Major General Jim Rainey: I think [allowing women in combat is] going to make the Army stronger in the long run.
Military.com reports that Fort Stewart commander, Major General Jim Rainey, during a press conference, praised the Army for allowing women to serve in jobs that will eventually take them to direct combat with America’s enemies.
Despite some initial challenges, allowing female soldiers to serve in combat jobs that have long been closed to women should ultimately “make the Army stronger,” the top general at Fort Stewart said Friday.
[…]
As long as the right soldiers are chosen for the right jobs, based on their abilities, he said, “I think it’s going to make the Army stronger in the long run.”
I’ve read the article three times and I’ll be damned if I can see where the good general explains how this will make the Army stronger. General Rainey has a long and experienced career in the infantry, you’d think that he could be a bit more clear on this decision will make the Army stronger – maybe even answer the question that I’ve been asking for years now – how will this decision help us kill our enemies in greater numbers?
Thanks to Chief Tango for the link.
Category: Army News
MG (then Col) Rainey when he was the BC of 3ABCT 4ID also made us wear gloves and pt belts on the COB 24/7 in Iraq in 10-11. His reasoning was if indirect landed near us, our hands were protected from flash burns. The fact that if IDF landed near enough to you to burn your hands it was also going to blow you into small pieces seemed to elude him.
He would also yell at units doing PT on a closed road at Carson for not running in formation during release runs.
Just saying. He is a PC warrior and has been for years.
Can confirm.
Sounds like a typical dimwit! Maybe he is just a horny old bas-ard that wants more women around he can intimidate?
Yup!
Its gonna make the men in combat arms twice as strong with all the extra work their gonna have to do.
You’re damn right.
Scenario: Weapons Company has to go foot mobile in order to displace to a new position, and the 81mm mortarpersons are going to have to hump the 81mm mortars for 25km.
81mm Mortar Platoon Commander: “OK, which of you females are going to carry the baseplates?”
81mm Mortar Female Soldiers/Marines: “Oh no, we’re not carrying those baseplates. Those baseplates are too heavy, and 25km is a long way. The men should carry the baseplates. All we want to carry are the mortar sights. And can we put our rucks in the company Hummer?”
That is what reality is going to look like when all of this dumbass, clueless SJW feel-good nonsense manifests itself out in the line units.
And anyone who thinks that it won’t go like that is either hopelessly naïve or irredeemably idiotic.
Just look at it as a way to build bone density.
Some of them might opt for “the tube” instead of the sights.
Bruno, I really get tired of people like you. You’re a moron.
The mortar base plate was slightly less than 50 pounds. That’s about the weight of a bag of horse feed. It is nothing. It’s 10 lbs more than a 40 lb bag of cat litter, which, despite my ADVANCED AGE and my ARTHRITIS, I can still pick up and load into the back end of my car. And I’m not alone in doing these kinds of things.
You’re full of crap, Bruno.
OK, Ex-PH2, if you say so. I’m a moron, and I’m full of crap. Your experience as a PH2 in the Navy clearly trumps anything that I may have learned in 30 years of serving in Marine Corps combat arms. Hopefully your response above was intended to be in jest, but if not, then I’ll assume that you must have spent some time attached to a Marine 81mm mortar platoon while you were serving as a PH2, and that is where you gained your experience and insights regarding the details of 81mm mortar operations, to include foot mobile maneuver and deployment of the 81mm mortar crew-served weapon. Please re-read what I wrote above in detail, and be advised that I’m not talking about simply picking up an 81mm mortar baseplate and putting it into the back end of your car. I’m talking about strapping an 81mm mortar baseplate on the outside of your ruck that already ways between 80-100 pounds (loaded with such sundry items as extra ammo, chow, water, personal gear, maybe 2-3 81mm mortar rounds, smoke grenades/pyrotechnics, etc.), while wearing body armor and a helmet, load-bearing equipment carrying ammo for your personal weapons, water, a couple of grenades, a knife/bayonet, an IFAK, a pistol, and also while carrying your loaded rifle in your hands. You are then tasked with humping that load tactically overland at a sustained rate of at least 3 MPH for a distance of 25 kilometers, day or night and in any weather conditions, and when you get to where you are going, you are expected to be fully capable of immediately setting up the mortar (to include digging in if necessary), and then commence to deliver effective, accurate 81mm mortar fires on time and on target for as long as it takes to accomplish the mission. And I forgot to add that you’re doing all of this while you’re chronically fatigued from constant excessive physical exertion combined with less than 4 hours (if that) sleep per night. You’re probably also sick in some way, and you probably have diarrhea. So when we consider the… Read more »
No, you’re a man who thinks women are only interested in keeping their nails from
breaking.
