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1SG Michael Bonnett
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She is not ready and it is a great disservice to the troops who might die serving under her.

Being ready to be in an Infantry Squad, much less leading it, is a long ways away from being in a free fire zone by chance...

Using the "Women are already in combat zones so let’s do this excuse" is kind of like sitting on the stands at the Super bowl and then running down to the field and replacing the quarterback of one of the squads ....right?

Let’s image she did a whole 2 week NFL readiness camp and survived...She brought a ticket so she must be ready. She them runs onto the field and replaces the quarterback of one of the Super bowl teams during the Super bowl....

The politicians order the game to begin because women are equal to men now in every way...so it must be true... All the players on both sides are pissed but they cannot say anything or they will get released, just like our active duty troops cannot say anything against this in public least they be charged...

The team that gets her loses badly....She might even get badly injured or killed in the process because she physically should not be there and no amount of padding or a two week course is going to change that.

Of course the difference between an infantry squad in combat and a team playing in the Super bowl (other than the salaries and the Infantry squad commonly training together for 2 or more years to be ready) is that the losers of the Super Bowl game are not going to buried in their graves the following weekend, unlike the Infantry Squad members, who die trying to make up for her obvious shortcomings in the deadliest profession on Earth... But's it’s OK because I am sure ISIS will treat her gently, right...

I have nothing but contempt for anyone supporting this...

It is easy to support or suck up to something so stupid when it will not be your life or the lives of your children on the line...

Frankly... I hope if she is ever deployed, and we lose troops because of her, every politician who had a hand in this is hounded to their graves by the families of the dead....

As for you active duty collecting suck points for supporting this tragedy waiting to happen, I notice none of you so far have been Infantry enlisted, you know the ones who might die as a result of her mistakes.

I suspect that is because you feel safe in letting this happen because it will not affect you...I suspect you are wrong as the Internet has a long memory and this conversation will be resurrected after the first troops die as a result of this mistake...and if you are still in you will never be promoted again after this backfires.

Ethics count....
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SGT Infantryman (Airborne)
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8 y
1SG Michael Bonnett, I've been in both places.
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1SG Michael Bonnett
1SG Michael Bonnett
8 y
So you know as well as anyone that they are two vastly different environments.

Ground combat is vastly more confusing and physical with an assault on both the mind and body that does not happen to pilots flying in a world where the American military has had air superiority since World War II and help or directions is a radio transmission away. I know for a fact that door gunning is not the same as hauling the pig into a firefight where you are not even sure where all your team is or where lies the the greatest threat.

Being in a team cut off from contact with higher and air support while surrounded and running out of ammo does not happen to Air Force pilots and rarely to helicopter pilots since Viet Nam. In the rare case where it does happen they are not responsible for a squad of Infantry men or a recon team who are depending on that Squad or team Leader to know what to do.

We tend to forget wars like Korea where the Army had to came as it was and paid dearly for it because we have got in the dangerous mindset of "They will have time to train up for it"...like we have had for every war over the last 40 years...

War is too deadly and Combat Arms is not the place to have leaders or soldiers who are not ready right now for a war tomorrow...and I mean male or female or whatever the new flavor is for the politicians who will not have to go and die because all their troops were not ready in a business where the weakest member of a unit is the point where the unit dies... It takes years to build a team good enough for a reasonable chance of them all returning from a mission and my experience with retreads as we called them was not good.

It really screws an organization up because you have to slot them but they really are not ready and they know it and the troops know it and then to throw someone in who physically will not be able to do the job has really ticked me off. Even worse, because of the DA boards work once she makes SSG (and I am sure the politicians will make sure of that) she is a shoe in to make SFC and platoon Sergeant because the army is a certain percentage female and wow she will be the only female SSG promotable in the Infantry in an Infantry with 0% female SFC's.....

Enough grimness....

Seeing your Stetson made me dig mine up to make sure I still had it.

Air Cavalry ...... the only way to travel in a place where bullets are flying....guaranteed a pick up..most times...nothing is certain in war.

Hope you are doing well..
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SPC Infantryman
SPC (Join to see)
6 y
1SG Michael Bonnett
2LT's are in the same position as her. E-2's knew more yet the LT's were still leaders straight out of training. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience in every unit. She'll find her fit and lead from the front with the help of other NCO's.
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SFC O/Ct
SFC (Join to see)
>1 y
1Sgt Bonnett,
I feel your pain on this issue, but things do change. Regardless this young lady went through the 11B school through active comp or reserves it doesn’t matter. All soldiers receive the same level of training. For reserve soldiers it’s more than just 2 weeks of training as you think. Even after training is complete at school they are constantly learn there skill at there unit. Also you must factor in the deployments this soldier will be a combat veteran in a matter of a few years. You must understand without the reserves and national guard the military can’t meet there missions. It’s obvious to me that this female soldiers met all 11B standards to earn her cord. With the help of her platoon she will succeed. A squad platoon is only as strong as the weakest link. As a platoon SGT it’s my job to ensure that soldier can perform up to the standard. I am sure there will be challenges for her and that platoon, but I am sure they will pull through. Regardless, to how we feel as men women when put in difficult situation can and do perform. It’s us and the way we think is what has to change. It’s not them it’s us that have to change our process.
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Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth
2
2
0
Out freaking standing!!!
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SFC Matthew Mason
SFC Matthew Mason
8 y
Nothing outstanding about this. An Infantry NCO is raised, not re-classed. I have seen this time and time again with males that re-classed and disaster was the end result. Simply a NO-GO.
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Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth
Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth
8 y
SFC Matthew Mason - I disagree. I believe you have seen that reeclassers on average don't do well. However, this is the first female reclasser. Just because some males couldn't hack it doesn't mean all females can't. Let's give her a shot and see along with the others and time will validate the data either way. Don't know until it has been done and tested. We don't need to jump the gun and kill it before it even gets started.
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SFC Matthew Mason
SFC Matthew Mason
8 y
Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth - "Just because some males couldn't hack it doesn't mean all females can't. Let's give her a shot and see along with the others and time will validate the data either way. Don't know until it has been done and tested. We don't need to jump the gun and kill it before it even gets started."

Okay, for starters, I am not talking about females or males in general here. It HAS been done and tested by the Marines and was PROVEN to be far less effective as a unit than an all male unit, if that is what you are basing your idealization on. This IS jumping the gun. This is an ENTIRE unit going to the SAME unit to lead! How can they train when they do not know the doctrine in the first place? Do you see what I am getting at here? Not that a woman cannot do the job, I know a few that certainly could. However, a re-class should NEVER be put into a leadership position right out of the gate, ever. It was and always will be a failure to the troops.
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Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth
Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth
8 y
SFC Matthew Mason - Fair enough...good debate
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1LT Gerard Reyes
1
1
0
Well, let's try seeing what comes of it. It may or may not work. But we'll never find out if we don't give it an opportunity.
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SGT Infantryman (Airborne)
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8 y
1LT Gerard Reyes, Those are my exact thoughts. If it doesn't work out, no harm done, but give her a chance.
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