How a general became convinced that allowing women into combat roles was the right thing to do – because they were already doing it.

Dempsey took command of the Army’s 1st Armored Division in June 2003, when Iraqi insurgents were starting to target American troops with sniper fire, grenades and roadside bombs. As he prepared for a trip outside his headquarters, he took a moment to introduce himself to the crew of his Humvee.

“I slapped the turret gunner on the leg and I said, ‘Who are you?’ And she leaned down and said, I’m Amanda.’ And I said, ‘Ah, OK,’ ” Dempsey told reporters at the Pentagon.

The reason for the slapping on the leg is a turret gunner stands outside of the Humvee or other vehicle, in a sort of rotating affixture with typically a .50 caliber cannon. Like this:

If the general had merely called up, it’s unlikely the gunner would even hear. Slapping on the leg or even calling on the radio is a typical way to get a turret gunner’s attention. I’ve done it a number of times myself in training.