When You Finally See It - It Will Blow Your Mind!

[Javelin]

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/422805_2932688130537_1661041430_2520238_1906644727_n.jpg





See it yet? Here's a Hint: Look @ the color of the guideon. Now look @ who is holding it. Now try not to throw up a little.

[montanadave]

Not being military, I give. What am I looking at?

[Bolt_Overide]

You are looking at a female, holding the guidon, for an infantry company. Which, unless things have changed a lot in the last 6 months, is unpossible.

[CarlosDJackal]

This doesn't mean without the details. We have female Soldiers in our unit who wears the Special Forces patch on their right sleeve. And they earned it the same time they earned their CAB as well.

There has to be a back story behind the image.

[Javelin]

This doesn't mean without the details. We have female Soldiers in our unit who wears the Special Forces patch on their right sleeve. And they earned it the same time they earned their CAB as well.

There has to be a back story behind the image.

Yes there is a story behind it. That is the 1SGT for what I believe to be B-Company 2/4 Infantry out of FT Carson.

The Infantry apparently now has female medics.. ?

[CarlosDJackal]

Yes there is a story behind it. That is the 1SGT for what I believe to be B-Company 2/4 Infantry out of FT Carson.

The Infantry apparently now has female medics.. ?

I have a SSG who had just ETS'd last December. She cut her teeth as a Medic in support of Infantry units during OIF-1. While she may not have been directly assigned to the units she was supporting she was OPCON'd to them as they conducted DA missions in Iraq.

Her primary task was to enter a house behind the Grunts and treat our Soldiers, civilians who were caught in the crossfire and any insurgents that were still alive as they cleared structure after structure.

However, assigning a female Medic to a Paragraph - Line Number of an Infantry Unit is just asking for trouble. Not so much that she may not be able to hack it. But more because the chances of ALL the members of the unit accepting her as anything but someone to seduce and have sex with.

I wonder if this is the case?

[Sensei]

Female medics assigned to infantry companies are generally organic to the Charlie MED Company of a Birgade Support Batallion (BSB). These BSB's consist of support companies for the Brigade Combat Team such as transportation, medical, etc.

Charlie companies usually consist of a CO, BN Surgeon, PA, a couple of nurses, and a handfull of medics to provide medical support for the brigade. These assets are generally used to staff the BN Aid Station / Troop Medical Clinic. However, the CO of the company (usually a Medical Services Corps Officer who is not a doctor) works in conjunction with the Brigade Surgeon and Brigade CO to insure that outlying Forward Operating Bases have adequate medical assets. Thus, medics will often be rotated between staffing the TMC and assisting line units.

This is how female medics get assigned to infantry companies. It is not uncommon that a female who distinguishes herself among her peers be allowed to bear the company guideon - especially if she is being considered for a significant award.

[Spurholder]

Funny, I thought you were pointing out the way she'd attached her sling to the buttstock, at first anyway.

Task organization is a wonderful thing, sometimes...especially if it helps with your troops to task. Heck, she could be a 42A from the BCT headquarters. Holding the guidon, though? Whatevs...

Like LS stated, she's probably from the BSB's medical company. They've got a pretty robust ambulance platoon to pick from, too. Lots of 68W's running around.

BTW, and not to split hairs, the guidon looks like it belongs to a company in 1-?? IN...

[jwfuhrman]

Hell I was more worried about the fact that she's a red head with a M4..... RUN THE GINGERS GOT A GUN!!


This coming from a guy who has dated and almost a red head lol

[davidjinks]

In '98 my company got tasked for a training mission at Ft. Benning GA. for an ATL (Advanced Training Landmines).

While taking our vehicles out to the MOUT site one of the Inf. companies where doing their final road march. In the lead of the formation...6 female troops. It was explained to us that there was some type of training experiment going on at the time for integration.

[Moltke]

Women in the infantry? Sweet Jesus. Looks like the guy across from her is equally surprised as he seems to be mid-seizure.

