It happens in literature all the time. And occasionally on the Glenn Beck Program. People who have made depressing predictions that have later proved to be accurate make comments like, “Boy, do I hate being right all the time!”
I’m not saying that this is a regular occurrence for me, but on this particular topic, I have long predicted this particular result: “Rangers, SEALs May Slash Physical Requirements to Integrate Women,” the headline reads.
On January 26, 2013, just days after then Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced that combat units would be opening positions to women, I was part of a panel (along with fellow veteran Stacy Washington) on the Dana Loesch Radio Show. During that show, I made the following statement:
Every time a job is opened to women in the military, instead of demanding that the women meet the same standards set by the men, they create a new (nearly always lower) standard for the women.
And recent years have borne that out: just recently, after no women were able to pass the Marine Combat Officers’ Course (only four women even made it through the grueling first day), the Pentagon *suggested* that the Marine Corps be prepared to either “lower their standards or justify them.” And now the Army Rangers and Navy SEALs have been added to the PC hit list after news broke that every woman who attempted Ranger school failed to complete it.
In the current “be PC or die trying” climate, applying the standards of civilian society to what was once the most formidable fighting force the world had ever seen takes a drastic turn toward military irrelevance. Stories of the brave men and women who instinctively ran toward the sound of the guns are being replaced with stories of brave National Guard units ordered to march in uniforms disrespected by the addition of red high heels. Stories of the courage of prisoners of war are replaced with stories of the courage of transgendered soldiers who stole international secrets because “the world deserved to know.”
In times of peace, these things matter. It has a great effect on morale to know that one soldier might receive the same – or even greater – accolades for “coming out” as another would receive for standing in the path of a bullet to save a friend.
But in times of global unrest and constantly shifting balances of power, these things point to a future that may not belong to America. Because every move the American military makes toward political correctness and enforced gender equality is a move toward weakness. That is not to say that all women are weak and detrimental to a strong military; rather, it is to say that an across-the-board reduction of standards to “pave the way” for a military that embraces equality necessarily results in a reduction in performance.
And make no mistake: that reduction in performance is being monitored carefully. By Putin. By China. By the Ayatollah and the Saudi king. By ISIS. And by every nation that has ever looked to the United States for support or aid.
