WOMEN IN THE MILITARY - Aspirations and Goals

"Part 1: These women aspire to combat roles — now they're training for them" PBS NewsHour 12/8/2016

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Until recently, women were barred from U.S. military combat jobs.  Today females are volunteering for the most physically and mentally grueling Marine roles.  But is the Corps helping or hurting women recruits' readiness by separating training from males?  In a two-part series, William Brangham follows three female Marine recruits as they embark on tougher training than they have ever undergone.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  For decades, women have played important roles in the U.S. military, but, until recently, they were blocked from front-line combat positions.

But under orders from the secretary of defense, women can now try out for all combat jobs in all services.

Over the past several months, we have followed three female pioneers striving for these positions within the U.S. Marine Corps, considered the toughest of the services.

Producer Dan Sagalyn and correspondent William Brangham have the first of two reports.

DRILL SARGENT:  You should be standing at the division of attention.  That means your heels are touching, feet at a 45-degree angle.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM (NewsHour):  Eighteen-year-old Rebekah Wolff's life is about to turn upside-down.  She and a group of fellow recruits have just arrived at Parris Island, South Carolina.  It's day one of Marine Corps boot camp.

DRILL SARGENT:  Your mouth is shut!

RECRUITS:  Aye, sir!

DRILL SARGENT:  I said, do you understand me?

RECRUITS:  Aye, sir!

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:  They now start thirteen weeks of grueling, disorienting, physically stressful training.

Rebekah Wolff is one of the young female recruits who wants to join the fight to go into one of the jobs that for generations had been blocked to women, until now.

Low-altitude air defense is what she wants to do.  It's basically shooting shoulder-fired Stinger missiles at enemy aircraft.

That's what you want to be doing, shooting Stinger missiles?

REBEKAH WOLFF, Marine Corps Recruit:  Yes.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:  Why that?

REBEKAH WOLFF:  Because it'd be cool.

(LAUGHTER)

REBEKAH WOLFF:  Not a lot of females have had that opportunity until now, really, so that's exciting.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:  Of course, that's a long way off.  For now, she's not only got to prove herself at boot camp, but she will have to pass tougher physical standards than females have ever had to meet before.  On the first night, after filling out some paperwork, recruits are required to make one phone call home.

They're instructed to shout five scripted lines into the phone, nothing more.

WOMAN:  Thank you for your support!  Goodbye for now!

"Part 2: Female Marine recruits at boot camp strive to meet the same standards as men" PBS NewsHour 12/9/2016

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  For generations combat jobs in the U.S. military were blocked to women, but not anymore.  The question now is can women meet the same rigorous standards as the men in order to qualify for frontline jobs?  William Brangham has the second story on women in combat roles.

MILITARY - Women in Combat

"Navy Secretary:  Gender should not bar women from Marine combat roles" PBS NewsHour 9/22/2015

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy are expected to allow women to serve in all combat roles starting next year.  But the Marine Corps commandant has asked that Marines be excluded from the new rule.  Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus joins Gwen Ifill to explain why he feels that gender should not bar servicewomen from Marine combat roles.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  But, first, the battle brewing at the Pentagon over the future of women in America’s armed forces.

Early next year, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is expected to announce whether previously closed positions to women in the military will open.  The Army, Air Force and Navy are expected to allow women to serve in all combat roles.

But Marine Corps Commandant General Joseph Dunford, soon to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has asked that the Marines be excluded from the new rule.

Joining me now to explain why he disagrees with that assessment is Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who is also the civilian head of the Marine Corps.

Welcome.  And thank you for joining us, Secretary Mabus.

RAY MABUS, U.S. Secretary of the Navy:  Gwen, thank you.

GWEN IFILL:  There is a report that has come out that shows that women in integrated combat units were slower, there were more injuries, they were less accurate at firing weapons.  What is your take on that report?

RAY MABUS:  Well, first, the Commandant and I share the overall goal of making sure we maximize the combat effectiveness of the United States Marines.  That’s the first principle.

Second, this study, that Marine study, and had Marines doing very valuable work, and it came out with some great findings, the main one of which was that, before then, there had been no standards set for being in the infantry.

So, this study set those high standards.  Before then, it was assumed that if men went through boot camp, they could become Marine infantry.  Turned out that the specific jobs in the infantry, which the study went through, deconstructed all the jobs [and] here’s what you need to do to be a success in this, to do the job.

But then the Marines took averages from the study.  It wasn’t the individuals.  They set the high standards.  But then they looked across averages.  And the Marines have never been about average.  The Marines are about exceptionalism.

And what my view is, set high standards.  Make sure those standards have something to do with the job.  And then whoever meets those standards, gender is not crucial.  If you can meet the standards, you should be able to serve.