dangerous situation on your hands…think friendly fire…not good. 

8.       Murderer?:  Do you really believe that a woman could kill another woman?  How about a child?  Nope, me either.  But over there, anyone can be the enemy…yes…even children.

9.       PTSD/emotional side effects:  My hubs and I have been dealing with this for the past 8 years at least.  It’s not fun, trust me.  We need women at home to be strong and supportive of the soldiers coming back from war.  Not in it distracting them.  And believe me, if men have this hard a time dealing with what they see/do in war…women will have it worse.

10.   Fire fights:  Even the most badass women do not have the physical stamina to dodge and return fire for hours and then drag the dead weight of a 200lb man in full battle rattle to safety.  Or pick up the body parts of their battle buddies knowing it could’ve been them without falling apart.  Most men can’t do it either.  That’s why they say “There are men, and then there are Infantrymen. “

this was my hub's home for months during his first deployment

 

Sorry ladies, we just can’t do it.  And we shouldn’t have to.  Let the men have this one…they love it, they can do it.  We can prove our strength in other ways.  Like childbirth.


Do you agree?  Leave me a comment and let me know!