And, no, I have never been attached to a Marine platoon. My personal experience stems from many, many years before and after the Navy, lifting and carrying heavy loads like bags of horse feed, bales of hay, western saddles, etc., None of that stuff is lightweight, and it doesn’t include footslogging through a bog with a 10 pound camera w/flash & battery, on its tripod, in my hands, not on my back, which is where my backpack loaded with other gear was being hauled. I can’t say exactly what all that weighed but it was not light in weight.
Since 25 kilometers is 15.5 miles, I can look at the trail maps, which are measured distances, and add that yes, I did go the distance and will again.
Your comment infers that women are unwilling to do their fair share of the job. My own experience shows that there are plenty of men who do the same thing. That’s why I said you’re a moron, if that is your attitude toward women. We frequently think about more than just our hair and our nails, toots.
But on the other hand, I have to ask if you have had to be on your feet for up to 16 hours in trauma surgery with no relief? I only ask because my niece, an Army nurse in Baghdad, did that and developed bursitis as a result. And since I did medical photography during surgeries, I can personally vouch for the length of time some operations take, and how much stress there is from being on your feet that long with no relief, especially during cranial surgery.
Training is not the same thing as real time, and you know it.
Ex-PH2: I’m not talking about training here. And I’m certainly not talking about irrelevancies such as lifting horse feed, bales of hay, or western saddles, or carrying camera equipment around out in the field. And I’m not talking about just walking for 15.5 miles as the crow flies. I’m talking about humping for 15.5 miles over all manner of terrain in all weather conditions in a combat zone with 150 pounds on your back while you’re exhausted, sick, and hungry, meanwhile hoping that you don’t run into an enemy patrol. I am also talking about actual sustained combat operations in the ground combat arms MOSs, and how the current herd of SJW idiots don’t remotely understand what that entails. It’s hard, unforgiving work, where people get badly hurt or killed if the job isn’t done correctly or if individuals can’t keep up, regardless of gender and/or for whatever reason. And not everyone can do it, regardless of how anyone in the SJW crowd may “feel” about it. Now listen up. You’re as wrong as you could possibly be about my attitude toward women, and your comments thereunto are way, way out of line. I proudly served with numerous female Marines in combat in Iraq in 2003, and I would do so again in a heartbeat. They all performed superbly, without exception. AND THEY ALL MET ESTABLISHED USMC STANDARDS, and none of them ever expected any special considerations. Ever. As I said, you’re as wrong as you can possibly be in your commentary. That said, what I do have a problem with is that the SJW idiots seem hell bent on putting any female who thinks that she might like to try it into ground combat arms MOSs without regard to requirements to meet existing MOS standards, and who therefore MAY indeed expect or require special considerations when they finally get into a line unit that deploys into combat. It goes without saying that it’s only a matter of time until standards will eventually be lowered to accommodate those who can’t perform at the required level, and in the long run,… Read more »
There’s one little hole you set up, Bruno. Well, two of them, really.
Hole #1: 81mm Mortar Platoon Commander: “OK, which of you females are going to carry the baseplates?”
81mm Mortar Female Soldiers/Marines: “Oh no, we’re not carrying those baseplates. Those baseplates are too heavy, and 25km is a long way. The men should carry the baseplates. All we want to carry are the mortar sights. And can we put our rucks in the company Hummer?”
Hole #2: I proudly served with numerous female Marines in combat in Iraq in 2003, and I would do so again in a heartbeat. They all performed superbly, without exception.
You contradicted yourself, there, Bruno. Why else would I think you have an attitude toward women?
I think assuming that any of the SJWs would ever lift a pinky to defend their own country when someone else can do it for them is something you should have considered.
If any of them do sign up, the whiners will fall by the wayside. You, of all people, ought to know that.
