>Hi Evan,
>
>I agree with John. This is just my own personal opinion and based soley on my own personal experiences. Some of the smartest soldiers I served with are women. Some are men. Some of the worst soldiers I served with are women. Some are men. A woman can operate just about any weapon that a man can. A child can as well and in some places, such as Sierra Leone, they do. Women excel in some military jobs, men in others. These are all generalizations that are true based on my experiences. We are not speaking of exceptions but of the general populace and the average soldier. The one who would be beside you in war.
>
>The physical strength requirements have nothing to do with operating weapons or machinery, but the other physical demands of an infantry soldier:
>
>1. Carrying heavy loads for long periods of time (this one most female soldiers do manage)
>2. Carrying a wounded soldier and gear alone (nope)
>3. Climbing over tall obstacles with heavy gear on (nope)
>
>I don't think the general public has any idea of the weight of the gear. Take a 180lb man and add 45-100 lbs (depending on the protective gear and weapons). ...

Aside from the women-gear issue, something I find interesting from docu's I've watched is that this load, of some 40Kg, seems to be more or less a constant through history, for squaddies to carry: from the fully equipped British marines "yomping" across the Falklands with their bergens, to knights in armour, to Romans carrying their gear plus their share of the staves for making their overnight palisades.