http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030611-120105-9326r.htm


   A Marine gave birth aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer in the Persian Gulf last month, marking what Pentagon officials believe is the first time an active-duty woman delivered a baby on a combat ship in a war zone.
   As a rule, the Pentagon does not deploy pregnant service members to war zones. Navy regulations, which also cover the Marine Corps, require a pregnant servicewoman to notify her commanding officer no later than two weeks after diagnosis.
   A Pentagon official said the Marine in this case told superiors that she did not know she was pregnant.
   "She never told anybody she was pregnant," the official said. "I think she claimed she didn't know she was pregnant. The good thing was the Boxer has a complete hospital on board, so that was not a problem."
   The Marine is assigned to a ground unit in Kuwait and was aboard the USS Boxer in the Gulf area when she went into labor.
   Marine Corps headquarters, in response to an inquiry from The Washington Times, released a statement yesterday:
   "The medical staff of the USS Boxer delivered a 7-pound baby boy on board the ship May 23 at 10:58 p.m. The mother, a 33-year-old U.S. Marine staff sergeant, is assigned to Headquarters Battery 11th Marines as an administrative chief. Mother and baby, both healthy and in good condition, were transported from Boxer to the New al Mowasat Hospital in Salmiya, Kuwait. Following a short stay, they will travel to San Diego. Names are being withheld until immediate family has been notified."
   As women play a larger role in the armed forces today, pregnancy during military operations is a matter the Pentagon studies to determine whether it hurts combat readiness by leaving critical jobs vacant.
   The Navy at one point in the mid-1990s experienced a 10 percent pregnancy rate for women on six-month sea tours and looked at policies to discourage pregnancies while assigned to ships.
   A Pentagon spokeswoman said yesterday that she had no data on the pregnancy rate in Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which more than 25,000 women, out of the total U.S. force of about 270,000, were deployed.
   Elaine Donnelly, director of the Center for Military Readiness, said the birth should spur the Pentagon to review its policies.
   "I know the Marines are good at 'multiplying' the force, but this is ridiculous," Mrs. Donnelly said.
   "President Bush should immediately request detailed information on deployability problems and evacuations due to pregnancy during the battle of Iraq," she said. "Today's Marine Corps and Navy cannot afford policies that subsidize and, therefore, encourage irresponsible behavior. This baby was born safely, despite obvious hazards, but childbirth aboard warships is not an acceptable situation."
   The Navy adopted regulations in the mid-1990s that declare pregnancy compatible with military service. But the new policy also placed requirements on service members.
   The regulations, updated in March, state: "The individual servicewoman is responsible for notifying her CO ... of her pregnancy as soon as possible, but no later than two weeks after diagnosis of pregnancy. This will help facilitate planning a request for replacement requisition if the servicewoman is in a sea going/deployable billet."
   No service member can be assigned overseas after the 28th week of pregnancy, the policy says.
   The rule is designed to protect the health of the mother and the baby.
   Mrs. Donnelly said her research shows that there have been four deliveries at sea since women entered the fleet in 1978. None happened in a war zone on a combat ship. Two occurred in 1994 on support ships while in port.
   

7 pound baby boy...  and she didn't know she was pregnant?  

I just thought I was getting fat. [:)]

Yeah right.

She just didnt want to lose pay I bet.

Yeah, women in combat is a brilliant idea.

Absolutely brilliant.

She probably thought it was a tape worm [;D]

As stupid as it sounds (I won't comment about her choice or services[:)]) I've actually SEEN someone do just that. She showed up in Korea a little pudgy so we figured she was just kinda fat. Well a few months later she walks into the bar with a fairly round tummy, one of the NCO's in the ACE turned and mumbled something to which I replied "She's pregnant, she has to be". That was Friday/Sat night sometime. Wed morning I saw her running a PT test, a big no no for pregnant soldiers. Friday night while on duty her water breaks. (Duh) She "never knew she was pregnant" [rolleyes]. Don't ask me HTF you can ignore a 7-8lb kicking/squirming baby in your abdomen for a couple of months straigh, but she managed.

