Samantha Wyatt, from Fort Mitchell, Ky., has been in the Army National Guard for three and a half years. Being a woman and standing at only 4' 8" has led her to experience her fair share of prejudice in the military.
Wyatt explained how many of the sergeants who had been in the military for 20+ years view women as being weak and believe the only positions women should have in the military should be as nurses. She recalled one specific instance where she was counted out because of her gender.
"I had one sergeant in my unit who was really against having females in his platoon. Every time we would go on a ruck march he would tell us, 'Don't pack a full ruck sack, you're only going to fall out.'...I always packed a full ruck sack because that's what's expected of you in the military."
Wyatt and her unit were being led on a 12-mile ruck march. A ruck march, also known as a loaded march, is a quick-paced march over a certain distance while carrying a heavy load.
Part way through the ruck march her sergeant fell out and could not complete the march. Wyatt was the first female to finish that particular ruck march. At the end, each platoon has their gear weighed and that is how they're graded. Wyatt had the full 50 pounds of gear, while her sergeant turned out to only have 40 pounds of gear. "It was ironic because he tells everyone not to pack a full kit."
This is not the first time Wyatt has experienced prejudgement due to her gender and she knows it won't be the last. "That kind of prejudice is something that I feel like females are always going to have to deal with...females have to prove themselves in the military."
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