You based your first statement on a completely false assumption. Yes, there are plenty of complaints recorded here from troops who witnessed women they had trained with suddenly find ways to get out of deployment, but you have slackers in every part of society. You know that. I shouldn’t have to say it. I’ve worked with some of them, both men and women. But they are in the minority and are not likely to meet any standards that require extra effort.
Your example does not apply to all women, you know. You said so yourself.
Ex-PH2: Good point about the contradiction above; that doesn’t play very well, does it? That first statement was intended as an anecdotal example of what will likely occur if the SJW crew gets its way and every female who wants to go into combat arms is allowed to do so without being vetted first through the application of proper standards. Sorry that it wasn’t articulated better.
But no matter how many times you repeat it, there is no bad attitude about women from me. Not gonna let that one go by. Sorry about that, but there it is. Repeating it over and over will not make it true.
So now, am I still a moron and full of crap?
Have a nice evening.
Bruno Stachel out.
Sie wissen wirklich, was ‘stachel’ auf Englisch bedeuten, stimmt das?
Wenn Sie ein Teil von Fliegerabteilung 218 waren, wer war das Haupt von Ihrem Bataillon?
Sounds like someone is trying to get his third star before Jan 2017.
He just got his second star. When I left Benning back in December he was still a 1 star in charge of the Infantry School
Doesn’t matter; there’s no TIG requirement for appointments to 3- and 4-star rank. They’re strictly Presidential appointments that must be confirmed by the Senate.
If I recall correctly, Haig never held 3-star rank (or perhaps he technically held the rank for 1 day or less). He effectively went straight from 2 stars to 4.
Hondo, you and 19D beat me to it. He’s only got two(2) of those star thingees on his uniform. Can’t get two more without parroting the party line. Disguting.
Hondo wins this morning. Before Obummer leaves these ass hats will be coming out of the woodwork to get that extra star or bird. He has served in the Infantry? Then he knows damned well what he is saying is horse shit.
Right on the money ^^^^^
is this ever going to end ????
What’s next? Transvestite battalions? How long before
the mindless P C crowd suggests S & M units? Finally they settle for child molester units. Might sound funny at the moment, but reality can become an amazing wonder. Common sense and dignity have left the building.
Since this train seems to have left the station there seems little to do except see which station it actually arrives at in the end….the one with a stronger force or the one with lots of dead soldiers….too bad the assholes making the decisions don’t have to ride along.
This train will stop at Task Force Smith Junction and Iron Bottom Sound Station. Rainey is nothing more than another in a long line of suck up, PC-obsessed moral cowards.
Well, in my personal opinion he is wrong. he is just expressing an opinion, based on wishful thinking. The US Army Infantry is an incredibly unforgiving career. One that very few escape without being injured along the way. You go strap on an 80 pound ruck, throw a pig or a piece of 81mm equipment on top of that load, and go do yourself a movement to the objective over rough terrain in pitch black… over and over again. It is not a profession for the weak of body or mind. It will tear you up and spit you out. Seen it happen often in 12 years. But yep, let’s go ahead an throw out what does work, for something we know doesn’t. We know it doesn’t because others have tried it. Tell you what truly would piss me off, as it is the “plan”. Intergrating Senior Female NCO’s and Officers into line units, who have ZERO experience as a rifleman. I would have absolutely no respect for some NCO who jumped into the Infantry from another career field, who is given a leadership slot. Over hundreds of far better qualified Infantryman. male or female… that is just a bullshit idea. Here is a better one. I enlisted into the Army and was assigned to a COHORT Company. We were together from day one for the next 3 plus years. OSUT, BAC, and off to the 82d and Italy together. The perfumed princes(ses) are so damned sure they can make this work, then do that with a Company of males and females. Same Standards, same OSUT, same Barracks, same Instructors… while you are at it, you grab some High speed low drag Female E-3’s and E-4’s who are promotable and send them through Infantry OSUT as well. Let them take up the Junior Leadership roles in the Company. Place that Company into a Bn. like ours was, and put them through months of additional train up for an ARTEP, which you will live or die by as a Unit. I am telling you right now, we got to Bragg over… Read more »
Sounds like you walked The Devils Backbone at Fort Chaffee Arkansas.
Never been to Chaffee. Panama, Vieques, Stewart, Bragg, Irwin, Drum, Hohenfels, Turkey, Weilflicken, Graf… to name a few.
