It’s not just about physical standards. I don’t think most men would want to be around the kind of women who would be able to be hardcore soldiers.
Women put up with a lot of crap. Just because they might cry a bit more doesn’t necessarily mean they are fragile, and certainly not all women cry anyway. Men punching walls out doesn’t exactly scream “cool and collected” either, and even if aggressive is useful in combat situations, it may not be the best frame of mind in which to make decisions under stress.
I’m not sure how you would test emotional fortitude claims on men vs women, but it’s not a foregone conclusion that women are simply more emotionally fragile by nature.
The marine study specificially cited significantly higher injury rates incured during the trials and if you think professional soldiers walk around punching out walls that’s way off base. The point is that combat is inherently physical and in any sport men dominate the women, it’s just that in this one when your comrade doesn’t make it to point B to back you up because their knee is blown out you die.
Men also have better visio spacial abilities and faster reflexes as demonstrated repeatedly through academic research. This is why they nearly always dominate women’s scores in that event as well. Another factor you’re both missing that demonstrates your lack of understanding is that it’s not just about pointing and shooting like call of duty. You have to run their first carrying 50 pounds of gear. How fast you get there is important. Then you have to shoot WHILE WINDED, which is very different to shooting while rested from a bench. If you are less winded and there faster, you will perform better. Lastly, you are not shooting an olympic match .22 caliber rifle, single shot. You’re using a high caliber rapid action weapon with significant recoil. A girl with a smaller frame will simply not be able to shoot as rapidly and accurately with high recoil as a man will. These are all facts of combat.
.^I get frustrated by people assuming women are weak because they express emotions (crying). I see it more as a highly effective action… excreting pent up frustration in stress, thereby clearing the mind to make rational and intelligent decisions. Crying is not an emotional breakdown, it is an effective process. I like that one part in Sin City where they were locked in some cell and the woman is crying/ upset… but the molment the opportunity to escape forms into plan she snaps right out of it and into a most efficient unemotional state of action. They guy is like… “sometimes a dame just has to let it all out”. I can relate 
My point about punching walls was simply about how one measures “men having more emotional fortitude than women” and it’s not clear how one would measure emotional fortitude and whether crying or punching walls represented similar levels of loss of control. It was not about how professional soldiers behave on the battlefield. People here say “women obviously don’t have emotional fortitude” because they’ve seen a girl cry, but there may be no real significance to that for emotional fortitude, particularly after soldiers are trained.
You’ve got to be less sensitive to percieved slights. Be emotionally strong! 
^Bchad, I edited to add data.
How’s the weather in Narnia? Ronda Rousey couldn’t take a lightweight male. I boxed for years and I’d spar against women who were ranked and it was funny how easy we had to go on them. Look up the cases of the Williams sisters getting crushed by 110th ranked men. Women don’t excel at endurance. I ran ultramarathons and competed in expedition racing for years. A women winning happens like once in a lifetime across the entire sport despite even fields and gets talked about 10 years later. In general, women place near the back, and that is without carrying 50 lb packs that dramatically shift the advantage towards men with more bodymass. Women statistically also dehydrate more quickly and are more prone to injury and illness while also losing bodyheat more quickly in cold scenarios. Again, scientifically proven.
Only three of 15 women passed the marine corps basic training from an already selective group. That is a horrible ratio:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/21/marines-women-infantry-geiger/3663511/
t
Women DO excel in endurance sports. In Badwater and western states 100 top women often contend with top men. Remember Crissie Wellington from Ironman… on a few male pros were able to beat her. Usually top women in triathlon keep up with the back male pro pack. They might not be beating all the top men… but beat enough to be considered in the top of the sport overall. Plus, who has one of the longest swim ever under her belt… a woman in her 60s! I too have a strong history in endurance sports. I am not the best of the best, but when I race only about 6% of the male field is able to beat me.
Women DO have physiolgical advantages. For one, they are more efficient fat burners so don’t have to rely to heavily on carbohydrate for fuel… key for endurance and survival. I don’t know about the hydration but it that is the case, since they are smaller just give them a man’s ration of water and they will be fine.
I’m not saying ronda rousey is able to beat the best male fighters… but she could surely keep up with your avergae combat joe.
With the hand eye coordination stuff… what’s to say that isn’t just “nurture rather than nature” and will evolve as girls start pacticipating more in “boy” things.
so…grrrrrrrrr! I want to race you now! I’m not even in race shape right now, so you have a chance
1 thing women have in their favor are lack of balls. You can make the biggest man cry by whacking or crushign them the right way
So by “excel at” what you meant to say is “only slightly less bad at” and so the curve begins. This is my point. We treat our troops like crap when we do these things it is life or death in a difficult environment where enough sacrifice is already being made. Victory isn’t assured and fair is not a thing that exists on a foreign battlefield. The thing about the armed forces is you serve your country. Meaning you accept the orders your given to hopefully give your side the best chance of success, even if it means accepting a personal sacrifice. I have no problem with women in most combat roles. Pilots, sailers, MPs, even many of the stations in the army. But in forces like the marines, with thin budgets and little fat, their needs to be an analytical obligation to give your guys the best chance to win. Friends of mine were having their parents send over upgraded body armor and gun accessories in the marines because they weren’t supplied. But then we go and force them to waste money on dropouts while cutting budgets so we can feel PC?
Whoever makes the standard is in. Why discriminate? If the standard for performance is ‘x’ and they can do ‘x’ they’re in. End of story. This is 2015 for f’s sake.
^exactly Geo! I was just going to say something like that. I am totally against being “PC”. I hate the whole special considerations crap (standards are standards). However, if you have a field of 500 candidates trying to make the cut and you want to take the top 30%… there possibly could be some women in there. They won’t be the best but why throw them out just to add men who fell in below just because they are men and are on average physically superior.
BS… I got off track with woman in combat specifically but you just really pissed me off saying “in general, women place near the back”… not even close to reality.
I would take Katniss Everdeen all day. She won the hunger games. That proves it. Women are fit for mortal combat.
+1 fantastic!
Ok, so your beef is just about female marines, and not about “women shouldn’t be in combat-roles.” That seems less extreme than it sounded earlier, though if they can pass the standard then I don’t see a big issue.
Clearly the special forces have a role where strength is pretty paramount. It may be hard for women to pass the standard, but I don’t see that as a reason for shutting them out from more ordinary stuff that might end up in combat.
Yeah, I have no issue with women in combat roles. It’s mostly the marines and I feel the armed forces should evaluate each role individually.
Do most think the standards are the same? We are talking about accommodation. Most of the thread’s discussion is moot. http://m.military.com/military-fitness/marine-corps-fitness-requirements/usmc-physical-fitness-test http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/08/20/should-women-serve-in-combat-roles/make-the-standards-for-male-and-female-marines-equal
When I heard this news I had the same thought “uhh, this is probably not smart”.
Americans just can’t accept that a thing called evolution happened. We are different. Women are emotional/nurturning and not evolved for handling things like killing, or throwing a granade (they throw like crap), or running fast, or carrying a 50lb pack for hours without complaining, etc.