My Photo
Name:
Location: San Diego, California, United States

Friday, August 17, 2007

My USMC Chronicles: Women

In the society created today by American history, women are in a demeanor that demands equality. Despite this, my fellow female Marines consistently prove themselves unequal. A rare breed of women Marines I have encountered are persistent in the quest to defy the trends the females at our side have established. These trends are not outdated or simple stereotypes – they are characteristics seen in high volume. Although admittedly, many of us who strive to accomplish the equivocal tasks of our male counterparts fail, we strive nonetheless. In my four years experience, many men seem to respect that alone and I believe that it is respectable.

To more definitely explained, women are not proving themselves worthy of the same titles as men in the Marine Corps. Our Physical Fitness requirements are just one aspect, and I will begin with that. Women have a minute and a half longer to run a three mile course than men. Women do not have to do pull-ups, we are required to hang for an allotted number of seconds with a definite flex in the angle of our arms. The pull-ups alone, are much more difficult than the hang. The common argument on behalf of the females is that our bodies are designed too differently to make our Physical Fitness Test identical. I will put this into an extreme metaphor: If a man has no arms and one leg, he cannot perform the same as any other serviceman. Should the test for him be altered to fit is handicaps, or should we concede that his usefulness as a militant is too limited for mission requirements? Isn't the female handicap the same concept? If our bodies are not designed to handle the same as men, should we be permitted to hold a man's life at jeopardy to hush the cries of feminists demanding "equality"? Why aren't the men waving the same flag of "no equality" that women did? They have higher criteria and have higher expectations because they are men? Aren't women degrading themselves by allowing there to be handicaps for them? If it is vital, or appropriate, for the mission of a Marine to complete a specified number of pull-ups then that should be the requirement for a Marine. Instead, the Marine Corps has been pushing to enlist more females so hard in the past years that they have lowered the standards for them. As time has progressed those standards have been raised and raised, but they are still not equal. Only a decade ago did women even run three miles. Our prior requirements were a mere mile and a half. Especially in a documented time of bra-burning and insisting women could perform the same duties as men were they not trying to prove that by ACTUALLY doing the same tasks as men. It has been treated as a clubhouse that says "No girls allowed" and the females insisted that they get in. So, we lowered the standards, let them wear the uniform, and gave them a weapon, and they are tasked with the safety of the country and their fellow Marines. While I admit I could not, in my current fitness, perform as the men do, I believe that if I cannot meet the standards NEEDED for a Marine, then I need to join a branch I can successfully call myself equal. How would you feel to put in a war zone with someone you know couldn't lift your right leg much less your whole body in a situation you were injured and had them to depend on? Yet, ladies and gentlemen, this is America's definition of equality.

Furthermore, the PFT does not accurately assess the strength of the female Marine. Many females had painfully higher scores than I, but when we had to carry ammunition boxes, water tanks, Mollypacks, or radiopacks in boot camp they could not do it. One fellow recruit with a similar PFT to mine and I were constantly ordered to carry them. When obstacles that required hoisting one another over were approached, I had to lift my whole squad one by one. When I was the last and they had to pull me over, I was embarrassed because they struggled and at times did not complete the mission simply because they could not get me over the obstacle.

One aspect of the Marine Corps that personally finds a way into the depths of my anger is crying on duty. If you can't count on the United States Marines, the protectors of your freedom, to maintain decisiveness, bearing, and emotional stability in a difficult situation who can you count on? If you have an answer to that, then I hope you encourage them to start running and pick of a weapon, because I certainly do not want an emotional cry baby in a war zone next to me while bombs are going off. I am sure that you wouldn't want your brother, husband, father, or friend next to one either.

Another aspect of the woman's "walk of shame" is promiscuity. Only 36% of females in the Department of the Navy plan their pregnancies (Navy Surveys 2005). From personal experience, women take advantage of the fact the are a minority in the Marine Corps. When there are functions that permit civilian attire, I had never assumed I would see cleavage, but I do. In an unflattering camouflage uniform some females cake their faces with makeup and freshen up their fruity smelling sprays regularly. Now my civilian friends probably don't find the reasoning for my discouragement in this. While I am not against makeup in uniform, I am against the whole kit-n-kaboodle of girlie tendencies. The objective in makeup is to improve your appearance and appeal. (Please note, a little makeup to touch up an embarrassing pimple or alleviate your face of the signs of an all-nighter are nothing of the kind I speak of.) During our last Marine Corps Ball, the Commanding Officer, who is female, was pregnant, so she could not wear her dress blues and had to wear her issued maternity service alphas (they are often liken to that of the appearance of an olive – they are hideous) . So, she allowed all females to wear dresses to the ball to avoid the maternity uniform. I am disgusted with the whole concept of sacrificing Marine Corps tradition and degrading the Marine Corps uniform (on the Marine Corps Birthday celebration) to a secondary option in the favor of vanity. The men were not allowed to find their own impressive tuxedos, and shiny shoes. They wore their uniform – something the women exempt themselves from.

