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

I am a retired Military Police Master Sergeant. I went through basic at Ft McClellan, AL in 1984. We were co-ed back then. Not quite integrated though. There was on female platoon and three male platoons. When training was done on a company level you could line up with a female. Some were as hard charging as some of the males. And some were as laid back as some of the males. Throughout the Army, there are Soldiers giving 110% and there are Soldiers looking to take the easy route whenever possible. I say pull your own weight in all you do. Help your battle buddy always because that's who'll save your ass and life in combat. And for the record, as you probably already know, women have been in combat since there has been combat. May God bless America!

I have no advice. If I were you, after they sign the documents, I would give them a wide grin, shake their hand and say "Welcome to the suck! You asked for it, you're going to live it."

Same PT standards should be applied. You should not serve in a combat unit because once you become pregnant you are no longer a working member of the team for over a year, and nothing keeps you from having another pregnancy as soon as your done with the first
We who have served on active duty have experienced this CONUS and during deployment.

It is the same for anyone going into a combat arms MOS. Keep your mouth shut and learn. Don't whine, ask for anything extra and definitely do not pull out any of the drama.
That is exactly what these troops are expecting. I came out of armor prior to becoming a pilot and there have been numerous conversations about how the job is going to be affected by having females on the tank.
I tell them the exact same thing. Shut up and do your job in a professional manner. There are other countries that have women in combat arms jobs. Specifically infantry. The IDF has women who are mechs and trainers, but are not allowed on the tank in combat. I don't know about the Russians.

They are going to be under a microscope for their whole career. They will be held to a higher standard because someone out there is trying to prove that the "experiment" failed. They are just going to have to drive on.

Keep your head and your butt DOWN!

There are an enormous amount of cultural idiosyncrasies that are particular to the Infantry. I'm sure the other combat MOS's share some of the same. Obviously, they are particular to the MOS due to the nature of the job and the fact that is occupied, or was, solely by men. On the whole, no one was prepared for this, and many did not want this to happen. Yet, here we are. What's done is done, and being soldiers, we must suck it up and drive on.
I would advise any women considering to realize that the pioneers of any endeavor have a tough road ahead. No matter how qualified, fit, smart, or cut out for the job, there will be difficulties. A thick skin and a driving will to be a part of the branch at all costs is the type of mentality that any female thinking about becoming an 11B needs to have now. Not only are they paving the way for themselves, but others who may follow. A soldier needs to put some serious thought into undertaking that endeavor.
In time, this won't all be so shocking, but at the moment, it's a bit painful for some of us old guys.

1. PT! PT! PT! PT! This is why:
As a female entering a Combat MOS, they will be expected to be able to keep up with their male counterparts. If they cannot meet the same PT standards as the males, they cannot be relied upon to perform some of the tasks within the job. For example, can a female Infantryman, who is accustomed to the female PT standard, still be relied upon to carry a 200lb man, in full gear, with all of his equipment, ruck, and water, out of a hotzone in a firefight (a task that most men find difficult, myself included), the way their male counterparts would?
2. LEARN THE JOBS WELL:
Again, this is from the perspective of the Infantry world (since that's the world I know, and seems to be the biggest topic of discussion). There are many facets of the Combat MOSs. There are many different components to even the lowest level's job. As an Infantry rifleman, we should know:
-the effective ranges of all of the weapon systems on a fireteam.
-LandNav
-First Aid
-Proper care and maintenance of your weapon system, as well as that of the man next to you
-All of the Battle Drills
-How to make split-second decisions based upon the scenario
And I'm sure there is more to it that is escaping my distracted mind, but even just that, with each skill's individual components is a lot to remember and apply. So learning the job is ESSENTIAL to succeeding in this field.
3. FORGET WHO YOU WERE BEFORE YOU JOINED:
This is paramount. We do not need thugs, hoodlums, brats, skanks, or children in a job field like this. We need professional, competent, efficient, and proficient soldiers. I don't care what gender you are, as this applies to EVERYONE! Are they in the ranks with us? Yes. Should we weed them out? Yes. Is it better for everyone for you to forget about all that nonsense before you join? Absolutely. As someone who will be taking on a team very soon, I can tell you that I WILL NOT tolerate behavior like that in my Joes, and I know a great many others who will not either.

But that's all I can think of for now. I hope this helps!!

I want to start off by saying that joining the Infantry was the best thing I ever did with my life, besides becoming a father. I sincerely loved doing what I did, and I loved the men I served with. We were a tight knit, cohesive brotherhood of likeminded individuals that made things happen. The pride that we took in ourselves, our platoon, battalion, and the division spoke volumes of the amazing leadership that we had (although not perfect, it was pretty damn close). Things worked the way they did because of the brotherhood developed over centuries of war fighting and developing the system that is in place today. I have no doubt that there are women out there than can outperform some of the men in the Infantry today, however, I don't believe that standards need to be changed in order to best suit the needs of a new gender entering the combat arms.
The argument can be made that its a male's natural instinct to protect a woman in times of danger, but honestly, with the training one receives over countless hours before deploying to combat, its instinctual to protect everyone within your unit. I believe its instinctive to protect anyone that shares a common bond with you.
I say this with the utmost respect towards service members of the opposite gender, but I do not feel that the Infantry is the place for females. The mental and physical stress that one endures during the training, and in an actual combat environment, is almost too much for some males to endure. Males and females are anatomically different. I am not saying that to bring up the age old 'menstrual cycle' debate that I heard time and time again while on active duty, I mean body composition wise. Men and women are constructed differently. Women have a different center of gravity, womens muscle composition, and bone density are different.
While I was still on active duty, there was discussion of the development of gender specific body armor being developed, and even female friendly Rucks and other gear being developed in order to better suit the needs of the female service member. Im not opposed to gear fitting correctly, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact I wish the Army would have spent more time developing a body armor that better suited the male frame better. the IOTV was by far the most uncomfortable thing I've ever been issued (long live the plate carrier). But, they don't make 'female friendly' man-packs, female friendly, mortar systems, m240 bravos, etc.
If the integration of female service members into combat arms MOS's is going to work, females cant be excluded from positions such as ammo barer, RTO, assistant gunner, and other 'Mule' jobs, simply because people are concerned about them being able to handle the weight. To not have them fill those positions would be seen as either favoritism or sexism, depending on who is looking at it. I filled many of those positions as I rose through the ranks, and until I became a team leader, I carried a fair bit of weight, and was miserable more times than not.
I don't know what the future holds. The Army tends to makes things work more times than not, and I never reached the ranks high enough to be a part of the decision making process for the whole Army, but I feel like if this is the direction the Army is headed, they will develop a system that will make it work.

I love how you dismiss any argument that differs from yours.

Give them he same advise you give the guys - tell them about what they can expect ruing training and what they can expect after training. I think I might even over emphasize the fact that the infantry is the "Queen of Battle" and that armor and artillery aren't far behind.