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Damn, I was kind of hoping Garcia would make it out alive.
Be sure to check back on Friday for the final piece of the Necropocalypse comics!
So I’ve gotten a plethora of emails regarding the female PFT thing that I mentioned last week. Apparently, I had it right the first time. 1 pull-up equals 75 points. Women will not have the option of choosing between the two, they must attempt the pull-ups first. In the event they can’t do a pull-up, they will be given an unspecified recovery time to allow them to attempt the Flexed Arm Hang, in which case they can only get a maximum of 70 points (even if they max it out).
With that said, that’s just as stupid as I thought it was. Where’s the equality in that? When the conversation of women in the infantry comes up, it’s turned into a matter of equal rights, but not a matter of equal standards and practicality. Men don’t have a choice in the PFT, if a man can’t get 3 pull-ups, he isn’t given an option to do something easier, nor is he given 75 points for a measly three (the minimum).
75 points for 1 pull-up is just stupid, there’s no other way for me to put it.
I’m not a training officer or anyone even remotely qualified to determine what the PFT standards should be, but there has to be a better way that’s even remotely on the equivalent for men. The PFT for men and women is not created equal.
As for women in the infantry? That’s a whole ‘nother argument. I honestly don’t believe that a vagina precludes anyone from performing the same as someone equipped with the opposite genitalia. Growing up in Oregon, I’ve met plenty of butch women capable of kicking someone’s ass, and if a 6 foot, 180 lb woman that can outperform a man in the field wants to be a grunt, then whatever–we can work it out. The reason women in the infantry is a hot issue is for reasons of practicality. Female showers, separate barracks, physical standards–all of these are logistical nightmares for the people up top to reckon with before such a drastic measure is taken. This, also, isn’t even delving into the legal nightmares of sexual harassment and, worse, assault and rape.
Again, I’m hardly qualified to suggest anything, such thinking is far beyond my scope of comprehension. I’m sure one day someone will figure out a way to make it work, and we’ll have awesome shower scenes ala Starship Troopers. Until then, I think what works now… works?
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