Posted on May 27, 2016
This sergeant is the Army's first female enlisted infantry soldier
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Responses: 27
This is not against women or National Guard. All the feminist and people who do not see the problem with this take a second with me. We can be leaders, we can be fighters. When it comes to those who chose fighting as a profession and became leaders in their chosen profession, we have a to respect that. Respect the fact that they have started from the bottom, absorbing tactics and repeating Battle Drills until they were killed by boredom. They went to war and proved their proficiency in their chosen profession. They moved up through the ranks and position to lead. They understand what every Soldier under them is going through. They know what it feels like to not have an AB when carrying the M240. They know what it's like to wear the same pants for 7 days because the other pairs were blown off the outside of the Bradley by a double stacked IED. Their rank was earned. Their position amongst their platoon is even more important. It's a position of trust. A trust that is only given to those leaders who have demonstrated a level of competence and confidence that says "do it, it can be done, because I have have done it!"
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SSG Mike Busovicki
Absolutely! Unlike many other jobs (especially in the civilian world, I'm finding out now), you didn't get promoted in the Infantry until you did all the jobs you'd be leading someday. Privates were AB's and riflemen before being promoted to gunner/AG, grenadier, or SAW gunner. THEN you might make TL, let alone SL or PSG, based on your personal experience in those positions.
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This is interesting to me. I know several Soldiers who went split ops into the Infantry because it was the shortest MOS school. I'll be reclassing to 92Y (supply specialist) through the NG soon, and have been told it is a 4 week class (as opposed to the 8 week AIT class). Since the Infantry has a OSUT of 14 weeks, if you take away the 9 weeks of BCT, they have an "AIT" of 5 weeks. Since they scale back the training time for Soldiers just changing their MOS, why do people only see this as an issue because she's a female and not because 2 weeks isn't a long time to learn a new job? No one knows the job going in to training male or female...
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SSG (Join to see)
SPC (Join to see) - Thats a good question. I didnt previously know that two weeks was the length requirement. (I guess it was something that I never paid attention to). There has to be a guideline somewhere. Id like find it my self. Somewhere within the TRADOCs requirement for guard/ reserve MOS requals.
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SGT Richard H.
I'm with you on this. I have FAR less of an issue with any gender aspect of this than I do with making someone with no Infantry experience an Infantry NCO via a 2-week class.
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SSG Mike Busovicki
Infantry OSUT is not "just" 5 weeks of AIT. We intermingled crew-served weapons and advanced weapons tactics as ranges became available throughout the entire course. When I went through, we started in October and didn't graduate until the end of March (includes 10 day X-mas exodus/leave though). This culminated with a 25-mile forced march, having worked our way up to that distance over the entire course (because active Infantry units did 25-milers at least twice a year). Infantry OSUT also doesn't have "phases" where recruits get more privileges or earn passes unlike other basic training and AIT's. Re-classing Soldiers joined us a couple of months into it. I don't remember feeling like it was cake walk at the time (despite being the company honor graduate & Soldier of the cycle). But if people want to pursue 11-series jobs because it sounds easy to them, I say go for it.
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