There is a piece of video propaganda making its way around the news services and the internet. It features imagery of an all-female, Israeli Army tank crew. //

That crew of dedicated Israeli patriots deserves nothing but kudos. They have stepped up to defend their nation against an evil force of terrorists who murdered infants in the crib among other atrocities. My beef, is with Americans who want to use those achievements to promote the provably and long-proven, false proposition, that generally speaking, females perform just as well as males in close combat units–moreover that somehow this Israeli example justifies the continued feminization of the American military. That’s. Just. Not. True. //

Two (of many) things left out of the video would demonstrate why women are physically unsuited for the role of tank crewman. What occurs inside the tank during combat isn’t relatively speaking, the physically demanding part. It’s what occurs prior to and after the battle that beats your body to death and requires strength and stamina to perform.

One of these crew tasks, is the manual upload of the “basic load” of tank ammunition from the ammo carrier or ground pallet, into the turret of the tank. Tank main gun rounds, depending on the type, weigh between 40, and over 50 pounds each. The Israeli Merkava 4, carries 48 rounds of 120 mm main gun ammo. Each round must be manually uploaded and placed into the vehicle’s storage magazine. //

Another onerous task required to be performed by armored vehicle crewmen, is “breaking track.” This physically demanding operation takes place when one or more of the track shoes must be taken out and replaced by a new one…or when the tank, or other armored vehicle, “throws” a track and it must be manually put back in place.