by Andy Weddington
Tuesday, 22 March 2016
If you want to make a combat unit ineffective, assign some women to it. General Robert H. Barrow, USMC (27th Commandant)
Last week a short video of Marines engaging in pugil stick fighting made rounds on social media.
Ordinarily such routine training would not get much attention but this video did because the fighting pitted a female against a male.
Bottom line - the woman got her clock cleaned. In Marine parlance, she got her ass kicked. More than once.
Last September Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold, USMC, wrote an article titled, 'What Tempers the Steel of an Infantry Unit.' General Newbold, a career infantryman (now retired), offered a thoughtful and convincing argument as to why there's no place for women in ground combat (focus on infantry). His the best article to date on the subject and it has not gotten the exposure and attention it rightfully and necessarily deserves (see post script).
But General Newbold's insights are not new. He merely reinforced the sentiments of another career infantryman, a retired general officer who served as 27th commandant of the Marine Corps, General Robert H. Barrow.
Last September Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold, USMC, wrote an article titled, 'What Tempers the Steel of an Infantry Unit.' General Newbold, a career infantryman (now retired), offered a thoughtful and convincing argument as to why there's no place for women in ground combat (focus on infantry). His the best article to date on the subject and it has not gotten the exposure and attention it rightfully and necessarily deserves (see post script).
But General Newbold's insights are not new. He merely reinforced the sentiments of another career infantryman, a retired general officer who served as 27th commandant of the Marine Corps, General Robert H. Barrow.
General Barrow, battle-tested (to include close combat) in three wars, knows a little something about fighting. Twenty-five years ago he gave sworn testimony about women in combat before the Senate Armed Service Committee. He was brief; to the point; reflective; truthful; passionate; compelling; and most of all uncannily accurate with predictions as to the fate (what's happening today) of the Marine Corps (see post script).
Yesterday arrived email with link to an article - all Marines are now, for the smooth integration of women into infantry units, going to receive "unconscious bias" training. It merits not time to recap here (see post script).
Last evening while mulling over the new training requirement in contrast to the wisdom of a couple of Marine infantry officers, the sage words of another Marine infantryman, a longtime friend, came to mind.
And those the words of the late Colonel Mike Lowe, USMC, who - as a guest speaker at a TBS company mess night - gave remarks about leadership that included thoughts as to why he liked Marines. Among his bullets, "I like the fact that Marines know the difference between "chicken salad" and "chicken shit" and aren't afraid to call either for what it is!"
General Barrow, General Newbold, Colonel Lowe, me, and divisions worth of Marines (serving and not), infantry or not, do not have "unconscious bias" toward women serving in ground combat units.
What we do have is the education, training, experience, and sense to know the difference between chicken salad and chicken shit and aren't afraid to call either for what it is!
Pugil sticks are not bayonets. And for that that young female Marine in the video still has her neck intact.
Young Marines, the fighters, this nonsense is being forced upon know it's foul.
Unconscious fowl generals know it, too.
Post Script
General Newbold: http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/what-tempers-the-steel-of-an-infantry-unit/
General Barrow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy--whDNNKk
"Unconscious bias" training: http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/03/18/all-marines-unconscious-bias-training-women-join-infantry.html
Colonel Lowe: https://commandperformanceleadership.wordpress.com/tag/colonel-james-m-lowe/
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3 comments:
LEADERSHIP is needed and it is needed now.Generals Dunford and Neller need to take a stand and say enough, we are not going to let some political appointee(s)destroy our Marine Corps and, by extension, the rest of our military organizations. Their leadership may induce the rest of the Chiefs to finally get a backbone and take a stand, also. With all the forced retirements, it is obvious that the administration is piecemealing us to death. We are getting to the point that there may be no tomorrow.
Colonel, thanks for the continuing articles. They are a breath of sanity.
Bob Martin
Lt.Col.,USMC (Ret.)
Andy,
Yet another link with commentary/observations on the insanity of this "group think" and its consequences:
http://usdefensewatch.com/2016/03/the-death-of-the-us-marine-corps/
Amen, Colonel. Wishfully, some senior staff will instigate a "stalling tactic" until November. Hopefully by then, if God still doesn't want to smack us around longer, we'll have a president with gonads and this garbage will stop. It amazes me that obama has been pushing his agenda through virtually unopposed, since 2009. This is what happens when just about ALL the politicians have sold their souls. Keep fighting. D Dog.
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