Posted on Apr 22, 2016
What is your advice for Females joining the ranks of the combat jobs in the Military?
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I am an Army Recruiter and it would be great to share.
As we gear up to ship out some of our first female Future Soldiers in combat jobs, I ask of the members of RP, what is your advice for these young soldiers?
Please keep it constructive and nothing along the lines of they shouldn't be able to serve in these positions because that ship has sailed and opinions about how they should not serve in these positions are not going to change anything.
Edit: The conversation among RP members about mentoring these service members is amazing. Honestly, I did not know what to expect when I started the thread, because this is a subject many feel strong about. Thank you so much for all of your advice thus far, I cannot wait to share it with our female and male recruits and hope you share it in your ranks/communities as well. Together we are molding the future of the military.
As we gear up to ship out some of our first female Future Soldiers in combat jobs, I ask of the members of RP, what is your advice for these young soldiers?
Please keep it constructive and nothing along the lines of they shouldn't be able to serve in these positions because that ship has sailed and opinions about how they should not serve in these positions are not going to change anything.
Edit: The conversation among RP members about mentoring these service members is amazing. Honestly, I did not know what to expect when I started the thread, because this is a subject many feel strong about. Thank you so much for all of your advice thus far, I cannot wait to share it with our female and male recruits and hope you share it in your ranks/communities as well. Together we are molding the future of the military.
Infantry
Combat
Training
Women in the Military
Combat Arms
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 398
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Font ask for or expect any special treatment. Do exactly what you ate told and don't argue. Also don't try to pretend you are a man. Because you aren't.
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The female soldiers need to be made aware of what the conditions will be like in combat and that they should be able to handle the physicalities of the job.
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Be Humble, do your job, don't let others mistake your kindness for weakness.
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Keep your head down and your ears open. Build alliasances with supply, cooks and mechanics, they are your life line when deployed. Don't over trust anyone who hasn't earned the right to call you by your first name. Association is key to success and the road to failer, guard it tight. Welcome to the dream, FREEDOM!!
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It sounds like every one has it covered...do your job as a soldier. Don't whine about your job, you picked the job, own it. As a female seabee, I despised females who would complain, you make us all look bad. Especially now with theses changes; for these jobs it will be their first time dealing with females in a work environment, don't set a bad precedent. If you want the respect, earn it!
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Ensure that your intent to attempt this program is the desire for your success and the success of your team and not for the history you may make. There is a proud tradition that you will be joining if you succeed. It is not about you. There maybe times that you are tested, but not because you are a female but because they are looking for the best.
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As a former 19K (Tanker), i will tell u this:
Have your recruits understand that combat arms is not something to experiment on. You will be dirty, you will deploy eventually, you will be training a lot and expect a lot of wear and tear on your body.
Have your recruits understand that combat arms is not something to experiment on. You will be dirty, you will deploy eventually, you will be training a lot and expect a lot of wear and tear on your body.
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They need to go into those positions knowing they are going to get some push back from the males. They need to keep their heads down and focus on the task at hand and prove they are capable of doing the same job as we are
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As a Seabee (Navy combat engineer-ish job), I've seen some Sisters that were completely capable of outworking the men and remaining humble, and I've seen those that use the, "I can't because I'm a GIRL!!" b.s. My advice:
Be yourself. If you can't do something, don't make excuses. Admitting you need help is perfectly fine, as long as you have a legitimate need or desire for assistance, and not just because you're a princess or a "girl". People will probably be expecting that behavior; don't give them that victory.
Take no stupidity from anyone. If they give you grief, call them out on it in a manner befitting their rank and where you are (i.e. in the smoke pit vice in formation), but don't immediately bust up to the SNCO or someone just because someone made fun of you (that goes for ANYONE, regardless of gender or orientation/preference).
Know your strengths AND weaknesses. Keep your strengths toned, and strengthen your weaknesses.
Be humble, but don't be timid.
Don't live the stereotype. Be one that RAISES the bar, not the one to which the bar is lowered.
Be yourself. If you can't do something, don't make excuses. Admitting you need help is perfectly fine, as long as you have a legitimate need or desire for assistance, and not just because you're a princess or a "girl". People will probably be expecting that behavior; don't give them that victory.
Take no stupidity from anyone. If they give you grief, call them out on it in a manner befitting their rank and where you are (i.e. in the smoke pit vice in formation), but don't immediately bust up to the SNCO or someone just because someone made fun of you (that goes for ANYONE, regardless of gender or orientation/preference).
Know your strengths AND weaknesses. Keep your strengths toned, and strengthen your weaknesses.
Be humble, but don't be timid.
Don't live the stereotype. Be one that RAISES the bar, not the one to which the bar is lowered.
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SMSgt Steve Neal
Excellent coverage on this topic! As a deployed NCO in charge, it was twice as hard to keep the all the guys from bugging my two females troops but nearly three times as hard for these skilled Radar technicians to ask me to intervene when things got out of hand. Regardless of how many times I'd asked them to them to just come see me for this kind of crap, in hindsight, I discovered their fear of repercussions and loss of self-confidence (personal power) outweighed their need to put those guys on-report or sent home (I only sent one home). Later as a fill-in 1st Sergeant (T-Shirt), I had to deal with an entire unit in Korea (38 females out of 200 troops), and I can assure you there's WAY too much going on that is NOT work related to make it just about workplace EEO complaints. Bottom line is that it takes two to tango, so protecting one troop while punishing the other is just plain wrong without all the facts...
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