Marines delay female fitness plan after half fail

[CAA Flagship]

Not sure exactly where to put this, so I'll put in here:

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than half of female Marines in boot camp can't do three pullups, the minimum standard that was supposed to take effect with the new year, prompting the Marine Corps to delay the requirement, part of the process of equalizing physical standards to integrate women into combat jobs.

The delay rekindled sharp debate in the military on the question of whether women have the physical strength for some military jobs, as service branches move toward opening thousands of combat roles to them in 2016.

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[SDHornet]

Wow. Didn't see this coming...

[clenz]

Shocking...

[GannonFan]

I wonder how many men fail.

But yes, this is harldy shocking.

Do they pass the arm hang physical fitness test?

[dbackjon]

If women want into combat, they need to pass the same tests..

[clenz]

If women want into combat, they need to pass the same tests..

they don't have to to be cops or firefighters...


I learned that first hand when I looked at being a cop....it was a fucking joke the difference in the requirements for men and women

[dbackjon]

If women want into combat, they need to pass the same tests..

they don't have to to be cops or firefighters...


I learned that first hand when I looked at being a cop....it was a fucking joke the difference in the requirements for men and women

I'm all for equality, but equality needs to go both ways.

either you need to be able to deadlift 80 pounds, or be able to do a fireman's carry on a 200 lb man, or that shouldn't be a requirement for anyone. If it is needed to be able to effectively do the job, then everyone, man or woman, should have to do it.

[GannonFan]

they don't have to to be cops or firefighters...


I learned that first hand when I looked at being a cop....it was a **** joke the difference in the requirements for men and women

I'm all for equality, but equality needs to go both ways.

either you need to be able to deadlift 80 pounds, or be able to do a fireman's carry on a 200 lb man, or that shouldn't be a requirement for anyone. If it is needed to be able to effectively do the job, then everyone, man or woman, should have to do it.

Agreed - but the trick is making sure that the requirements are what actually is needed to do the job. But in this case, in terms of armed combat, yeah, I would want to go in with someone with enough strength to at least do three pull ups.

Or at least, and more importantly, have the intelligence and the work ethic to know the requirements in advance of going to boot camp and making sure you do the working out to be able to pass the test when you get there.

[clenz]

I haven't "worked out" in a couple years....give me a 2 months, tops, and I could easily pass any testing a women would have to pass to be a cop/firefighter

[grizzaholic]

OK. Ok. The laughing is too much. I will wait to post half serious about this until SH and dal post.

[SDHornet]

[mrklean]

Women need to know that serving in a combat Branch is hard on the body. When I was a MP, we had several females tryout for SRT. No female could made it and as the Platoon Leader I got my ass bent becasue I could not fine one female to make the team. ONE FEMALE. NOT A SINGLE ONE!!! Then I left for Ft. Bragg.

[YoUDeeMan]

Women need to know that serving in a combat Branch is hard on the body. When I was a MP, we had several females tryout for SRT. No female could made it and as the Platoon Leader I got my ass bent becasue I could not fine one female to make the team. ONE FEMALE. NOT A SINGLE ONE!!! Then I left for Ft. Bragg.

That is a fine example of not being able to find a single woman that could pass a physical exam.

Luckily, for you, the intelligence part of the exam wasn't too difficult.

[SeattleGriz]

I haven't "worked out" in a couple years....give me a 2 months, tops, and I could easily pass any testing a women would have to pass to be a cop/firefighter

Pussy.

[clenz]

I haven't "worked out" in a couple years....give me a 2 months, tops, and I could easily pass any testing a women would have to pass to be a cop/firefighter

Pussy.

I'd still break your fucking bitch ass like nothing right now....douche

[SeattleGriz]

Pussy.

I'd still break your fucking bitch ass like nothing right now....douche

Yeah, just give you two months first to beat a girl, then it is on!

[CID1990]

If women want into combat, they need to pass the same tests..

they don't have to to be cops or firefighters...


I learned that first hand when I looked at being a cop....it was a **** joke the difference in the requirements for men and women

That's because individual jurisdictions didn't have resources or ability to fight the lawsuits if they had started flunking women wholesale.

