What is your advice for Females joining the ranks of the combat jobs in the Military?

Coming from a line unit that I currently serve in, if they can do their job without asking for special treatment. If they can accept that they will be judged on if they can do everything that the males soldiers do, a course with some limitations. Then they should be fine.

Why do we want to expose an additional group to combat? We do not send very young or very old people there is no need to expose woman. When any enemy lands on our shores then everybody gets a gun but just to expose woman to combat so they can be equally killed and wounded makes no sense. I will not even address the host of other reasons already discussed at various times. We do not need 16 year old boys or 65 year old men. Germany did in WW 2 but that was an act of desperation. I am glad woman have babies but I would not want to have to go thru that experience.
Unless we are all robots we are not going to be equal, some are stronger some are more intelligent
so trying to give woman the mind set that they really need to be in a combat position to be "equal"
is not only stupid but harmful to woman, men and the Army. John Dorsey COL, IN, Ret Viet Nam 67-68

Be worthy. Give this everything you have. Take no favors, give no excuses. If you fail, do so moving forward (or trying to) with your head up. This will test you in ways you cannot imagine. The rewards are commensurate with the test.

I have worked with both male and female Soldiers, and have had both good and bad. They just need to keep motivated and strive to be the best.

These soldiers will have their work cut out for them, not only as Combat Arms, but dealing with the biased individuals that will do their best to make their life miserable. I fervently hope that you brief them that the Chain of Command is REQUIRED to support her and insure that they are equally treated. They need to be aware that the road ahead will be rougher for them until they prove themselves. Can't sugar coat the realities of what they are getting into. This is the best advice I can offer them and they have all my support.

The biggest thing I would recommend is encouraging them to work towards meeting the same standards, by meeting the same standard as the males on a team, female team members can earn more respect and prove that old stereotypes are not a good way to measure expectations for our soldiers. Bottom line is if they can do the job and want the job they should have the option.

Know your limitations. With that being said get into the best shape you can. There is no shame in trying your best and not being able to make the cut. Remember that it's not personel when training starts and that the process is meant to break you down so that the Drill Sergeants can build you and your peers into a team that will be able to function together.

I responded in an earlier thread, here is the link for the Military Athlete Ruck based selection program. I know it says SF selection but they would be benefited from this without a doubt.
http://www.gosere.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/PT%20references/RUCK-BASED%20SELECTION%20TRAINING%20PROGRAM.pdf
Aside from the PC standpoint and all the suggestions from the NON-Infantry qualified responses, all the mentoring advise is irrelevant, lets be clear there are no female Officers or NCO's currently MOSQ 11 series to be mentors. Advice is work hard, ignore the harsh language, physically and mentally prepare themselves or they will get washed out. Infantry line units have no time to do the PC thing, all the IG complaints will just alienate them.
Also they need to avoid the media, they are not celebrities they are Infantry soldiers. There is nothing special about them, now they are just a number like the rest of the Grunts. Also they need to avoid the media because if they wash out, its not enforcing the argument that they don't belong.
Avoid getting involved in a relationship with their peers, this will be the number one problem period.
I cannot put this any other way but this is the advise I've given to female police trainees and males in my civilian career, bottom line is "Don't shit where you eat", there is no PC way to put it.
Prepare physically, mentally and prepare again.
If it was up to me for both males and females Basic training would be increased to 10 or 12 weeks by the look of the PT scores of both genders I've seen at current AIT detachments. Especially for combat arms, the increase would benefit everyone all the way around. I hope this helps cause there is going to be growing pains no matter what the powers that be want or expect.

As a USMC Retired Vietnam Veteran and historian, two goals haven't changed in combat: mission accomplishment and leave no one behind. Mission accomplishment is achieved when we make the most out of our training applying ourselves 100%, 24/7 never losing sight of the objective. As a writer and historian for the Marine Corps one common thread throughout all the events I have written about and done interviews for, including the Medal of Honor: we take care of our own. That means leaving no one behind and supporting our brothers and sisters in combat. It's not a gender, racial or sexual orientation thing - most combat Veterans will tell you they fought, were wounded and in some cases gave their lives for their fellow veterans. We are all part of the same team. Semper Fidelis.

As a former Marine Infantry guy, Army Paratrooper and a son in the Army as well. I gave my son this advice when he wanted to go Infantry, ranger, etc. Don't do it. While I applaud you or anyone else that want to be in Combat arms, the life you live and the wear and tear on your body will be with you for life. The day to day ops tempo is a tremendous step up from anything else you have been doing. Not sure what they do today, but back in the Old Corps, we did PT for 2-3 hours 5 days a week, including boots and Utes runs on the beach for 10-12 miles, then at least twice a month a 26 mile Mcrest march with full combat gear and if you were in a weapons company that could mean humping the 81mm mortar base plate (29lbs) on top of your weighted 70lb ruck, after PT. We had a hard charging CO of 3rd Bn 1St Marines who decided it was a good idea to Ruck march to 29 Palms from Camp Pendleton before a 3 week CAX at the stumps, 126 miles in 5 days, the we started the CAX. At the CAX we lived in GP tiny's, yes pup tents, in the dessert, for 3 weeks no showers, no bathrooms. At Marine Corps Mountain warfare training center in Bridgeport, Ca, for the winter package you are humping even more weight on your back due to the increase in amount of clothes and supplies you need. so essentially it is 80-100 lbs on your back plus weapons, radios, batteries, etc. Our usual load was about 100-125 lbs on our back, and if your airborne, I know many a men that had trouble shuffling to the door with full combat loads, but if all this sounds fun to you and you can stand tall with the guys, I say go for it.