Ahh yes Fort Drum, they used to say back in 70s/80s that if hell ever froze over they’d rename it Fort Drum….
Saw a temp of 39F one morning at Drum, about 6AM.
In July.
Fort Drum. That’s a Canadian outpost isn’t it?
Nah. It’s south of the part of the St. Lawrence River that forms the border.
Not too damn far south of it – but south of it. Eh?
Unfortunately I know exactly what you’re talking aboot.
Well, it is damn cold at Drum, it is snowing in upstate NY right now in April. and it is going to keep snowing for a couple more weeks.
But, there are also work calls for 10ish, chow halls serve breakfast from 7-9ish. Not saying the whole post is like that, but we don’t see a 6-6 kind of typical day like at other places there.
You didn’t happen to be at A-10-2 Benning in Nov 82 were you?
It sounds like MG Rainey is brown-nosing for his next promotion. Of course, he won’t have to deal with the consequences of Obama’s misguided policies.
“I’ve read the article three times and I’ll be damned if I can see where the good general explains how this will make the Army stronger.”
I see the problem. You are looking for an explicit and clear explanation for his statement, expecting a cause and effect relationship between the inclusion of the weaker sex in combat jobs and a resultant stronger Army. There is no explanation necessary and if it were not for your Kool-Aid deficiency, you would know that. Here are two glasses of the stuff. The first is Delicious Diversity. It is enlightening and will make you see that there is strength in diversity and that change is inherently good. The second is PC Punch. Enjoy.
Infantry doesn’t have to be articulate. WHy else are they called “grunts”?
People talk about how a president can leave a legacy with judges and SCOTUS justices, but they often forget how a president can shape the military with promotions of general officers. The deep scars of the clinton administration carried over to GWOT because of shitbags wearing stars such as Shinseki, Remo Butler, James Parker, and the list goes on. We need to stop pretending that generals are soldiers, and recognize that they are politicians. For that reason, when a new POTUS is elected, they should all submit their resignations, and leave it up to the new POTUS whether or not they get to stay. obama is a lame duck, and he knows that he can leave his stink on the military for years based on who is wearing stars and who isnt. the weasels know this, and are rapidly lining up to kiss his ass before he leaves office. whoever the next POTUS is (pray it isnt sanders or clinton) I wish they would call me up and appoint me +secretary of un-fucking the military”
It is precisely because the Bigs are politicians (and, therefore, chameleons) that they get to stick around from CiC to CiC. They will kiss the ass that poops on them. They always do. It’s only when they retire that they disagree with The Boss. That’s how I see it, anyway.
+100000000…amen! I would cut the number of GO and SES billets in half, too.
A two-star looking to put on his third.
If you have to read it three times to find out where it says what he says it says, then it is not there and he didn’t say it.
Come on, you guys! You know BS when someone throw it at you, don’t you?
Here you go. The general is (pick one or more)
– talking smack
– blowing it out your barracks bag
– bullshitting you
– mindf**king you
– clouding the issue intentionally
– talking points to get points
The list is endless. Have you never heard Fed chairman Jan Yellen speaking at a bunch of congress critters? Alan Greenspan was even better at pure bullshit than this general. He could run on for an hour and say absolutely nothing.
Don’t confuse the issue with facts Ex.
You had us at If.
In the Corps…that’s K O R to you Barry; Corpse is what happens when the Pinko, Fag, Commies ready one for a body bag. That in spite of the comments by Lars that all who are afraid of the communists were foolish. Since we are discussing operational readiness changes, sooner or later someone will change body bags to personnel pouches.
Rarely do I hear a politician actually ANSWER a question. They can talk two minutes in response to a question and never get close to answering. Oh, I include most senior officers in the same category as politicians. The day of their election, politicians are gearing up for the next election in 2, 4 or 6 years. Flags are about the same, making sure they are PC enough to get yet another star. It’s sad because some of the crystal palace officers sometimes don’t seem to have the best interests of their troops in mind when they make PC decisions. Remember the A10 fiasco? Grunts on the ground loved the A10, but I believe some officers and politicians were grooming themselves to become lobbyists for the defense industry. Not all, but I honestly believe some are. Buttwipes, if it ain’t broke, it doesn’t need fixing.
