Posted on Jun 11, 2022
Have the women with combat jobs in the Rangers and Special Forces actually been fighting along side men?
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Have the women with combat jobs and have made it to the Ranger Regiment and Special Forces actually been fighting along side men, or have they been just for show?
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 87
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PO2 Gerald Alexander
We’re talking about rt now! No life lost for doing the duty of protecting women for a social experiment.
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SFC Samuel Morgan
It's not that women don't belong in combat, it's their need to break the barriers that exist like SF training. Men have different muscular and physiological differences
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SPC Matt Ovaska
They reap what they sow. Men no longer want to join a politically correct military The experiment and results are succeeding their goals. It took 50 yrs.
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I find it strange how there are so many people responding with negative comments or circumventing the question all together. Hell, I served along side many women, who II would have gladly stood beside in a combat or peace keeping role.
Obviously, women have been serving along side men, since the beginning. There are many examples of women serving along side of men. I have seen many example of women, holding support positions, working beside SF operations, without the designation. Often doing the same work.
That wasn't the question.
Reading it,
I expected to see real yes or no answers, hopefully, with examples.
I hoped to see examples of female soldiers serving in SF, Ranger Regiments, RECON, SOF... excelling in their field.
-Are these women getting a fair shake? Equal opportunities?
-Are they, as one responder described it, only being allowed to hold 'Token' positions?
-Are these women excelling in these advanced positions. Again examples would be nice.
-Are these women finding special niches for themselves where their smaller size and strength, would be more of a benefit, over the larger, stronger men? For example Tunnels, confined spaces, Close courters combat, Demolitions, MOUT...etc.
These are just a few of the more specific questions I would love to hear the answer to. Answers, I am assuming the original poster was looking for. I don't think he was asking a history question.
How is this special, current issue of integrating women into these specialty fields really going?
I do have to admit, the Little Big horn example was kind of interesting.
Obviously, women have been serving along side men, since the beginning. There are many examples of women serving along side of men. I have seen many example of women, holding support positions, working beside SF operations, without the designation. Often doing the same work.
That wasn't the question.
Reading it,
I expected to see real yes or no answers, hopefully, with examples.
I hoped to see examples of female soldiers serving in SF, Ranger Regiments, RECON, SOF... excelling in their field.
-Are these women getting a fair shake? Equal opportunities?
-Are they, as one responder described it, only being allowed to hold 'Token' positions?
-Are these women excelling in these advanced positions. Again examples would be nice.
-Are these women finding special niches for themselves where their smaller size and strength, would be more of a benefit, over the larger, stronger men? For example Tunnels, confined spaces, Close courters combat, Demolitions, MOUT...etc.
These are just a few of the more specific questions I would love to hear the answer to. Answers, I am assuming the original poster was looking for. I don't think he was asking a history question.
How is this special, current issue of integrating women into these specialty fields really going?
I do have to admit, the Little Big horn example was kind of interesting.
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CSM William Everroad
I am sure those serving in these types of units aren't actively trying to broadcast their service. I had a opportunity to speak to one of the first female graduates of Ranger school. She did not like the attention, and would have much rather been the quiet professional that attracted her to the profession in the first place. Same with the female Sapper graduates. They want to do their jobs and don't need articles published showing they are successful. They want their OER/NCOER to speak for itself and move along with their career.
We all run into professionals every day, and never once question their ability, until they show they cannot. Then it is up to us, as senior leaders, to put the right people in the right place at the right point in their career.
I would presume that the negative reaction seen in this thread is because the question continually comes up in the context that females have to demonstrate their value to this organization in order to be treated as a Soldier.
We all run into professionals every day, and never once question their ability, until they show they cannot. Then it is up to us, as senior leaders, to put the right people in the right place at the right point in their career.
I would presume that the negative reaction seen in this thread is because the question continually comes up in the context that females have to demonstrate their value to this organization in order to be treated as a Soldier.
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TSgt James Sutton
glad you served alongside women in your units....but as the question was asked...was that a Ranger or Special Forces unit they were serving in along with you or are you comparing apples and oranges here?
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SSG Gregg Mouritzen
TSgt James Sutton -
No, not SF of Ranger Bats.
