CC 3.2

In a recent article entitled "Military Gender Issue Reignites as 45 Percent of Female Marines Fail Pull-up Test," Bob Adelmann, writer for The New American, informs readers of the gender issues in the military and how it affects women.

As the Marines plan to gradually incorporate more females into the armed forces, they are faced with problems. In his article, Bob stated that "females have been unable to complete tasks assigned to males in the Corps." In the infantry boot camp training, only 3 of 20 females actually made it through the course. Meanwhile, 221 of 266 men were able to complete the obstacle course. The low numbers of women achieving the tasks is forcing the Marines to consider lowering expectations for women to pass. They claim that will make the tests more equal for female soldiers.

Furthermore, even the women in the best shape struggle to pass the fitness tests. In an interview with Adelmann, Captain Maureen Krebs explained that "zero women have made it through [the] infantry officer training and only a handful have made it through the enlisted course." This means that women female soldiers are less likely to survive close combat. Some even say that women soldiers may not be able to help other soldiers on the field survive.

Finally, the testing requirements can be adjusted to an extent. Elaine Donnelly reported that "some allowances can be made for female Marines serving behind the lines, but they cannot be made for those intending to serve at the front." In order to ensure safety on the front lines, every soldier must be able to perform theirs tasks without any complications. Each soldier must trust another for the survival of combat.

I myself am considering the Army. To be successful, I will have to begin working out and build up strength in order to pass the fitness test.

Only time will tell how the Marines will equal the playing field for female soldiers.

Cc 3.1

In a recent article entitled "Why Most Female Marines Struggle To Pass Pullup Test" written by Richard Leiby, an author for the Washington Post, informs readers about the female gender role struggle in the U.S. Marines.

Up to recently, the gender role of women in the military has not been very big. Female soldiers, however, now face more obstacles as Richard reported that "Most female Marines can’t even do three lousy pullups." He is saying that 55 percent of the females in the marines boot camp can not do the minimum requirement of three pull-ups. The low minimum was set by Gen. James Amos, in hopes that more women would pass the test. Gen. Amos made that test rather than having women do the flexed arm hang option to qualify.

Continuing on, most people want to know why so many females struggle with only three pull-ups. In the fifth paragraph, Leiby stated one reason is "superior male upper-body strength." This means that an advantage that men have, testosterone, allows for them to build more lean muscle mass. Women on the other hand, tend to have more body fat, making pull-ups harder to accomplish. With training though, many women have been able to achieved more than required pull-ups, the highest in the marines being eight.

Finally, for years, women have been told what they can accomplish and what they can not. In his article, Richard said that "we have been telling young girls that they cannot do regular pullups because they will never be as strong as boys." This awful logic of telling women they can not do pull-ups is "one of the worst things we ever developed in physical-fitness classes," as Stew Smith said, a former Navy SEAL and fitness expert. Women have pretty much been discouraged to be stronger and accomplish higher goals.

I, myself, can not do a lot of pull-ups, but I can do more than three. Three pull-ups is a really low number and not really hard for women in shape. However, women have been told for years that they can not do regular pull-ups; therefore, they do not work on pull-ups as much as they should.

The female gender role in the Marines has been a struggle for years, and may continue to be a struggle. Men simply have an advantage to the pull-up physical test.