The average soldier carries 50-90 lbs of gear. No soldier, with all that gear, can pick up an additional 200-300 lbs of deadweight and move it, especially in 50 degree (celcius) heat and complex terrain. While (thankfully) none of my soldiers had to be evacuated in combat, a friend related an evacuation of a mortally wounded soldier during a TIC - it took 8 soldiers 45 minutes to move him 800 meters.
I don't need to read Rommel or imagine your situations. I've commanded women in a Rifle Platoon in Afghanistan (support trades - sister platoon had a female infantryman). These situations of morale and effectiveness falling apart and the images of weeping, ineffective female soldiers are simply not true. If standards of competence and fitness are kept reasonably high, then the problems don't really manifest themselves.Call me a mysoginist, but I've worked with and trained women in combat situations (mma and military), and this is one area that they are simply not equal in.
To avoid getting off on too much of a tangent, the issue of women in all branches of the military is not really a significant one - especially in the combat trades. Small combat units are type-A organizations, much like football or hockey teams, and appeal to certain personalities. Even with a completely open military, we see less than 1 percent of the spots filled by women. The ones who tend to end up there are usually the ones attracted to fit and demanding tasks.
Bookmarks