I couldn’t find anything of substance to justify his contention. Maybe his philosophy is along the lines of, “If I say it, it’s obviously true.” When a disproportionate percentage of women are injured and unable to perform their duties, that’s when the SHTF. But I’m thinking the politicians/senior officers/SJW will create panels of ‘experts’ to examine the problem. After millions in cost and months or years studying the problem, they will issue another BS report to statistically prove women are not disproportionately injured. And the hits just keep on comin’.
Meanwhile, over in the Navy world:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/04/06/navy-women-issued-dixie-cup-uniforms-first-time-gender-equality/82693704/
This too should increase combat readiness…
Do you ever ask if the girls will start wearing buzzcuts and get the inside of the dark blues jumper cuffs lined with embroidery? I mean, really, do they expect the girls to hit the bars at Olongapo looking for barboys?
Not to worry: during WWII, one official headcover for WAVES was a take-off on the 19th century flattop hat that sailors wore until after WWI. It looked ridiculous on anyone who wore it, kind of like something a flying nun would wear.
Didn’t you see the exponential growth in Army lethality after we all went to black berets like the Rangers?
“Gender equalilty in appearance“? Seriously? Mabus has his head so far up Obama’s ass, he’s suffering from hypoxia.
On the bright side, maybe the general here will be part of the downsizing.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/5/ash-carter-says-us-military-too-top-heavy-aims-cut/
After this bit of showing that he “knows what to kiss . . . and when”, I’m guessing that would be a “no”. But perhaps I’m wrong.
It won’t be him because he probably beat the cut line by throwing out the “whatever the CinC says is gospel!” bit in this interview.
The ones cut will be the ones that call bullshit and say something is what it is.
So Navy uniforms aren’t expensive enough (second only to Marine uniforms), these women have to go and buy MORE, just to satisfy the PC SJW crowd??
I hear that the LBGT groups are now filing a law suit about Infantry tactical manuals. Seems that attacking from the rear has them upset. I thought they preferred this tactic? 🙂
I think [requiring MG Rainey to retire immediately is] going to make the Army stronger in the long run.
FIFY
“I’ve read the article three times and I’ll be damned if I can see where the good general explains how this will make the Army stronger”
Obviously you missed the datum point that “if I get another star it’ll be good for the Army, too” he has tattooed on his forehead.
I’ll bet he didn’t get that purty round mouth sucking doorknobs….
Funny how similar his mouth is to Ray Mabus’ mouth. I’m sure King Barry enjoys them both.
Now it’s confirmed – you really do have to get a frontal lobotomy to get that second star.
I’d rather have a bottle in front of me.
And General Fancy Pants here wants a bottle in his behind….
I’m amazed at the number of people, military or not, who have such fervent opinions on women in combat who have never been in combat themselves.
They actually don’t deserve to have an opinion, but opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.
Mike. Your standard for opinion requires not solely combat experience but experience with females in combat, if not reserved only for women who have served in combat. Otherwise, it’s still speculative. Also, your requirement of combat experience in order to opine about women in combat assumes that all nature of combat is the same for all branches and under all circumstances when it isn’t. As a rule, combat is different for a jet jockey, seaman on the deep blue, and a grunt, requiring different skills and training.
There is no question that women have performed well in a variety of combat roles all ready, both in the US military and in other countries in multiple wars. The question is whether women are a good fit for ALL combat roles in all branches, w/o exception. If true combat experience (as opposed to serving in a combat theater or zone) were required for an opinion on that, then the Navy and Coast Guard decision makers would have to pass on the issue.
I just hope a non-Democrat gets in office and they allow the military to purge all the SJW appointees from the ranks.
Eight years of officers having to kow-tow to the POS infesting the Oval Office.
I just wish that someone would base military assignments on physical capabilities vice gender. I was Signal Corps 24 years retired SFC. I had female cable dawgs, 5 foot nothing 100 lbs run wire and cable all day and leave guys in the dust… I also had female troopies the same size setting up TRC-170 Tropo radio rigs and they just cant do it, it’s not sexism, it’s nature. It comes down to physical size and strength sometimes. You do what your body allows you to do.
I’m sure that he is not ready to get out of the Army. I say this because he is probably saying what he has to to keep his career afloat. That’s a real shame. You can either share the SJW talking points or leave. There will be no dissenting opinions allowed in this admin.
Less than 300 days!