Why do we never hear about Israeli women in combat units giving birth like this? Or getting pregnant at alarming rates in combat zones? I'm not refuting the story I whole heartedly believe it. Having known several enlisted women, and NOT in the bibilical way, there ain't that much "tool dip" on the planet, I can see what the problem is. They join looking for easy um "deployment". At least the 10 or so I've encountered did. One even bragged about going through an entire platoon of Marines on her ship. I realize I am generalizing quite a bit here I'm sure some do in fact do a good job with their legs closed. I just ain't met em. We need to rethink the "socialization/wussification" of our military. I really fear what might happen if a real nasty conflict were to come down the pike and we had to rely on the MTV generation to protect this Nation. (shudder)

Because Israeli women aren't really in "combat units".  It's alot of myth-building.
Think about all the Palestinian/Israeli fighting we've seen on TV over the last few years.
Ever see a female Israeli Soldier involved in a firefight, or patrol?

Not one.

"gee, I forgot I haven't had my period in, oh, 7 to 9 months..."

[rolleyes]

Hmmmmmm. Now that you mention it, no.

Gee, I wonder if this example of who the Marines accepts, in terms of intelligence, has ANY idea the American people have a Second Amendment? Or even a Constitution??

It would be interesting to give an order to round up American guns to such as these, just to see what they'd do.....

Hey, don't blame the Corps for her ignorance.
We have higher Intelligence standards than MOST of the other services.
She's just a typical female in the military.
Probably treated with kid gloves.
She should be discharged.

Hey guys, when my wife was pregnant you couldn't tell until the 6th month.  If she was deployed when she was about 1-3 months pregnant there's no way in hell she would know, aside from the no period thing.  But as a medical student and husband of an up and coming OBGYN, some women don't get periods, my wife included(Oh it's sooo nice), especially ones that are physically active.  And this article generalized her not knowing she was pregnant i.e. she might not have know when she was deployed but knew later on.

*sniff sniff*  Whew, the testosterone is really high in this thread.

And don't get me started with the "no women in combat thing" because my wife and I both agree, there's a time and a place for women, and combat ain't one of them.  My wife is a fit young 21 year old lady, and she couldn't if she wanted to pick me up and carry me if I was dead weight, and I'm only a buck 55.

I dont think women should be in Combat at all!

Quoted:
Hey guys, when my wife was pregnant you couldn't tell until the 6th month.

[b]-Except from the morning sickness, weight gain, tender titties, swollen ankles, mood swings, tender belly and everything else how could you tell? Maybe other people couldn't tell, but I am pretty sure that both of you had a clue prior to the end of the second trimester.[/b]

If she was deployed when she was about 1-3 months pregnant there's no way in hell she would know, aside from the no period thing.

[b]-See above. [/b]

But as a medical student and husband of an up and coming OBGYN, some women don't get periods, my wife included(Oh it's sooo nice), especially ones that are physically active.

[b]-No shit, huh. Having sporadic menstrual cycles is one thing. Being prego is an entirely different thing all together. Just because your wife dosen't have regular periods dosen't mean that she can't get prego at any time. When dose she ovulate anyways? Nobody carries a 7 lb. child to term w/o having the light bulb come on that says: "Hey, something is different here!"[/b]


And this article generalized her not knowing she was pregnant i.e. she might not have know when she was deployed but knew later on.

[b]-And no one in her command noticed the fact that she had to switch to the Coleman tent BDU's?[/b]

*sniff sniff*  Whew, the testosterone is really high in this thread.

[b]-Sounds like you could use some.[/b]

And don't get me started with the "no women in combat thing" because my wife and I both agree, there's a time and a place for women, and combat ain't one of them.  

[b]-Good for you! Good for you both! What branch did you serve in anyways?[/b]

My wife is a fit young 21 year old lady, and she couldn't if she wanted to pick me up and carry me if I was dead weight, and I'm only a buck 55.

[b]-It already sounds like you are dead weight to me.[/b]


[b]Next Omelet![/b]

Amen, brother. Amen.

Glad I got out before it got too ridiculous...

Edited to add: I guess a 7-pound baby's kicking can be easily confused with an irritable bowl.... NOT!

No period for 8 months......

Hemorrhoids.........

Morning sickness........

Swollen, tender breasts...........

Excessive weight gain...........

Movement in her own belly!!!!!!......(must be all the Taco Bell food she was getting on the ship)

Having to piss every 30 seconds...........

Your breasts leaking milk for a month and a half.......

[b]I didn't know I was pregnant.[/b]
[bs]

She's either lying or so stupid she needs a discharge either way.