Ok, let's talk realities of US Army Living...

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When people in the military talk about close quarter living, most civilians think of something like room mates in an apartment or maybe think back to their days living in the dorms at college. In fairness, some members of the US Army live pretty much like that. I say this at the beginning so no one can say I didn't admit it. When I was in 1st Corps Support Command at Ft. Bragg, we had 3 person rooms with private latrines. In the field it was a little rougher, we lived in GP medium sleep tents.... about 20 people per tent. Privacy didn't exist in the tent, but we did have private showers. However, that is the best case scenario.. lets talk about the worst. Out in the field, latrines were anywhere from a trench about 6 feet long, a foot or so wide. The soldier squats over the trench to defecate, or just urinates into it. There is usually some kind of tarp around the trench (or set of trenches), but nothing separating the individuals using it. Then there were more luxurious latrines. Basically, plywood "huts" with 3-6 holes.. if you're lucky, there are toilet seats on the holes. The plywood goes about halfway up then some kind of chicken wire fills the space between the top of the plywood wall and the roof. That is the male latrines. Female latrines usually had plywood all the way to the roof. They didnt' flush, nor were holes dug underneath. The waste material ended up in "buckets" (1/3 of a 55 gallon drum). About once (sometimes twice) a day, the contents of the buckets had to be set afire by some poor lowly soldier chosen for the detail. Again, there were no stalls, just the holes... they were close enough together that if all the holes had someone sitting them, their thighs were only inches a part. ~~~~~~~ That's how the SUPPORT units had it... in other words, that was the lap of luxury. Let's talk about the Artillery. I was in a Self Propelled Artillery Unit. That means the howitzers looked something like a tank. Every gun section had a gun team and a ammunition team. The gun team basically lived out of the gun. A chief, gunner, assistant gunner and #1 man. The ammo team basically lived out of an ammo carrier. A ammo team chief, the drivers for both vehicles and a couple of ammo team members. During bad weather, we slept in the vehicles. This is also where we took care of personal hygiene and other health related activities. There were no secrets here. If you had to apply some kind of ointment or powder to any part of your body, you did it within a couple of feet of your buddies. When we had time to shower, the "shower" was an "australian shower" (basically a bag with a shower head). We filled the bag with a 1 maybe 2 gallons of (cold) water, hung it on the muzzle of the barrel and raised it up. We put a pallet on the ground so the troop wouldn't have to stand in the dirt or sand while showering (nice of us huh!). There were no tarps or anything around the troop for privacy... it was just him, the wind and everyone else. While one troop was showering, another usually got ready for his shower. The whole shower process took about 30 seconds to a minute and a half. ~~~~ Now we get to the real nitty and gritty. The Long Range Surveillance Team. Long Range Surveillance guys are a rare breed. They dig holes in the ground, then live in them for up to a couple of weeks. Picture a space about 4x4. Now picture yourself and 3 or 4 random coworkers living there with you. The purpose of these holes is to watch a specific area through a small opening in the hole. They will record and report any activity (animal or human) they observe. When you're picturing yourself with those 3 or 4 coworkers living in the hole, think about this. You don't leave the hole for those 2 weeks. Not for urinating, defecating, or any personal hygiene you participate in. Again, if there are any salves or ointments you need to apply to any part of your body, you are doing it right there in the hole. Women, if you happen to be on your period during this two weeks, you will be taking care of your feminine hygiene needs in that hole.. with your buddies just a couple of feet away. Think about the fact that your water supply is extremely limited. How much of that drinking water are you going to sacrifice for hygiene? Considering the fact that men can stay healthy a lot longer than women in dirty and unhygienic conditions, how many gynecological conditions do you think you would be susceptible to as "part of your duty". Men and women who happen to be reading this. Look around at your coworkers. Picture yourself living with them in these conditions. Now tell me again why you think there aren't reasons why opening up all positions to women or openly gay people might cause problems in the ranks.