Easier to shunt the women off to assignments where in theory it would be less likely for them to get somebody killed.

[93henfan]

My office is right around the corner from the Gov Study Lead that is monitoring females who have elected to try the Marine Corps Infantry Officer Course.

To date, 10 women have begun the course and 10 have washed out. The predominant failure point (9 of 10) has been the Combat Endurance Test. The one that passed washed out a week later due to lower extremity stress fractures. So, out of 10, no women have made it through week 2 of 13.

When I went through Marine Officer training (OCS and TBS) from June 96-Mar 97, we had women there. While some were tough, and probably in the top 5% of all female athletes, I could smoke them on any physical test and I finished at about the 70th percentile (I was at the bottom of the top third) of my TBS class.

[JohnStOnge]

I wonder how many men fail.

I don't know but this reminds me of an experience I had as a young man. I applied to be a firefighter. It was back in 1976. This is how it worked:

Applicants took a standardized test. They were going to take five people. They took the top three scores, which were all White Males (including me), then took the highest scoring Black and the highest scoring female.

Then we had to go through physical tests. Stuff like carrying a weight up a ladder, running a mile and a half within a certain time, etc. They gave the female lower standards. She didn't have to carry as much weight up a ladder. She didn't have to run the mile and a half in as low a time. And she didn't have to do as many push ups, pull ups, etc.

But even so she couldn't do the pullups. They tried all kinds of crap to get her to make it but she couldn't make it.

[JohnStOnge]

Obviously it's really bad that we live in a culture in which we worry about designing standards based on whether or not any defined group does well or not. But that's the culture we live in.

[Chizzang]

Why even use the word "Standards"
Standards implies a set guideline of measurements...
If it changes from one person to the next it is not "standards" its something else entirely

[mrklean]

I wonder how many men fail.

I don't know but this reminds me of an experience I had as a young man. I applied to be a firefighter. It was back in 1976. This is how it worked:

Applicants took a standardized test. They were going to take five people. They took the top three scores, which were all White Males (including me), then took the highest scoring Black and the highest scoring female.

Then we had to go through physical tests. Stuff like carrying a weight up a ladder, running a mile and a half within a certain time, etc. They gave the female lower standards. She didn't have to carry as much weight up a ladder. She didn't have to run the mile and a half in as low a time. And she didn't have to do as many push ups, pull ups, etc.

But even so she couldn't do the pullups. They tried all kinds of crap to get her to make it but she couldn't make it.

That was 1976, and they take the Best Scores TODAY!

[AZGrizFan]

I don't know but this reminds me of an experience I had as a young man. I applied to be a firefighter. It was back in 1976. This is how it worked:

Applicants took a standardized test. They were going to take five people. They took the top three scores, which were all White Males (including me), then took the highest scoring Black and the highest scoring female.

Then we had to go through physical tests. Stuff like carrying a weight up a ladder, running a mile and a half within a certain time, etc. They gave the female lower standards. She didn't have to carry as much weight up a ladder. She didn't have to run the mile and a half in as low a time. And she didn't have to do as many push ups, pull ups, etc.

But even so she couldn't do the pullups. They tried all kinds of crap to get her to make it but she couldn't make it.

That was 1976, and they take the Best Scores TODAY!

You say that like it's 100% true at every fire dept/police dept/etc across the country. Simply not true.

[mrklean]

That was 1976, and they take the Best Scores TODAY!

You say that like it's 100% true at every fire dept/police dept/etc across the country. Simply not true.

I dont see Public Safety doing this in 2014. If so, the Dept. must have big problems to still do this.

[CID1990]

You say that like it's 100% true at every fire dept/police dept/etc across the country. Simply not true.

I dont see Public Safety doing this in 2014. If so, the Dept. must have big problems to still do this.

It still happens today on departments large and small, city and rural.

Reuben Greenberg himself told me to my face that whenever he had to put 3-4 recruits in an academy class, he always hired one female; the best one on paper, regardless of where she ranked overall. He said it was to keep the EEO people off his back. So yeah, they do have problems.... its called frivolous EEO complaints.