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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLieutenant becomes first woman to lead Marine infantry platoon...
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/marine-corps/401042-lieutenant-becomes-first-ever-woman-to-lead-marine-infantry
Good luck to her, she's going to need it. Semper Fidelis...
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Wounded Bear
(64,419 posts)
braddy
(3,585 posts)52% female with males in the minority.
...There are myriad reasons why the Marine Corps will almost certainly never be 100% female and the chances that it will ever be even predominantly female are between slim and none.
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you're not a military veteran, let alone a Marine Corps veteran, correct?
braddy
(3,585 posts)eventually be majority female since they are the majority.
ADX
(1,622 posts)braddy
(3,585 posts)with cross training with our NATO LRS counterparts like the SAS, Germans, French 13th, etc. Just post what you want to say, you don't need a biography on everyone you are posting to.
ADX
(1,622 posts)...It's a pretty common question whenever vets converse with each other so there's no need to get all fucking defensive about it. That being said, I'll just leave you to your opinion, however wrong it may be, but for someone who claims to be former SpecOps AND have cross-trained with the SAS, why don't you try telling either of those units that because women are in the majority, one day their ranks will be comprised solely of women and see what they have to say about that... 
braddy
(3,585 posts)Rangers, Green Berets (SF), the SAS, and all the rest, our enemies probably won't do that, so we will have the advantage.
ADX
(1,622 posts)...in the meantime, here's something just for you:
braddy
(3,585 posts)aren't capable of operating the Marine Corps and leading us to victory over our enemies.
ADX
(1,622 posts)...If you had really wanted to discuss this matter seriously, you would have been honest and up-front from the beginning and we could have had a substantive debate about it but since you want to be a fucking troll instead, find someone else to play with, mkay?
Have a great day.
jpak
(41,780 posts)Just sayin'
Tipperary
(6,930 posts)Are you really that threatened by women?
ADX
(1,622 posts)...are you really that quick to jump to erroneous conclusions? 
If you had taken the time to read through the entire thread before racing to hit the "post my reply" button, you would have read post #23, which I posted about 9 full hours BEFORE you came along with your bullshit assertion. Unless you're incapable of reading beyond the first-grade level, that post pretty much speaks for itself. Furthermore, if you would be so kind as to point out exactly what I've said at ANY point in this thread that led you to believe that I was somehow threatened by women or opposed to female Marine Corps infantry leaders, I'd sure like to be made aware of it.
Take your time, I'll wait...
mythology
(9,527 posts)Physiology and our cultural norms make me skeptical we will see a lot of women in the Marines any time soon. It's not impossible, but unlikely.
denbot
(9,950 posts)That being said, if you two want to waggle your dicks at each other, take it to the Veterans group, but watch how you challenge someone else’s service, least you get your ass banned.
ADX
(1,622 posts)...I stand by every thing I post and every word I type so I'll take my chances - dude.
denbot
(9,950 posts)I could have been more diplomatic.
ADX
(1,622 posts) 
metalbot
(1,058 posts)I mean, you could do it by banning men, and thus make it all female.
I have no idea why you think that it would eventually be majority female since females make up the majority of the population.
That's to a certain extent like saying "I predict that future NBA players will be much closer to 6 feet tall, since that's more representative of the population as a whole".
braddy
(3,585 posts)wonkwest
(463 posts)Males are biologically more suited to the rigorous demands. Certainly there are many women who can meet those demands. They earn and deserve their places. However, it's far easier for men, and so you're far likelier to see men filling the ranks.
Why do you think that professional basketball players aren't equally distributed in height around the average male? Do you think it's perhaps because no single person shorter than 6' 2 is qualified to play basketball as a professional, or do you think that it's because being really tall gives you an advantage over someone who is 5' 8? Is it because we as a society just don't value short people and don't want them on our television screens? Is it because tall coaches have a bias towards tall players, and this creates an unending and unfair cycle of tallness in the NBA?
There are absolutely women who are 100% qualified physically and mentally to be in infantry jobs, some of whom would likely be vastly superior to their average male counterpart. I'd have no issue serving with women or having a woman commanding officer. But the statistics just aren't on the side of women to take infantry positions in the same proportions as their population unless technology changes sufficiently that we radically alter the way that we define "infantry".
I'm open to an actual explanation of why you think differently, but I assume you're just trolling.
ADX
(1,622 posts)...well-said indeed. Thank you for your insights... 
jpak
(41,780 posts)Do tell...
Doesn't take a lot of strength to put a bullet through someone from fifty yards away. Women are more that capable of leading if intelligence is a key consideration.
