Ranger School welcomes women, drops standards

[bj229r]

What's the weight of a Ranger field pack...110 pounds or something? My wife WEIGHS 125 (she'll tell you 115...)

[RngFndr]

for the sake of truth can you post a link to the actual standards and not to a website that has it's own interpretations of what they are?  I mean everybody should be measured by the same standard, but I just wonder what the actual new policy is.

when I joined in 89  I heard other marines how the standards were lower than whey they joined.  I still have some friends that have served and retired and they talked about how the standards have been lowered since they joined.  every generation of servicemen always think that the new generation has a lower standard to meet.


semp

It's true!

[cpxxx]

Has no one thought to ask the potential female candidates for Rangers school what they think? I suspect the very last thing most of them would want is a lowering of standards. I suspect it's tough enough being a woman in the military without handing out ammunition to opponents of women soldiers by deliberately dropping standards to get them to pass. No woman wearing a Rangers patch will ever earn the respect of her fellow soldiers if they believe she was fast tracked through the course even if in fact she was top of her class in every respect.

I also think it's hugely insulting to women in general. Essentially the army is saying. 'We think women will never make it through the training. So we'll lower the standards to get you through.' It's effectively sexism.

A big mistake.

Women were and are discriminated against in general for many jobs and activities. Trying to change that is fine. But this would have the opposite effect.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Until they end up being P.O.W.'s - they won't just be beaten...

And what makes you think male P.O.W.'s will only get beaten? 

[gyrene81]

   very glad i was never in the army...still have to agree that lowering standards is not the way to maintain a fighting force. it's not like there is a shortage of people.

[R 105]

They lowered standards in Police and Fire Departments for decades now. It didn't effect the Police as much as the Fire Departments. While we ended up with low end recruits coming into our ranks at the PD. The Fire folks had women coming into their fire crews who could barely stand up of all their bang gear on. I saw first hand at the fire school these women could not clime a lander with a hose roll and the male recruits were instructed carry it for them.

 These same female fireman would not be able to carry out their partner in they needed to. At the Police academies we had instructors stand in the next firing station and shoot the targets of some female recruits just to qualify them at the range. I worked with some fine female Cops but many of them would not be in law enforcement if they were held to the same standards they held the male officers to. The Military police and Fire Departments are no place for left wing social experiments.

[MarineUS]

And what makes you think male P.O.W.'s will only get beaten? 

Lol trust me, that thought went through my mind.

----

They lowered standards in Police and Fire Departments for decades now. It didn't effect the Police as much as the Fire Departments. While we ended up with low end recruits coming into our ranks at the PD. The Fire folks had women coming into their fire crews who could barely stand up of all their bang gear on. I saw first hand at the fire school these women could not clime a lander with a hose roll and the male recruits were instructed carry it for them.

 These same female fireman would not be able to carry out their partner in they needed to. At the Police academies we had instructors stand in the next firing station and shoot the targets of some female recruits just to qualify them at the range. I worked with some fine female Cops but many of them would not be in law enforcement if they were held to the same standards they held the male officers to. The Military police and Fire Departments are no place for left wing social experiments.

A very true statement at the end and I've seen some stuff pretty close to the stories you shared.

I always hated with we had to team up with female Marines on the fire and movement courses because

1. A lot of them slowed us down

2. Most of them missed their targets.

3. They didn't dive into the dirt....they just kind of...idk? Slowly got on their knees and laid down?

4. No muzzle control.

NOW, with that being said; I'm not sexist. We had a SSgt get saved by a female manning a 240 on top of a Humvee in Iraq. IF and only IF they meet the requirements that make our military successful in the battlefield should they be allowed to be on the front.

[Rich46yo]

There are certainly woman tough enough to be Rangers but will they be the ONLY ones chosen? Certainly they are as smart and as capable as men. The problem is there is always a weakening of standards with this type of thing. I saw it in the USAF SPs and I saw it in Police Dept.s. I couldnt imagine not having the girls on the job. At the same time I also saw the loosening of standards to get them on in large numbers.

The Rangers are an elite combat unit. This is something entirely different, and on a different level. I dont think this decision was well thought out.