Gender integration in the military, especially now with Army combat rolls opening to women, has recently gotten a lot of local and apparently some international attention.
Royal Netherlands Marine Corps Lt. Col. Enrique Sanchez, currently assigned as liaison officer at Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia, visited Fort Jackson Feb. 9 to see how the Army integrates training.
"If we also (eventually) have to open all the jobs in the service to women, senior leadership wants to have several courses of action ready for recruiting and training females in the Dutch Marines," said Sanchez. "Since I'm here in the United States, my general asked me to look at potential solutions -- to see what the best way to do it is."
In the Netherlands, Navy submarines and Marines are the only fields or services which don't have women yet -- "but you never know,' he said. "This has been an issue that pops up every so many years within the Netherlands."
"Both (integrated and segregated training) have advantages and disadvantages," said Sanchez. "We want look for the best way and of course you have to know what is within your reach -- if you are small, you don't have the abilities to actually separate your training."
After discussing differences between recruiting males and females with the folks at the Columbia Recruiting Battalion, Sanchez took a trip to the Teamwork Development Course on post to watch integrated teams work together to problem solve.
"I think it's awesome that he's getting the opportunity to see how Fort Jackson does their integrated training," said Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Kendrick, Sanchez's escort for the day. "His program's not integrated yet -- so he gets to see what works well and what doesn't and to talk to people at different facilities today."
Sanchez met with the 171st Infantry Brigade folks to discuss nutrition and physical fitness, and 193rd Infantry Brigade leadership to talk about instructors, staff and standards.
"We just do everything as a team and that way there is no issue,' said Staff Sgt. Michael Quinones, a drill sergeant with the 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment. "We look at Soldiers as uniforms -- nothing else."
Sanchez then toured a battalion's sleeping bay, latrine, and integrated administrative areas.
He was briefed by Lt. Col. Bryan Hunt, commander of the 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment and Command Sgt. Maj. Edwin Brooks on the 'Safe and Secure' door locking, alarm, communication system, and the three dedicated phone lines in each bay in the event of an emergency or case of sexual harassment or assault.
"The other requirement is to have separate latrines for females," said Hunt. "To save money, we have no urinals in any of the latrines, so we can change the (male/female) signs on them anytime as the need arises."
The Dutch Marine observed male and female Delta Company Soldiers working side by side in one of the bays, tearing down, cleaning, and practicing dry firing their weapons.
In their sleeping bays, Soldiers are not allowed to change clothes -- they must do that in the latrines. When a female drill sergeant enters a male bay, 'female on the floor' is announced twice -- and vice versa to avoid any issues.
Hunt went on to explain the layout of the building with separate entrances with cameras and separate laundry rooms for males and females, which is a regulatory requirement.
"Safe and Secure, and segregated bays are about the only separation, said Staff Sgt. Rolando Prado, another drill sergeant with the 1-13th. "Outside of that, Soldiers train together."
In the common administrative areas, Staff Sgt. Kasha Davis, a drill sergeant with the 1-13th said that male and female "drill sergeants can work and meet together in battalion spaces -- away from the privates -- and there's never an issue."
"I come from a mostly male background, coming here was a little different for me," said Staff Sgt. Craig Martineau, a 1-13th drill sergeant. "Having the female drill sergeants here is a huge help to me, not that we don't deal with female privates ourselves, but it helps the trainers get used to each other and see how each other works."
"The first thing we might need is to have Army or Navy female instructors -- we'll see," said Sanchez.
Sanchez and drill instructors volleyed more questions such as "How do we start off with changing the culture?" and "If one of our female counterparts were to get shot, would we react the same if it were a male? Perhaps all the guys might want to save her."
Sanchez said "I understand the cognitive mind can see a uniform and tell it not to distinguish gender, that's your rational thinking -- but you still don't know how you'll behave" if that situation were to occur.
"We don't treat the females any different than the males," said Staff Sgt. Justin Strohman, a drill sergeant with the 1-13th.
Sanchez made one more stop on post to watch integrated soldiers dig foxholes during their three-day field training exercise in the woods.
He was shown the layout and was briefed on sleeping arrangements. The exercise is designed to introduce Soldiers to possible real world scenarios down range.
"Trying to get rid of the stigma of being known historically as 'a man's Army' is a learning process," said Martineau. "We're doing it a little bit at a time."
After departing Fort Jackson, Sanchez will be looking at U.S. Marine Corps gender segregated training at Parris Island, South Carolina.
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