ADX
(1,622 posts)...consists solely of the ability "to put a bullet through someone from fifty yards away", you know absolutely nothing about either so be thankful that there are men and women who do.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)One of my brothers was a combat Marine who did four tours in Vietnam. A second was a paratrooper who was called to quell the Dominican uprising. My brother that did four tours fighting deep in the jungle said that he had ONE instance where the Viet Cong got close enough that hand to hand combat was a possibility (although that didn't happen because they killed the Viet Cong with bullets before they got close enough for hand to hand combat.
I have NO reason at all to back down from your bullshit. Stop throwing up false flags and insults and fucking explain in detail that makes sense why a woman can't lead an infra try combat unit.
ADX
(1,622 posts)...so who's the one throwing up false flags?
During my 10 years in the Corps, I knew some incredibly tough women who were more than capable of doing everything a man could and under whose command I would have been proud to serve. However, the reality of the situation is that those females were by far the exception rather than the rule. Combat isn't a fucking video game; you're usually operating in austere, miserable environments under mind-boggling stress with limited sleep, food, and sanitation. In addition to small arms fire, you have to deal with incoming mortars and artillery, as well as IEDs, mines, booby traps, and grenades. Your brother's Vietnam experience notwithstanding, oftentimes it's up close and personal - street to street, house to house, and even room to room. There are almost always going to be casualties, sometimes horrific in nature, that have to be carried out of the line of fire and evacuated, and bodies/body parts that have to be collected, bagged and tagged. I could go on but hopefully by now, you get the point: there's infinitely more to combat than shooting at someone from a distance.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)The carrying a dead or wounded body is a valid point. When my brother was in, physically or mentally weak men were weeded out in basic training or very soon after the first real combat situation. He hated to talk about his experiences, that may have been why it took him a while to admit that he had killed enemy troops, the situation that I wrote about was bad on him because he felt the killing was up close where a lot of things happened that did not happen from farther away.
A lot of the stuff you describe is PTSD inducing situations that women or men can be subject to, especially picking up the pieces of a person who was live and vibrant a little while earlier and who you shared meals with.
I wasn't trying to be a smart ass or say that women should get special preferences, every single one should be able to carry every one in her platoon on her shoulders for a preset distance over varying terrain, or she gets booted out, just like a man that can't do that should.
ADX
(1,622 posts)...I appreciate your input. Tell your brother I said "Semper Fi!" and "Welcome Home"...
Both the uniform and the marketing of the Marine Corp appeal to young men. The Marine Corps uniform is probably the best looking of all the military uniforms. Also, the Marine Corps used to and may still promote itself as the branch that can make a boy a man. I was told by a male teacher that at one time the marketing theme of the Marine Corps was "We'll make a man out of you". I think a large number of young men like the Marine Corps because it is seen as the toughest and most manly of the branches. As a result, there will always be a large amount of young men wanting to join the Marine Corps. It was once reported that the Marine Corps was able to easily meet it quota without having to give away as many incentives, like bonus, as the other branches due mainly to the reputation of the Marine Corps. I think there are many young men who believe they can say they really accomplished something in life if they are able to become a Marine. Ronald Reagan once said of the Marine Corps, "Some people wonder all their lives if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem". You do not have to like Ronald Reagan to say that is a quote that can make a man join your force.
On the other hand, the way that the Marine Corp is marketed likely has the opposite affect on females and their families. There are many families that would not like their daughters to join the Marine Corp. Some of these families see the Marine Corp as to masculine for women. Yes, females can look at Ronald Reagan's quote, like it, and want to join the Marine Corps, but I think the quote is more geared toward men.
It is not an issue of whether or not females can do the job. It is an issue of whether or not large amounts of females and their families will want to join the Marine Corp based on the marketing.
ADX
(1,622 posts)...thanks for your input.
erpowers
(9,445 posts)You are very welcome. I am always glad to try to give my two cents in discussions.
manicdem
(543 posts)Females will increase in the marines, maybe even be the majority in certain fields, but not generally. Future technology such as new weapons, powersuits, drones, and robots could one day reduce the physical demands of a marine and level the playing field. Intellect and technical skills could be more important.
However females as a whole, compared to males, tend to be far less aggressive and don't like to fight or want to kill. I don't see that ever changing.
wonkwest
(463 posts)Is it, "Yes, ma'am?" Just curious. I've never seen it portrayed in tv or movies.
ADX
(1,622 posts)ADX
(1,622 posts)
obamanut2012
(29,407 posts)Across many, many genres.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)simple as that....Semper Fi.....
...Welcome home, heaven05; Semper Fi...