3 in support roles in two different infantry companies. One supply, 2 admins. Where I might not have cared for one of them, I felt very comfortable with them having to cover their side jobs: security, convoys, training, etc. One was also the police liaison for counter-drug enforcement activities. One deployed with our infantry company for peace keeping operations. One of the first females to do so. Professional, capable and competent.
I also worked with multiple females it a training support batallion and in the medical field. Many medics, MP's, among other MOS's.
As an instructor I was able to observe many female soldiers in training environments and felt comfortable with most of them and their abilities.
The ones I had issues with, were the same types of issues I saw with male soldiers. Not willing to listen, egos, physical and mental capabilities.
The only real issues I had were the guys playing hero, trying to get "favors"/attention from the females, and of course the females who prey on them. There have been many times (not as rare as you would think) males and females who couldn't keep their hands off of each other, instead of paying attention to their tasks and sectors.
In fact, nothing new for the military environment.
Overall, I feel comfortable with women in these roles. If they can complete their training, pull their weight, competently fill a role, be willing to take the risk and stay out of trouble, I see no reason for them to not be there. Operations in the middle east, and other parts of the world, have proven that there is a need.
No, not SF of Ranger Bats.
3 in support roles in two different infantry companies. One supply, 2 admins. Where I might not have cared for one of them, I felt very comfortable with them having to cover their side jobs: security, convoys, training, etc. One was also the police liaison for counter-drug enforcement activities. One deployed with our infantry company for peace keeping operations. One of the first females to do so. Professional, capable and competent.
I also worked with multiple females it a training support batallion and in the medical field. Many medics, MP's, among other MOS's.
As an instructor I was able to observe many female soldiers in training environments and felt comfortable with most of them and their abilities.
The ones I had issues with, were the same types of issues I saw with male soldiers. Not willing to listen, egos, physical and mental capabilities.
The only real issues I had were the guys playing hero, trying to get "favors"/attention from the females, and of course the females who prey on them. There have been many times (not as rare as you would think) males and females who couldn't keep their hands off of each other, instead of paying attention to their tasks and sectors.
In fact, nothing new for the military environment.
Overall, I feel comfortable with women in these roles. If they can complete their training, pull their weight, competently fill a role, be willing to take the risk and stay out of trouble, I see no reason for them to not be there. Operations in the middle east, and other parts of the world, have proven that there is a need.
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SPC Matt Ovaska
I met an E7 who was in charge of a special rescue unit in Afghanistan. One of his men was reassigned stateside. They sent a female replacement. The E7 said. "Welcome aboard. This is the job description of the man you'll be replacing. She whips out the stress card. and says, "I'm not doing that!" He stated that this was not stateside and the team had to do things this way in a combat zone in order to avoid casualties." She replied, "Not doing it" she reported him. He got busted from E8. I asked him, "Sooo, what are you doing now? He replied, "After 18 yrs, I'm getting out. " His life was shattered by Clinton's experiment. So sad.
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What are you trying to figure out? Women have been serving in Combat consistently for decades. It's been happening for a good long while. Are you wanting to know if female Rangers are door kicking or is this more general? Even before SECDEF opened up all jobs to females we had female engagement teams out there doing their thing shoulder to shoulder supporting infantry units.
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SSgt Christophe Murphy
TSgt James Sutton I wasn’t minimizing anything. I was just providing some information and context in regards to women in combat.I also accompanied my post with questions to better understand the original question in case what I provided missed the mark
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SMSgt Clayton Cortinas
The one common missing thread that I noticed in the preceding statements have been observations of female effectiveness while under real world combat stress conditions, not just training scenarios. If there are any, please speak up and provide evidence of same. As presented previously, there are serious physiologic differences between males and females. And please spare me the usual crap about men who also fail to handle combat conditions. Thay are usually weeded out. So please present actual combat related experience with evidence of the same. Then, we can have an intelligent ((not emotional) conversation.
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SSgt Christophe Murphy
SMSgt Clayton Cortinas - I can't speak to Women in Combat MOS's as that happened after I left AD but Women in Combat isn't new. The Marine Corps had the Lioness Program (not to be confused with a TV show of the same name). Female Marines attached to Forward Units to Assist with interacting with local females while adhering to cultural norms. They performed well and many were in direct combat during their missions. There are also plenty of other instances with combat and air combat situations where Female service members did just fine.
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