New Beginnings

Fourteen extremely physically fit women have tried a failed the Marine Corps' Officer Course since it was opened to women in 2012, almost all of them failing on the first day of a 13 week course. This immediately causes red flags in people's minds. Is the course discriminating against women because they are physically different than men? In order to give women a fair chance at being a Marine Corps Officer, should we set double standards for them? Sage Santangelo, the 15th woman to fail, doesn't think so. Santangelo was a fearless hockey goalie, climbed tough mountain faces in her home state of Colorado, and had her first solo flight when she was only 15 years old; this course was her next (and biggest) challenge. She was very fit, so for the first half of the course she felt good, passing many men, but later the fatigue kicked in. As much as she wanted to she couldn't continue. When asked about her, and countless other women's failure, she explained her reasoning. Santangelo doesn't believe that there should be double standards used in the military. She says that in order to be a stable and reliable commander, you must pass the test that is put forth no matter what gender you are. The enemy and the terrain are not going to go easier on you because you are a woman. The course requirements depict almost exactly the conditions you might have to face as an officer. She believes that the real injustice women face is the training before the tests. In her earlier years of training she was always in gender separated groups, doing less in physical tests than men, always a second choice to her male counterparts when the two groups were brought together. If men and women were put together sooner then maybe women would have a chance to gain the muscle and experience needed to complete the officer course. So where do the inequalities really lie?