"Combat Integration Not Bad Not Good Enough" article opinions?

LTC Jason Bartlett — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 12:17:38 -0500

Article

http://www.armytimes.com/comments/article/20140119/NEWS01/301190003/Opinion-Combat-integration-Not-bad-not-good-enough

Great Response by Tony Nadl

Let me start by saying that I have had more close infantry combat than most. If you want proof go see the movie "We Were Soldiers" or read the book "We Were Soldiers, Once and Young". I commanded A Co, 1st Bn, 7th Cavalry in the battle of LZ- Xray in Vietnam, as well as a Special Forces, A Det in an earlier tour.
I state my credentials because I am appalled and dismayed at the push to put women in the infantry by a bunch of
inexperienced and generally incompetent people bent on significantly reducing the combat capabilities of the US Army in order to push an agenda that is clearly not going to foster unit effectiveness, cohesion or adaptability. I typically don't comment on the inner workings of the solar system because I know I don't know anything about it. But I do know infinitely more about infantry close combat than 99% of... those pushing this agenda, to include the CSA, Chairman of the JCS, and all of the senators and Representatives who have never had two soldiers killed standing to their right and one to my left when an enemy machine gun opened fire, and then had to rally a rifle company. How about going forward of my company position twice to bring back a dead lieutenant and a wounded soldier. How many women can carry back a gut shot soldier?
Do you believe women will carry their equivalent share of the load in an infantry unit? They won't end up with the mortar base plate or the radio or machine gun for long because they will slow down the unit and some male will have to take over.
Another example. WE patrolled for two to three weeks at a time in bug and vermin infested jungle. Every so often we would come to a clear stream and I would require every soldier to bathe while others took turns guarding the swim site, then we would all put our dirty, smelly clothes back on. IF you had three or four females in your unit how do you do that? DO you send a platoon upstream to guard the naked females while they bathe? What do you think the soldiers will be doing while they guard the naked women?
What happens to unit cohesion when every male is spending his time trying to sneak a peek at the "girls" or trying to get in their pants? You can say training and discipline and I say BS. One of the concomitant effects of constant and strenuous combat is a loss of civility, as we see in every war that we or anyone else has ever fought.
For no reason other than the careerist infatuations of a handful of women Senators and others, the government is going to reduce the combat effectiveness of the US Army based on the push by people who have never experienced what they are talking about. It's insane.

US Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point , also known as West Point, Army, The Academy, or...

Response by SFC James Baber made Jan 22 at 2014 4:15 PM

SFC James Baber — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 16:15:33 -0500

Sir,

Good article, I agree with most of what he has said, now I am not saying that females are not capable of being productive or viable in certain combat MOSs, but I don't truly believe the safety of the female or the Infantry unit itself is going to be as effective as the advocates for the change is reality. The PC environment that has forced these changes to take effect have been more about political grandstanding than the reality of women in Infantry or combat MOSs, while I believe in equality for both genders, I also believe in reality and common sense for everyone's overall safety and protection.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2014 10:48 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 22:48:30 -0400

An excellant article, nice to see someone worrying about combat effectiveness instead of being fair.