In my office we have had women only meetings, but if the men established a men only meeting the females would play the "inequality" card again.

I have run miles on such injuries as painful ruptured ovarian cysts, twisted ankles, and currently, a residual brain tumor. One of the aspects females are especially renowned for is our ability to treat every sniffle as the bubonic plague and every running pain as stress fractures. They are a never ending line awaiting that light duty chit that will excuse them from training. At any given moment less than half of the females at my current office participate with the men in physical training. The men finish runs limping, but running. The women walk and complain that thy "just can't breathe, because they just got off light duty".

These are only some of the aspects in which we degrade ourselves and give other females who truly want to be equivalent to our male counterparts a much harder obstacle to overcome.

It is sad that, in the society we created, only those who are the problem are permitted to speak the truth. Men, I dare you to repeat my words at your shop. At least I hear the EEO reps are nice.

4 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Having been a female Marine for 20 years, I appreciate your thoughts and would like to comment on them.
PFTs are different because our bodies are different wether you like it or not.
Women have 20% less chest capicity than men. Our lungs can't expand to hold as much oxygen. This does impact the ability to run over distance. Why doesn't the USMC make it a 2 mile run with same minimum and maximum. I notice you said nothing of the age allowances that are allowed for PFT's. You are young and their are "old" Marines out there.
Female muscles "twitch" if for endurance. (Nature did this to ous because we give birth).Thus the hang vice pull ups. Endurance. Kudo's to those women that can do pull ups.
Male muscle twitch is for burst. (Nature did that because males were providers and hunters). Why doesn't the USMC use push ups. Same amount, same time limit for both genders? Crunches use endurance and burst and is equitable. BTW I ran a 3 mile PFT when women ran 1.5. I did it in 17 minutes and I was 3 months pregnant, but I can't do a single pullup and I still was an oustanding Marine. Sorry for some reason your post go under my skin. It is like you are one of the guys bashing all women but yourself. Semper Fi
Jade

1:35 PM  
Blogger A Closed Book said...

Hey Kendra,

I've been reading your USMC Chronicles blog and found it to be most intriguing. Your opinion is well thought out and often makes sense.
But I wonder what has happened since 2007.
Hows life treating you and what happened with the tumor?
Hope to hear from you!
And Thank You for serving our country.

- Amy

6:30 AM  
Blogger Kaiya Simons said...

@JB: I think you misunderstood a bit of what I am saying. First, I never denied our bodies were different. I actually have no doubt they are. However, my point was that there should be one universal standard that everyone should meet - in the interest of both fairness and military efficiency. Maybe this would mean the PFT would change completely. (I would also like to point out that I did mention how I didnt feel the current PFT accurately assessed physical fitness).
Instead of asking the question "What can women do?" the question should be "What do we need of a Marine?" Whatever the answer to the latter this should be the standard. If the person CAN meet this standard, they should be considered qualified as a Marine (regardless of their race, gender, religion, or favorite tv show). Basically I believe it boils down to this: Can you do what a MARINE needs to do? If a Marine doesn't NEED to run a minimum of a 28:30, then NO Marine should have to. If the Marines only need them to run a 31 minute, then why not let the men run it in 31 minutes too? If that is a standard for an efficient military, why does it HAVE to be different for the genders?
Second, I didnt address the topic of "old" Marines, because my blog was about females. Age would have been a tangent.

You brought up the crunches, yet I also never debated crunches were an gender-biased form of the PFT.

As far as the "guy-bashing" comment. I am sorry you feel that way. I admitted that I would probably not be considered qualified if I was expected to perform as the men do (as the MAJORITY of the Marine Corps is expected to). I often felt ashamed of these limitations....and still do. However, the one thing I felt I was different than many, many of the females I met was this: I never felt comfortable, or rested on,the leniency my gender granted me.

2:31 PM  
Blogger Kaiya Simons said...

@ClosedBook (aka Amy):

Hi! WEll, thanks for reading my blog. I discharged in 2007, and went to school. I earned my BA, did a couple study abroads and internships. I just graduated and I am in the process I applying for a year in AmeriCorps.
It has been almost 5 years and there has been no recurrence of the tumor. So, it all seemed to work out well. I am still deaf in my right ear (as I always will be), but it isn't even a daily thought.

2:37 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home