"In cadence, EXERCISE!"

It’s 5:30 a.m. The theme song from the movie Patton reverberates off the gray granite walls of the barracks and Washington Hall, motivational music for the new cadets in Beast Barracks.

Cadets wearing Gym Alpha and blue Etonic running shoes march off to various grassy locations around the Plain. Platforms are strategically positioned for cadre members to mount and lead the stretching and calisthenics phases of PT.

Cadre members demonstrate (in mirror image movements) such exercises as the push-up, the deep knee bend (no longer allowed as it causes serious knee problems), and the side-straddle hop (jumping jacks). Initially, new cadets mimic the cadre members’ every move as they learn to perform each exercise “by the numbers.” Before they know it, they are ready to perform X number of repetitions of each exercise in unison, loudly calling out the step numbers and the repetitions. In between exercises, new cadets are not lollygagging around or smoking and joking. Rather, they are either at the position of attention or, at the very least, parade rest, all eyes on the cadre member standing up on the platform.

After announcing the name of each exercise and instructing new cadets to get into the starting position (for the push-up, for example, that would be the “front leaning rest”), the cadre member commands: “In cadence, EXERCISE!”

Going down, all of the cadets shout, “One!” Pushing back up, they shout, “Two!” Going down again, “Three!” And then pushing up once more to complete one official repetition of the push-up (but two actual push-ups), they all shout a much louder, “ONE!” to signify the repetition number. And so on. Until they have done the requisite number of repetitions and the cadre member commands them to “HALT!” If they are doing the push-up, the new cadets will still be in the front leaning rest, so the cadre member commands: “Position of attention, MOVE!” And move they do, hopping up to assume the position of attention and wait for the instructor to announce the next exercise.

Following a rousing round of calisthenics in the wet early morning grass, the new cadets go for a run, usually 2-3 miles, in formation, along the many roads that criss cross the West Point post. Cadets are broken down into basic ability groups, so the fastest runners get a challenge and the slower runners have a good chance of completing the runs. (When I say slower runners, though, we are not talking slackers. You have to be in really good shape just to get into West Point.)

Falling out of a run is seriously frowned upon and discouraged. All cadets are expected to be in tip-top physical condition upon reporting to West Point. All of the new cadets had to pass a Physical Aptitude Exam, which consisted of a shuttle run, standing long jump, overhand basketball throw, and pull-ups (males)/flexed arm hang (females), as part of the complex admissions process, and most of them played varsity level sports in high school. West Point cadets are, by and large, in really good shape. Those who aren’t in good enough shape soon will be, or else they will wash out.

West Point is an institution that prides itself on physical prowess of the macho, chest-thumping variety. It should come as no real surprise then that the area in which female cadets have the most difficulty being accepted is the physical.

There are no two ways about it: physiologically, men and women are very different. Men are usually taller, have more muscle mass, and tend to be stronger, especially when it comes to upper body strength. A female cadet may be in top-notch physical condition, but she will be hard pressed to do as many pushups or run as fast as the average male cadet.

What seem like normal, challenging expectations for the 18-25 year old male cohort are not, by and large, going to be the normal, challenging expectations for 18-25 year old females, no matter how in-shape they are. Sure, there will be some females who can do a really impressive number of push-ups or run fast enough to hang with the fast group -- and females can actually outperform males in sit-ups – but your average female cadet is going to do fewer push-ups and run the two mile run test slower than the average male cadet. Which isn’t to say there aren’t a percentage of male cadets at the bottom of the running scale, because there are.

Still, if you are doing a group formation run, unless the pace is slower than that which most males feel comfortable with, you may well see a certain number of female cadets dropping back and ultimately falling out. (You may see a few male cadets doing so as well, but they will really catch hell.) This problem is partially dealt with by breaking cadets up into ability groups and then placing the smaller, shorter-legged women in the front of the formation and the taller, longer-legged males in the back. Still, formation runs tend to be slower than male cadets think they should be, and they blame this “lowering of standards” on the presence of women. They fail to see that formation runs aren’t so much about getting and staying in good physical shape as they are about unit cohesion and camaraderie.

