Posted on May 20, 2019
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My daughter is waiting to start AIT for 13F. What can I tell her about the this MOS to give her the strength to pull it off? She was 17 when she signed her contract and the recruiter pushed her into the MOS. She was not aware of the heavy physical requirements of the job. She is afraid her body won't meet the high standards. She did excellent in BCT, scored high on the ASVAB and wants badly to be a soldier in the Army but this 13F is not right for her. I fully respect the job and the people who are able to do it, I am disappointed in the fact that the recruiter didn't show the MOS the kind of respect it deserves ( I don't think he had a clue what it was). She is a holdover being housed with a bunch of "chapters" causing her to lose confidence and spirit. I'd hate to see her fail and see the Army lose good soldier. How can I help her to stay focused and be strong when she is faced with what seems like inevitable failure. Signed, Army wife and mother.
Posted in these groups: 12123 202488726611938 516090717 n 13F: Fire Support Specialist
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Responses: 16
LTC Jason Mackay
Edited 5 y ago
Kimberly Holmes have confidence in your daughter. If she did well in BCT, then she is on equal footing. I don't think 13F is as physically demanding as you're building it up to be. All MOSs have physical demands that present different challenges to different soldiers. It absolutely is doable. Soldiers do it everyday. I would think 13B Cannon Crew Member would be far more difficult from a continuous upper body strength perspective. Understanding fires processes, systems, weapon effects, ranges, etc and getting them for her unit is far more important.

She'll be assigned to Infantry and Armor units, but women are assigned to these units already. Particularly in signal, maintenance, supply, intelligence, and other key functions. Infantry and Armor females soldiers may already be at her unit.

I'll allow a 13F to chime in on particulars.
PFC Fire Support Specialist
PFC (Join to see)
5 y
We ran about 12 miles a week. 13fox was in ait a year ago.
LTC Jason Mackay
LTC Jason Mackay
>1 y
SSG James Redding - when they opened combat arms to women in the last 18 months.
LTC Jason Mackay
LTC Jason Mackay
>1 y
SSG James Redding - like everything Army, it will "go" whether it goes well or not, then one day, poof! New normal and no one remembered it any other way. We'll see what happens.
SGT Justin Brothen
SGT Justin Brothen
4 y
Well if shes fist, she knows shes far better then the infantry. Hence the hate
LTC John Shaw
The 13F job is critical, forward observers and effective call for fire have and will save many lives. She should take pride in the fact that she will be breaking a new path for many females in the future. In the late 80's I served with one of the first female FA officers and she was sharp, physically fit, she led and made it clear that you either supported her direction or you get out of the way.
Sometimes soldiers get in a funk between training events. If she did well in Basic then she will do fine in AIT.
1px xxx
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5 y
Thank you for your input. Encouragement from all aspects is helpful at this time.
TSgt Senior Cyberwarfare Capabilities Instructor/Integrator
TSgt (Join to see)
5 y
Voted up for the "get in a funk" statement. Doesn't just happen to soldiers, but airmen as well. I presume sailors and Marines do as well. Biggest thing your daughter can do right now as she waits for a class start is maintain her fitness, make sure her dress and appearance are spot on, barracks space is squared away and so on. This will keep the drills and Top off her case. They are still going to engage with her as that is their job, but she needs to be doing things the Army way to make those engagements as positive as possible. Good luck to her.
1px xxx
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5 y
TSgt (Join to see) - Yes, thank you. She is doing a good job of all that so far.
SFC Fire Support Specialist
Mrs. Holmes,

I was a PSG/ BN FSNCO at 1-CAV Fort Hood during the initial first wave of female 13Fs arrived to us in 2017. My experience in my platoon was that the female Soldiers generally tended to struggle with the physical requirements of the job not the mental requirements. My recommendation for your daughter is to research and execute a fitness training regime that works for her. Her Leadership should be able to direct in her in the right path to improve conditioning, strength, muscle mass which will all contribute to her being able to thrive and not damage her body. I had too many Soldiers who had sustained injuries getting through basic training and AIT at the ripe age of 18-21 years of age. If she can learn how to properly train up, conduct a proper warm up/ post cool down, it will help her down the stretch. This is a lifestyle change as you’re probably aware, exercise is part of the equation. Proper rest and nutrition make up the rest of the equation. God speed and good luck.
1px xxx
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5 y
Yes, she must be in tip-top shape, that's where it is, period. Thank you.
PV2 John Rieger
PV2 John Rieger
5 y
Very true i joined as a 13f at 17 and I'm still struggling with the injuries i sustained due to the extremely demanding physical aspect of the job all I can really recommend is telling her to get her body into the best shape she can or shes going to end up like me

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