Three women pass Marine ‘grunt’ test, but Corps holds off on letting them in infantry

[Redfairen]

Source: Washington Post

For the first time, three enlisted women have passed the Marine Corps’ grueling infantry course, carrying the same rifles and lugging the same 85-pound packs on the same 12-mile hikes through the piney woods of North Carolina as the men.

The female Marines are scheduled to graduate Thursday at Camp Geiger, N.C. — a historic development as the U.S. military prepares to open ground combat forces to women. But in a twist, the three women — identified Thursday as Pfc. Julia Carroll, Pfc. Christina Fuentes Montenegro and Pfc. Katie Gorz -- still won’t be allowed to serve in an infantry unit, at least not for a long while.

Marine Corps leaders say they need two more years to study whether it makes sense to allow women to serve as grunts. They note that no woman has passed the even more challenging infantry training course for officers (10 have tried). Before making a final decision, they said, they want to see many more female Marines try to pass the courses so the results can be evaluated.

“Any force-wide changes to be made will occur only after we have conducted our research, determined the way ahead and set the conditions to implement our recommendations,” Capt. Maureen Krebs, a Marine spokes woman, said in an e-mail.



Read more: http://m.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/three-women-pass-marine-grunt-test-but-corps-holds-off-on-letting-them-in-infantry/2013/11/20/6e04f164-51f6-11e3-9fe0-fd2ca728e67c_story.html?hpid=z3

[enlightenment]

1. Keep on moving the goal posts, Marines.

The women will keep scoring, no matter how hard you try to stop them.

[pasto76]

6. they arent moving the posts. this is a pilot program

marines have been moving faster on all this stuff than any other branch.

COARNG is getting their first ever female 13A in a month.

[enlightenment]

7. Okay.

As you say.

[iandhr]

2. Pfc. Julia Carroll, Pfc. Christina Fuentes Montenegro and Pfc. Katie Gorz....

...

All I have to say is

OO-Rah

[OKNancy]

3. saw this on twitter

:large

[riversedge]

9. goodness, they look so so so young.

[nolabear]

4. Now JUST a goddamn minute.

Did those women sign up to serve or to be test subjects? If they passed the course, they get the reward. "Oh, she's not like most of them; she's one of the SUPERIOR ones." Where have I heard that before?

[me b zola]

14. Part and partial of membership of minority group status:

You have to be far superior to be even considered for a desired job/profession.

Brava, you hella strong ass women! Go get yours!!!

[YankeyMCC]

5. Rec for the women Marines

Still seems crappy that they are just "test" subjects and not going to be assigned to infantry, I'm assuming they would like to actually get the chance to do what they worked so hard to demonstrate they can do.

[plantwomyn]

8. But they ARE assigned to infantry units.

Female marines are with all of the units that kick doors in because in Muslim countries it would be a BIG insult to have women inside of that house touched by a male marine. BUT they do NOT get paid combat wages and this has been going on for years. IT SUCKS.

[PoliticAverse]

10. Didn't the leaders see _Aliens_?...

[msanthrope]

11. Beat me to it! nt

[Kennah]

13. She didn't even have any military training

[demigoddess]

12. these marines should look up what Julius Caesar said

about Celtic women. He said about the celts If you meet one in the woods, you are in trouble, if you meet his wife, you are dead. (paraphrased slightly)

Women have fought in Revolutionary war, Civil War, and now in Middle East.

[Recursion]

15. Awesome. School of Infantry takes months and costs tens of thousands of dollars

So these Marines have been through all that, we've spent all that money, and now they have to go to another MOS school on top of that and do something else? Or not, and we now have spent a shit ton of money over-training people for Interior Guard?

Great job, desk jockey officers!

I love the Corps, but shit like this makes me livid...