What do you think of this perspective from a female Army officer?

COL Jean (John) F. B. — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 14:27:37 -0400

Sorry ... I did not know you had to sign in to the WSJ to read the full story when I posted the link.

Here is the complete article:

With Capt. Kristen Griest and First Lt. Shaye Haver recently becoming the first female soldiers to complete Army Ranger School, demands for the complete integration of women in the U.S. military are growing. In 2013 then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta officially lifted the ban on women serving in ground-combat roles. On Jan. 1, 2016, all branches of the military must either open all positions to women or request exceptions.

As a former captain and airborne soldier in the Army’s Second Infantry Division Support Command, I say be careful what you wish for. Overturning a long-standing tradition in a martial organization like the U.S. military will undoubtedly have unintended consequences. I am particularly concerned with demands that the Army permit women to join its Infantry Branch.

Don’t misunderstand, I was thrilled when Capt. Griest and First Lt. Haver earned their Ranger tabs. I was especially pleased when Army cadre and peers assured me that the Ranger School’s high standards were maintained. As a woman, I support equal rights to a sensible point. At the same time, women must acknowledge that equality does not mean selective equality. I wish it did. I want to see those hard-charging, superwomen sisters of mine pursue every career opportunity the military offers men. No doubt they can do it—and do it well. But Ranger School for these two exceptional individuals is not the same as allowing women to serve in the infantry.

First, opening the infantry to women necessitates revisiting Rostker v. Goldberg, the 1981 Supreme Court ruling that only men are required to register for the draft. If the infantry is compelled to include women, the argument against women registering for the draft will be invalidated. If women are to be treated “equally” and serve in the infantry, shouldn’t they be drafted into the infantry at an equal rate?

The unlikely event of a draft aside, should women in an all-volunteer Army serve in infantry positions in equal numbers alongside men? If so, how would this affect American military families and morale? Would such changes dissuade women from voluntarily joining the Army? And most important, would significant numbers of women in the infantry serve to strengthen or weaken national defense?

From a practical standpoint, I believe the impact would be negative. Many civilians, veterans and active-duty service members will disagree. Many will view me as disloyal to women in arms. I respect and understand opposing perspectives. I also appreciate the sacrifices of women before me who suffered and overcame countless barriers so that I could live big dreams, choose to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, and serve my country without feeling professionally inhibited, marginalized or disrespected.

But questions persist. Can the general population of fighting-age American women be expected to perform equally with their male counterparts? According to a U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center study released in 2004, the average fighting load carried by an infantry rifleman operating in Afghanistan was 63 pounds before adding a rucksack. The average approach-march load in combat, which includes a light rucksack, was 96 pounds. The average emergency-approach-march load, which includes a larger rucksack, was 127 pounds.

Would the infantry have performed as well in past wars had half the billets been filled by women instead of men?

Can fighting-age American women be counted upon to fulfill their duties without causing an increased administrative burden in time of national emergency? Around the time my company received orders to deploy to Afghanistan in 2002, a number of women in my unit became pregnant. My company, stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., attached soldiers from two other Army posts to fill the vacancies caused by the inability of these female service members to deploy.

Will women serving in the infantry be injured more frequently or more seriously? In a 2011 article, the Seattle Times estimated the Department of Veterans Affairs paid over $500 million in benefits annually for degenerative arthritis, cervical strains and other musculoskeletal injuries. Will disability payouts increase with women serving in the infantry? I believe the defense leadership must conduct an objective study of basic training and military-school injury rates by gender to more accurately predict answers to such questions.

I don’t raise these questions because I am a “hater” or a naysayer. I ask because I am a mother of both a son and a daughter. As a former service member, I wouldn’t have wanted to be forced into a job in which I was severely disadvantaged. I do not want my daughter mandated to fill a position in which she will have to put forth significantly greater effort than her peers just to survive in a time of war. I do not want my son forced into a job where he is at greater risk because those serving alongside him are disproportionately taxed physically.

My hope is that the dialogue regarding the opening of all military branches will be thoughtful and realistic, unclouded by agenda and emotion.

Ms. Pulley, a 2000 graduate of West Point, is a former captain in the U.S. Army.

Women in the Infantry? No Thanks

In The Wall Street Journal, Julie Pulley, a former captain in the U.S. Army, write about women in the infantry.

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2015 2:31 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 14:31:05 -0400

Interesting

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2015 2:32 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 14:32:57 -0400

I think because its from a female officer it is slightly bias but I can see females and infantry going either way.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Sep 15 at 2015 2:40 PM

SGT Ben Keen — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 14:40:13 -0400

I really wanted to read the full article but I don't have a membership to the WSJ. I would say though that this is one female's point of view and may not be echoed by all. Just as the opinion among males differs, I'm not surprised to see female point of views differ as well.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2015 2:46 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 14:46:16 -0400

There are a LOT of female (and male) Soldiers who do not belong anywhere near an Infantry unit. Nevertheless, those who are qualified physically and mentally should be allowed to become Infantry Soldiers. I have no doubt that Captain Griest and First Lieutenant Haver would be better suited to Infantry life than many of the Soldiers currently in Infantry units.

