The U.S. Military already employ thousands of women, albeit most of them in support roles rather than actual frontline duties. But on January 2016, they opened up all roles, including combat roles to women as announced by Defense Secretary Ash Carter in December 2015. There are no exceptions at all, and thus women have the same opportunities as men to the various roles in the U.S. military.

This means also that the U.S. Army will have to open infantry roles to women and now they have their first female infantry recruit after they opened a series of MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) last April 1. Tammy Grace Barnett, a 25-year old police officer from Louisiana, took the oath of enlistment Thursday at Military Entrance Processing Station Shreveport, Louisiana.

Barnett will report in June 2017 to Fort Benning, Georgia. According to Army Times, the 14-month delay is to allow the U.S. Army to prepare female officers and non-commissioned officers to take on the role of training the female infantry recruits.

(Tammy Grace Barnett. Photo by the U.S. Army)

Barnett said that she has been meeting with Army recruiters since November 2015 and finally decided to sign-up when the infantry role was opened up for women. She initially wanted to enter the Military Police, but decided to go infantry citing her law enforcement experience as making her want to be in the frontlines.

Another video and story by KSLA News on this can be found here.

The United States is not the first country to allow women in combat roles. Other countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia have already done at various degrees with some countries still not allowing in certain roles. The U.S. joins a few countries in lifting restrictions to women in all roles in the military.

Last April 4, the U.S. Army already made a call for women already serving in the branch who are interested in infantry and armor roles. They are opening 14 previously closed combat roles for those interested:

• 11B (infantryman)
• 11C (indirect fire infantryman)
• 12B (combat engineer)
• 13B (cannon crewmember)
• 13D (field artillery automated tactical data system specialist)
• 13F (fire support specialist)
• 13M (MLRS crewmember)
• 13P (MLRS operational dire direction specialist)
• 13R (field artillery Firefinder radar operator)
• 19D (cavalry scout)
• 19K (M1 tank crewmember)
• 91A (M1 tank system maintainer)
• 91M (track vehicle repairer)
• 91P (artillery mechanic)

(Source Army Times)

In the next few years, we’ll soon be seeing women operating Main Battle Tanks, MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket Systems), artillery, recon vehicles, fire support, and actual infantry roles. There will be resistance in the male-dominated military, but then things should change for the better.

Should we see an increase in the number of women playing airsoft as well when they see women in combat roles as role models too? Perhaps, with few women playing airsoft, for them to see their gender doing equal roles in the military should inspire them to also emulate them in airsoft.