75th RGR Bat....I was just there. 

Jun 13, 2012 -- 11:51PM, rangerken wrote:

Here is an article with which I agree with.....

Women Don't Belong In ranger School

BUT, if, and only if, the requiements and curriculum in all respects is exactly the same for women as for men, then I'd have no problem with women going through and trying to graduate from Ranger School. I'm sure that there are a few, a very, very few, who might make it through.

But if there is the slightest 'gender norming', or lesser physical requirements, or special accomodations in the field made, then I'm totally opposed!

I found Ranger School excruciating, hard, extremely demanding, and in fact more physically challenging than combat (I had a year of combat experience behind me before going to Ranger school), and subsequently in my additional years of combat experience I never once was as physically challenged as I was in Ranger School. This is typical, and by design...just by the way...for the benefit of civilians who have no clue. My son found it the same, and I am glad to say, he found it harder physically than his time in Afghanistan. My wife, who was a superb army officer, and in superior physical condition, would not have made it through the first week of ranger school. Of course she had no wish to take up a space better assigned to a man who would fight as a ranger.

This opening up eveything to everyone for idiotic, feel good reasons is the kind of politically correct supidity that tends to get people killed, and weakens our military! And I'm all for women being able to perform any job in the military that they qualify to perform...as long as there are ZERO exceptions or dumbing down or lower standards involved. Women aviators do just fine, and they go through the same flight training as men go through...so OORAH for female aviators! But ranger school?????... well, if a woman can make it hrough, then OK...but again, NO lowering of standards or physical requirements.

And before someone who knows nothing tries out the 'well, some may be able to do it', I suggest they check out exactly what the requirements are and training is all about.

Ken

I cannot personally speak to this, but Ken I will tell you,

this is not the America we live in.

Excellent post, Cesmom.

I agree , but offer the following observation:

It is has not escaped the attention of minorities that there have been in some situations  "requirements" that restrict access to women, racial minorities, the disabled, etc. which are not directly job-related and impact those groups.  For example, if the requirement states "Must be able to lift and carry 100 lbs." but none of the men ever actually have to do it on the job, then women have a right to demand different standards.

Ken is an experienced Ranger and if he is convinced that the stringent training regime is necessary to success--and is not just a celebration of machismo--then I agree with him entirely.

Jun 14, 2012 -- 8:14AM, rangerken wrote:

Jun 14, 2012 -- 7:56AM, mecdukebec wrote:

75th RGR Bat....I was just there. 

Very interesting, Mecduke... I had Marine Force recon along with my company a few times. Do you know some Marines who trained with or served with rangers?

And by the way, it's the 75th Ranger Infantry Regiment and it has several battalions, all with different, permanent home bases when not deployed, though deployments are usually at company level. One of the company commanders was my son's platoon leader some years back.

Which battalion, or separately deployed company were you visiting and where is it? I still know many serving rangers despite being retired now for twenty years (scary!!!) so perhaps you met a friend of mine.

And I agree completely with what Ironhold wrote if he means according to each MOS (military occupational specialty for those who don't speeak fluent millitaryese)..

Ken

3rd RGR BN at Fort Benning, Georgia.  Very broken young men.  Terrified of the Army's treatment of their psych and musculoskleletal injuries.  Quite sad. --  Yes, I know Devil Dogs who've served with RGRs; I have a friend who's drugged up on Prozac, as part of PTSD issues, and he's a 19D.  Great guy.  Sad what combat has done to him.