[CarlosDJackal]

...This is how female medics get assigned to infantry companies. It is not uncommon that a female who distinguishes herself among her peers be allowed to bear the company guideon - especially if she is being considered for a significant award.

This makes perfect sense. Thanks for posting!!

[scoutfsu99]

She could also be in HHC as some type of support.....although it is unusual to see her holding the guidon.

Frankly, I'm encouraged to see that they have magazines in their weapons.

[Sensei]

Frankly, I'm encouraged to see that they have magazines in their weapons.

This varies from FOB to FOB and can be a real pain in the ass when you jump around. For example, most of the FOBs around Kabul wanted no mag in weapon (green), while Bagram required mag in weapon, empty chamber, and weapon on safe (yellow). I never went to red (chambered round with weapon on safe) unless we were receiving direct fire in the FOB or on a convoy/patrol where enemy contact was likely.

Having said that, FOB's that authorized yellow had a higher number of ND's due to people forgetting to drop the mag while "clearing" their weapon.

[Javelin]

She could also be in HHC as some type of support.....although it is unusual to see her holding the guidon.

Frankly, I'm encouraged to see that they have magazines in their weapons.

This particular picture I believe is B-Company (line Infantry unit) of 2/4 BCT 4ID out of FT Carson.

Yeah I am a little surprised to see the mag in the weapon especially with this being so recent of a photo // but to be honest in 2003-2004 during Iraq the standard was to have a fully loaded weapon on red-tight at all times (minus the SAW and M240s obviously). The BN Commander would have a shit fit if he saw someone without a mag in their firearm even in the CP or wherever while inside the
wire. Awh the good ole days of no A/C, housing quarters, nothing. We lived in a grain silo - - -> and there were no women b/c we didn't have showers for months.

:D

[Belmont31R]

I was signal, and we were on six person teams who supported infantry units, armor, artillery, and a host of others including brigade level stuff, and when we were deployed as a BN division level.



Females can be assigned to infantry units. We had to be careful about it, though, and if there was any hint of trouble the female was pulled back to our company/BN and tasked with something else. 400+ dudes with 1 or 2 females can be an issue. Doesn't mean the female is a whore or anything just that people have hormones and some people can't hold their tongue. While ultimate command of those people was ours they were under the temporary command of their host units.


Even as signal I have been to assigned to all kinds of units from brigade recon team (scouts and fisters), brigade command (sucked), and division (was ok).

[scoutfsu99]

but to be honest in 2003-2004 during Iraq the standard was to have a fully loaded weapon on red-tight at all times (minus the SAW and M240s obviously). The BN Commander would have a shit fit if he saw someone without a mag in their firearm even in the CP or wherever while inside the
wire.

The way it should be. Unfortunately some people can't be trusted with rocks much less a loaded weapon:mad: At the very least I think it would make people more serious about their weapons. This last tour, it got to the point where higher didn't want people going red direct even outside the wire. ****ing clownshoes...

[a0cake]

Yeah I am a little surprised to see the mag in the weapon especially with this being so recent of a photo // but to be honest in 2003-2004 during Iraq the standard was to have a fully loaded weapon on red-tight at all times (minus the SAW and M240s obviously). The BN Commander would have a shit fit if he saw someone without a mag in their firearm even in the CP or wherever while inside the
wire. Awh the good ole days of no A/C, housing quarters, nothing. We lived in a grain silo - - -> and there were no women b/c we didn't have showers for months.
:D

It's still like that on many COP's and OP's in Afghanistan. The major FOB's are full retard, but most of the highly kinetic positions are red status at all times. It's a matter of necessity when you take more contact on the COP than you do on patrol. Out of the 300 days I spent on one particular outpost last time around, there were less than 75 days where the COP did not receive small arms fire. It got to a point where the platoon patrolling that day felt safer than the guys on force-pro. A staff LTC out of Kabul doing battlefield circulation tried to dig in one of our LT's asses about the red status on base issue...I thought he was going to cry when the SPG-9's and B-10's started hitting. Satisfaction.