The Army, and male cadets in particular, prize physical prowess. Thus, it is with disdain and derision that most male cadets assess the physical capabilities of female cadets. Female cadets are slower, not as strong – thus, they are weaker. And inferior.

They are not warriors.

And West Point is all about warriors and being trained for combat.

Ironically, speaking from my own experience and observations of other women at West Point, female cadets tend to work out more often and more diligently on their own time than male cadets do. Sure, there are plenty of male cadets who work out and go for runs around post, but percentage-wise I would argue that female cadets put in more time and effort to stay in shape for the semi-annual PT tests than male cadets do. (Keep in mind that all cadets have to take PE throughout the academic year and participate in intramural sports if they aren’t playing a corps squad or club squad sport. We must not forget that “upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds of victory.” [Douglas MacArthur]).

I would say female cadets run and work out more on their own limited free time because they are so worried about “making the grade” and doing the best that they can on PT tests. They are also often worried about their weight, but then that is another topic entirely.

At West Point, I was an average athlete, or perhaps an average female athlete and thus a below average athlete overall. In high school, I had always been very athletic and participated in a different sport each season, but I was no star athlete. I had worked very hard to get into shape for West Point, lifting weights, doing push-ups and sit-ups, and going for long runs.

At West Point, I was really good at some things, like swimming, gymnastics, and the OC (Indoor Obstacle Course), while I was terrible at other things, like running two miles at a fast pace in combat boots. I spent A LOT of my free time out running. But I was still never very good at it.

I didn’t realize until I got out into the real Army that the West Point physical fitness standards were significantly higher than the Army standards. When I got to my first unit as a lieutenant, I was a PT stud muffin! I always maxed or nearly maxed the PT test and had a reputation for being in really good shape. As a leader, I felt it was important to lead by example, and I wanted to make sure that my soldiers were “being all they could be.” I ran a remedial PT program for soldiers (male and female) who were having trouble passing the PT test.

So, maybe it was a good thing that the standards at West Point were so tough. It helped make sure that I was in far better shape than I technically needed to be. And maybe my having had such difficulty meeting physical fitness standards at West Point made me more empathetic and encouraging of my soldiers.

At the same time, I think these same goals could be accomplished by maintaining tough standards without making female cadets feel they are physically inferior because they are women. And it is not a healthy atmosphere when male cadets are encouraged to believe that female cadets who can’t run as fast or do as many push-ups are inferior to male cadets. These same male cadets will one day be male officers in an Army that has both male and female soldiers.

There is a whole lot more to good physical fitness than just doing push-ups and sit-ups and running two miles. In addition, one must also consider the level of effort required to do each of these tested activities. Male cadets could not seem to grasp that the standards set for the female cadets required the same (or higher) level of effort than the standards set for male cadets. Men and women are different; most men are faster and stronger than most women. That is just the way it is.

If a job out in the Army requires a soldier to lift heavy weights on a regular basis – like loading ammunition rounds in a tank – and a female soldier cannot do that task, then she shouldn’t fill that job. If she can do it, then she should be allowed to. Likewise, if a male soldier cannot do it (and trust me, there are many male soldiers who cannot perform certain key tasks that require lots of strength), then he should not be allowed to do that job, either.

Not all jobs in the Army require brute strength and fast running abilities. In fact, few do. Infantry, armor, and Special Forces are about the only ones that come to my mind. All soldiers should be in good physical condition because their jobs under normal peacetime, training conditions incur stress, long hours, and plenty of mental and physical challenge and soldiers should always be prepared to deploy and be involved in a combat situation.

If a soldier, male or female, is capable of doing a particular job, whatever it may be, then he or she should be allowed to do it. And do it well.