Response by SGT David T. made Sep 15 at 2015 3:19 PM

SGT David T. — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 15:19:15 -0400

I see the author's points and she does bring up some interesting questions. However, she states "As a former service member, I wouldn’t have wanted to be forced into a job in which I was severely disadvantaged. I do not want my daughter mandated to fill a position in which she will have to put forth significantly greater effort than her peers just to survive in a time of war. I do not want my son forced into a job where he is at greater risk because those serving alongside him are disproportionately taxed physically." Last time I checked no one was forced to be anything in the Army. We chose our jobs based on our merits and our interests. So my position is that if they can do the job equally as well and they are willing then they should be allowed to do so.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Sep 15 at 2015 3:27 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 15:27:49 -0400

COL Jean (John) F. B. thank you posting this letter.
I appreciated CPT Pulley's closing statement: "My hope is that the dialogue regarding the opening of all military branches will be thoughtful and realistic, unclouded by agenda and emotion."
She raised some great questions:
1. Can the general population of fighting-age American women be expected to perform equally with their male counterparts?
2. Would the infantry have performed as well in past wars had half the billets been filled by women instead of men?
3. Can fighting-age American women be counted upon to fulfill their duties without causing an increased administrative burden in time of national emergency?
4. Will women serving in the infantry be injured more frequently or more seriously?
I sincerely doubt that a legitimate dialogue will be allowed with in DoD about fully integrating women into all military branches. There are many at the higher echelons of DoD and in the liberal congress members who have been pushing this change for along time.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Sep 15 at 2015 5:01 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 17:01:23 -0400

We need to find out the capabilities and limitations of women are for combat arms. I have met plenty of 11B's who had bad knees and backs, I do suspect that women will be more susceptible to similar injuries at a faster rate.

Response by PO1 Russell Henson made Sep 16 at 2015 8:07 AM

PO1 Russell Henson — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 08:07:59 -0400

Recruit better group of females and change the way they are taught in boot camp

Response by SPC George Long made Sep 16 at 2015 11:50 PM

SPC George Long — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 23:50:43 -0400

Since American males are afraid to step up and join the military Women WILL be used to backfill that shortage. Should it or should it not happen is not even in the equation any more. The Generation who fought Viet Nam were treated like s**t by the public. The Draft fell to the war. So now its let women in if the can pass the standard or contract for an Army as has been done thru the years when a countries male population is too afraid to fight. That is where we stand, American Males Unwilling to fight for anything. They shall be taken care of cradle to grave without any need on their part.

Response by MAJ Raymond Haynes made Aug 10 at 2018 2:06 AM

MAJ Raymond Haynes — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 02:06:38 -0400

There are two issues here that need to be brought to the forefront. First, the women who have passed Ranger School and Marine Infantry School are in no way representative of your typical American female. Training troops is very expensive, and all this silly talk about the possibility of drafting females into combat MOS's is only asking for a 90 to 95 percent failure rate. The women who have succeeded so far are highly motivated, physically conditioned professionals. They represent a solid 2 to 3 standard deviations apart from the mean average of future female draftees. When you factor in the 'piss and moan" attitude about being drafted in the first place, the training commands had better brace themselves for the 'cost per recruit' to run off the chart.
The second issue is that up to this point, the discussion has been the pros and cons of women serving in combat. Very little has been said about the possibility of a dramatic impact on an unsuspecting civilian society when these female combat veterans return from the horror of war. Civilian society in general has not been properly prepared for the unavoidable influx of females with combat injuries. Ma and Pa in North Platte NE are not expecting Bo and Edna's daughter to return from the Army with one leg missing and the scars on her face from third degree burns. This will be a first for the country and it is my personal opinion that we are not ready. Just look at the suicide rate for high tempo units and the silent nightmare of PTSD. We should only assume that female troops will succumb to similar cause and effects. Once again, I doubt that society in general is prepared for little Johnny's mom to blow her brains out at the Saturday morning Soccer match.

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made Mar 17 at 2019 1:32 PM

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 13:32:36 -0400

One some of these issue i did have some view but I'm not a female and wanted some input from a woman. She seems to share some of the same views that I do and for the same reasons it seems. The big issue, i'm not in favor of the draft including women. I have no problem with women entering the service and making careers out of that. In that case they already know what they were getting into and made a choice. Most the women i've worked with did a fine job and were certainly on par with their male counterparts. Those that didn't measure up could be male of female. Men though can't have babies, woman can and that is most of My concern for not imposing a draft on females. With and all volunteer service though that's not an issue, both Men and women are making their own choices.

Response by PVT Mark Zehner made Mar 17 at 2019 1:41 PM

PVT Mark Zehner — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 13:41:50 -0400

If you hey can to it and want to let them. I was also a police officer after the military and knew both men and women that should NOT have been police officers!

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 7 at 2019 10:31 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 22:31:12 -0500

Spoken as a true good leader to me, I could follow her anywhere and anytime.
And not only that, a good leader that takes all's interest into account, being female or male, I bet you even a K-9.
There's something about a West Pointer, they must be doing something right at West Point, giving out such a good Female Leader.