# Female only elite military units - What should their names be? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 23, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559 "2017-02-23T15:20:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/1 "2017-02-23T15:20:53Z")
I think it’s foolish and physically harmful to try and have women meet the same physical requirements as men in elite military units. Women should have their own elite military units. If this policy was adopted what should the names of the all female units be that are equivalent to the male units? Men Seals - Women ? Men Rangers - Women ? etc ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/2 "2017-02-23T15:21:46Z")
Amazons would be a obvious choice ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/3 "2017-02-23T15:37:54Z")
Obviously “Lady Seals” and “Rangerettes”. Seriously, if I was naming such things, I would even skip the Amazons and Valkyries and just get them gender-neutral unit names. It’s not as though the SEALs are called the “Manly Dong Warriors” and there’s nothing especially masculine about seals – we think of the unit by its well-earned reputation. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/4 "2017-02-23T16:25:42Z")
I’m not the kind to get all huffy about the fine points of equality, but I can’t imagine a need to have two different names for each kind of unit or squad or division or whatever, simply because they might be all of one gender or another. A SEAL team is a SEAL team. If I should ever end up in deep shit and a rescue team shows up composed of individuals who could turn me into steak tartare on a whim, I’m not really going to care which way their underwear fits. Besides, SEALs (male) wore queen-sized pantyhose for years. S’truth. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/5 "2017-02-23T19:43:30Z")
The Pink Berets, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/6 "2017-02-23T19:54:40Z")
I’m probably going to take flack for this but the military is having a hard enough time finding women who can even qualify to go to Ranger school let alone pass it. If there was an elite female only version of the Rangers they should be called the unicorns because nobody will ever see them. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/7 "2017-02-23T20:02:25Z")
Hells fury. That is more of an unofficial name though. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/8 "2017-02-23T20:23:05Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > I’m probably going to take flack for this but the military is having a hard enough time finding women who can even qualify to go to Ranger school let alone pass it. If there was an elite female only version of the Rangers they should be called the unicorns because nobody will ever see them. It would be reasonable to adapt the training to women’s different physiques. Not everything needs to hinge on massive upper body strength. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Hells fury. Which isn’t too different from “unicorn,” since “Hell _hath no_ fury etc.” ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/9 "2017-02-23T21:07:39Z")
And SEAL is just a military acronym for **SE** a **A** ir and **L** and . There’s nothing particularly gender biased about that. Female Texas rangers are called…Rangers. You’re not suckering me into making up any gender specific unit names, I ain’t that stupid! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/10 "2017-02-23T21:16:00Z")
They should all be named after pretty flowers. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/11 "2017-02-23T23:37:13Z")
I was thinking Snatch Squad\* \*UK slang may not travel well ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/12 "2017-02-23T23:53:44Z")
At one point the notion of girls having to report for selective service was being contemplated. Mike Royko (well known Chicago syndicated columnist) wrote a column in which he contemplated a female version of the Green Berets, to be known as the Green Bras … ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/13 "2017-02-24T00:10:32Z")
IIRC, the Wehrmacht named the female Russian aviators “Night Witches”. ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/14 "2017-02-24T02:44:52Z")
The U.S. Air Force. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/15 "2017-02-24T03:07:34Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > It would be reasonable to adapt the training to women’s different physiques. Not everything needs to hinge on massive upper body strength. If we take for granted that massive upper body strength is currently demanded of male applicants but not required for the roles targeted by that training, it shouldn’t be required of male applicants in the first place. If it is required, then there should be no adaptation of the training as regards that aspect for women. Incidentally, does anyone know what the male/female ratio of marathoners or half-marathoners is? ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/16 "2017-02-24T15:51:39Z")
Hell’s Belles? 😃 I think that would greatly depend on how you choose to deploy a Special Ops team , though. You could develop different units that specialize in different aspects that enable you to take advantage of the members relative strengths. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/17 "2017-02-24T15:56:49Z")
Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry? ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/18 "2017-02-24T17:05:03Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > It would be reasonable to adapt the training to women’s different physiques. Not everything needs to hinge on massive upper body strength. > Which isn’t too different from “unicorn,” since “Hell _hath no_ fury etc.” Upper body strength is not the only thing men tend to excel at physically. For example in the Army a woman’s max running time, meaning she gets the highest score possible, is about the same as the minimum pass score for men. I’m struggling to come up with a single physical attribute that women would focus on to compliment their physiques other than flexibility which doesn’t seem to have a lot of combat applications. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/19 "2017-02-24T17:18:57Z")
Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559/20 "2017-02-24T17:41:45Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. No. This is the wrong approach. My vote would be either “Powerpuff Girls” or “Douches”. Such an elite, all-female squad would get a lot of press. Imagine the humiliation and demoralizing effect that reading such headlines would bring to the enemy: “ISIS stronghold gets their asses handed to them by the Powerpuff Girls” or “After intense fighting, the Douches managed to capture the ISIS command center” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-only-elite-military-units-what-should-their-names-be/780559.md?page=2)