A story men probably shouldn’t mention

It’s a story that men probably should not talk about.

The Marine Corps has wrapped up an extensive scientific study designed to find out whether it makes sense to put women in combat.

And the answer seems to be “no.”

Now before everyone jumps to conclusions about the conclusions, let me point out a few things. The data collection was meticulous. To the point that computers tracked each bullet fired, and by whom, while monitoring soldiers stress levels as if they were astronauts.

And the data was clear. The all-male units were much faster in combat situations compared to units mixing men and women. And women were injured twice as often as men &#8212 because of the heavy loads they had to carry.

The study also found &#8212 and let’s remember I’m just the messenger here &#8212 that male Marines with no infantry training were better shots than women with infantry training.

But here’s the mistake I see men making &#8212 and you can already see it in online comments &#8212 men have this irresistible urge to say “I told you so” within earshot of a woman, because men tend to see these experiments as political correctness run amok.

I think everyone agrees the average woman is going to have a tougher time meeting physical combat standards than the average man. But I also think every woman who wants combat training should get it.

War is changing. The battle isn’t always on the battlefield anymore.

What happened 14 years ago, on Sept. 11, reminds us it may be on an airplane, or a high speed train, or a classroom, or a cafeteria. And the more women who are trained to show courage in a crisis, whether they get to serve on a traditional battlefield or not, the safer we’d all be.