Old Question , But In Need To Know!

[mechanic_chick]

Well folks , this is probably the age ol' question but here it goes regardless.

Im 19 years old.

I am about to join the infantry.

Only catch , I am female. Im not only female. But I am 5'2 , 108 pound female.

This isn't and hopefully wont turn into a b*tching fest , thats not what I am looking for here..

What I AM asking however is some tips / ' hints ' , on what exactly a headstrong , determined female can do to make sure she is equal as her male co workers...

Physically , mentally.. anything.

I have had tips from many females here, and my male co workers.. good and bad , trust me nothing overly suprises me anymore especially with some of my old school Sgt's or MCpls..

Anything I should keep an eye out for? Anything I should or shouldnt do? Just little things you may not think of..

It's be greatly appreciated

Thanks for you're time!

Amy

 

[George Wallace]

You may want to refresh your memory here:

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/31044/post-301858.html#msg301858

 

[Journeyman]

Hmmmm....as a legitimately-asked question gets hijacked and the discussion devolves into "that gender rant," I see the thread locked within 1 day, 3 hours, 26 minutes.

Arrive fit. Keep eyes/ears open. Mouth shut. BE a soldier.

 

[Naralis]

Start by asking in the right forum?

 

[Journeyman]

Start by asking in the right forum?

Let's see....infantry question....infantry forum........  ???

OK....let me update my thread prognosis - - discussion will devolve into gender rant, interspersed with comments of little value, offered quite often by people (based on their blank profile) who are unlikely qualified to offer even such low-value comments  >

(And I'm in a pleasant mood today  ;D  )

 

[M Feetham]

push- ups, sit ups, pull ups, weights, running. you will need a lot of upper body strength in order to get over obstacles and to carry your rucksack on the 13 k. If you are fit now good, keep at it. If you are not, then i would recommend going to the local gym and getting into a program that will work on upper body strength and cardio fitness. Infantry has to be able to walk, anywhere, everywhere, and like turtles they sometimes carry their house on their backs.
Hope this helps.
Cheers, Marc

 

[mechanic_chick]

Wow guys chill the hell out...

Im new to this army site.. go figure people are nervous to ask stuff because you jump down peoples throats.

Im not SAYING this to have a " gender rant " okay? Let's get that clear.

What I am saying is there ANY TIPS OR HINTS as a FEMALE from ANYONE , when one JOINS the infantry.

Anything physically I should do to keep up with the males , and LARGER females...


Not looking to get b*tched at here.. just asking a simple question , chill out!

 

[mechanic_chick]

Adn btw..

I love the.. " Be a soldier "


Sure, Ill be a soldier , trust me. But guess who doesnt just see me as a soldier? Everyone , especially the staff. Regardless when you coem down to it , I have a set of boobs.. which seem to be a problem. Im wonderign how I can overcome this hurdle..  Thats all.

I know , be the best yah can be right? Thats what I plan on doing. Im asking for any adivce if I run into people like this.. and any pointers on things I shouldnt or should do ..

Thats all guys!

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

This may sound stupid but stop asking/worrying and just let it happen........Journeyman was just trying to inject some humour into this as we all know somebody with a brave keyboard always turns a question like this into a gender war.

Stop thinking about what you should know.......they will be more than happy to teach you what you NEED.

 

[scaddie]

Be assertive, you will meet guys out there who will hit on you. Show them who is boss. Don't let guys on course try to do your work for you, always do it yourself. Get in shape. Your boobs won't get in the way unless you let them, believe me; I've got boobs too. The best thing to do is tell the guy who is bothering you where to go, speak up. If it gets really bad, tell your Section Commander, and put it up the chain as harrassment.

 

[mechanic_chick]

You guys are taking this out of context. I was actually just looking for some helpful comments about say ruck sack marches.. and how LITTLE PEOPLE DEAL WITH IT! Thats all.. Im kind of tiny. I would also just like to hear some perspectives from females who are in the trade. Ddint think it was going to cause a **** storm!

And that and yah know , of course im nervous. It's not even the female crap Im nervous about. Im a little nervous my size is going to overcome me in BIQ.  It's afact. Woman are not as big or strong as men. So , when we want to do this job , does our physical size come in the way.

Just wondering from other females hopefully in the trade and how they feel about it.

Not trying to make anyone mad , whatever , just a simple question.



And btw. Scaddie.. thank you , its just simple advice like that I would like to read..

But im not necessarily looking towards that , im looking at the physical strength of a woman , and is it enough?  How did you find lugging around everything? And is the environment just too much..

