SOFREP’s 2012 Greatest Hits #6: A Female CST and Special Forces Enabler Speaks Out

Me and the guys have decided to take a look at the greatest hits of the year. We’ve decided to showcase the top ten posts, and they’re ranked by number of views.

In June of this year Jack Murphy interviewed a female CST. Women in combat has always been a controversial topic. I’ve always thought that women can do the job but they must be properly integrated.  This would involved separation from male counterparts in many situations (e.g. all female Spec Ops teams, all female sub crews etc.) to avoid the basics of human biology and what happens when you put men and women together in close quarters.

Another issue that causes major morale issues is that senior leadership will pressure integration to the point that standards are initially lowered until quotas are met. We saw this very thing happen in the aviation community (I saw it myself when I was an aircrewman). This results in a guy that finishes top in his class not getting jets, or someone getting a third chance in the training squadron that normally would have been pulled from the program.

Women are just as capable in mental capacity and often this overrides the physical strength argument. Women in Special Ops? We say it’s about time we got with the rest of the world.

Enjoy number 6.

Brandon

A Female CST and Special Forces Enabler Speaks Out

First could you explain some of your background to us. Years in service, rank, MOS, deployment locations, units deployed with, other pertinent details…

I spent 12-years in the Army Reserves (1982-1994), took a 14-year break, and joined the National Guard in 2008. While in the Reserves, I served basically as a generator repair tech, and when I joined the Guard, I reclassed as an MP with a focus on combat operations (no L&O beyond MP school). My civilian profession was in law wherein I worked as a Paralegal. After approximately 12-years as a Paralegal, I went back to school to complete my BS program and received my degree in Criminal Justice. Following the completion of my BS program, I spent nearly a year on the South West Border Mission through the Joint Narco-Terrorism Task Force. Additionally, I possess a minor in legal studies and a BS in criminal justice.

My military career can be broken down as follows:

1982-1985 – Assigned to the 50^th General Hospital out of Yakima, WA as a generator repair tech.