Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!lll-winken!uwm.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Combat MOS for Women ? Message-ID: <1991Jun22.042038.3864@cbnews.cb.att.com> Date: 22 Jun 91 04:20:38 GMT References: <1991Jun20.021602.2623@cbnews.cb.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.cb.att.com (william.a.thacker) Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY Lines: 31 Approved: military@att.att.com From: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen) >From: pierce@bcstec.boeing.com (Greg Pierce) >...women were not required to meet the same physical standards as (MEN)... >... it causes me to consider if we are not compromising standards Women will NEVER in our lifetime be able to meet the same standards as Men. Put simply, their bodies are built differently (for those of you that didn't notice :-} ). Most of the physical training was intended to see that people in combat (and service) are physically fit. Physical fitness does NOT mean thing for everybody, but since personal fitness trainers are in the military budget, they are forced to use population standards. However, the averages for men and women are so much different that they use 2 sets of standards. The same is true for AGE physical performance standards. Even with these differences, you are probably better off with a 18 Yr old female that WANTS to be in the field, than a 45 Yr old male that doesn't. The other side of this argument is that combat rated jobs, AREN'T limited to tank crewws and rangers. SCUD crews which sit in a 1/2track and push a buttonare also combat jobs. Survival of the fit is a feature of ALL combat teams, with or without women. Right now, the 'survival' of this 'program' depends on common sense by both the military administrators AND the people involved. J al -- Al. Michielsen, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University InterNet: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu amichiel@sunrise.acs.syr.edu Bitnet: AMICHIEL@SUNRISE