I thought it was a legitimate question  :-\ 

 

[Franko]

I've known a few women in the cbt arms over the years, some infantry too, who were a bit on the short side.

The only thing I can say is they worked their butts off.

During the BFT they would ensure that they didn't stop even if the guy leading it was 6' 7" and was going hell bent for leather....for reasons that this 5' 7" guy could never figure out.

As for what will happen during your course and if you are having some problems with the physical aspect of it....I wouldn't worry about it.

I've personally seen someone exactly like you hump over 100lbs on thier back with a C9 around their neck so you can do it (during my CLC in 93).

If she had problems...teamwork.

I've never seen any infanteer walk away from someone having problems in their platoon/ section just because of thier size.

Besides....the one who was on my course was way too stubborn to accept any help    ;D

Good luck.

Regards



BTW....She was about 4' 9"ish. Hard as nails.

 

[mechanic_chick]

Well haha thats great to hear ,  I sound alot like you're friend on course!


Thanks for the advice!!

 

[scoutfinch]

Sure, Ill be a soldier , trust me. But guess who doesnt just see me as a soldier? Everyone , especially the staff. Regardless when you coem down to it , I have a set of boobs.. which seem to be a problem. Im wonderign how I can overcome this hurdle..  Thats all.

Guess what... you are the one that needs to chill out, as you so quaintly stated.  You have created a problem when one doesn't yet exist.  You aren't yet in the military yet you are convinced that having a set of *boobs* is a hurdle. 

If you want to be successful and respected, make sure you do your best -- your absolute best -- on all tasks.  That is all anyone can ask of you.  But first, make sure your best is worthy of respect. (I would expect the same out of both male and female candidates.)  You help out your colleagues and your colleagues will help you out in return.

You will have to earn respect from your staff and your peers with your work ethic and your smartsl.  Don't jump to conclusions about how you are going to be treated just because you are female. 

From... someone else with boobs. 8)

 

[mechanic_chick]

Thats cool I just thought people would get mad over this topic , not trying to start anything.

I just wanted some female perspectives! haha. thats alll..

Just want to know how some woman dealt with it all , wasnt trying to get people all mad because its another typical topic..

Just wondering dudes haha  :-X

 

[George Wallace]

I know that you have asked these questions before and that is why I refered you to your original questions.  I also know that there has been many questions about size.

Some of the Topics I found using SEARCH are:

Does size matter in the CF trades?   http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/26795.0.html

Wondering will size be an issue for me going through BMQ and so on?   http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/31752.0.html

Need somone to hold my hand on this one.     http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/38833.0.html

Your original question last Fall and the answers to in in another thread:   http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/31044/post-301858.html#msg301858

So don't get snippity.

 

[mechanic_chick]

haha sorry I guess im percieved differently on the computer , cant see my facial expression lol

thank you for the links they'll come in handy

 

[M Feetham]

If you want to be successfull, here is what you do. Get in shape. build upper body strength, it is very important. When you get to BMQ, focus on your training, never mind all the crap that goes on with recruits. The guys in your platoon are going to try to get into your pants, not all of them but some of them. Guys from other platoons are going to try too. It happens all the time. You go to the Bistro and start drinking and all of a sudden they just appear out of nowhere. Tell them no from the begining. Concentrate on the job at hand, there will be time for relationships once you have finished your BMQ and are trade qualified. Recruit romances usually do not last and often end in a bad way for one or both of the members involved. Just some advice. If you are old enough to join the mob, then you can make your own decisions. I am not trying to scare you or insult you, just telling it like it is. Work hard and pull your weight and you will be just fine. Good luck.
Cheers, Marc

 

[mechanic_chick]

No seriously , that great though , good advice. Thank you.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

Grab some sort of back pack, load it up with about 60 lbs to start and go walk/jog about 10 km.  If this seems a difficult task, then lighten the load and keep trying.  Also, try to be able to run a 6 minute mile in running shoes and gym clothes.  Be strong enough to do 20 full extention chin ups, 40 men's style push ups and 50 sit ups.  These aren't CF standards, but if you can do this, you should be off to a good start.  The SAS produced an excellent workout book a few years back.  Get that one down, and you will be dragging the guys around!  Here you go, maybe try one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/explorer/1578261325/2/ref=pd_sexpl/002-6877829-5258454

I have worked with women that were absolutely switched on and could hump kit as well as any of us.  I have also worked with women who couldn't carry a ham sandwich and would cry when they were yelled at for falling out of a march.  If you can keep up, and not be a liability to the platoon, you will do fine.  That is advice that is gender non-specific, BTW.  Anchors are genderless.