For the first time, the Marine Corps plans to have a female infantry officer among it

[Peter1469]

For the first time, the Marine Corps plans to have a female infantry officer among its ranks

History is being made. It looks like a female officer has graduated from the infantry officer course.

In a historic first, the Marine Corps plans to assign a female officer to the infantry following her anticipated graduation from its grueling training program, service officials said Thursday.

The woman is a lieutenant. She and her male colleagues in the Infantry Officer Course completed an intensive combat exercise Wednesday at the Marines’ rugged training facility in Twentynine Palms, Calif., the 13-week program’s final graded requirement.


IOC, as it’s known among Marines, is considered some of the military’s toughest training. Typically, about 25 percent all students wash out.


The woman, whose name officials have not disclosed, is the first female officer to complete the course out of three dozen to have tried. She is expected to lead an infantry platoon of about 40 Marines, a trailblazing role within an organization that has been criticized for its resistance to such change and for fostering a culture of misogyny. The service was engulfed in scandal earlier this year when more than a 1,000 current Marines and veterans were investigated as part of an online network that shared, critiqued and in many cases ridiculed photographs of nude female colleagues.

[Ethereal]

She is going to struggle in Fleet Marine Forces.

[Peter1469]

She is going to struggle in Fleet Marine Forces.

Very likely. I wonder how her unit will handle it. She will most likely be the only female the company.

[Cthulhu]

Very likely. I wonder how her unit will handle it. She will most likely be the only female the company.

And probably won't last long.

Sent from my evil cell phone.

[Ethereal]

Very likely. I wonder how her unit will handle it. She will most likely be the only female the company.

Outwardly, they will be compliant. Inwardly, they will be resentful and suspicious. And they will judge her twice as harshly as they would a male officer. Not saying it's fair, but that's how it is.

[Adelaide]

If she can be successful and capable, then I hope the men give her a chance. Otherwise, if she proves less competent it would make sense to pull her and place her in a different position.

[Peter1469]

If she can be successful and capable, then I hope the men give her a chance. Otherwise, if she proves less competent it would make sense to pull her and place her in a different position.

The military's personnel policies are not modern. If she fails as a platoon leader of male infantrymen she will get a bad evaluation. She will be moved to a staff job and then it will be determined whether she has a future in the Marines in a different job or if she is 3 years and out.

[Adelaide]

The military's personnel policies are not modern. If she fails as a platoon leader of male infantrymen she will get a bad evaluation. She will be moved to a staff job and then it will be determined whether she has a future in the Marines in a different job or if she is 3 years and out.

I wonder whether they would modify that, though, since this is basically an experiment. She passed the course, which was only recently opened to women, and is now the only woman to have completed it. If she ultimately is unable to do the job I would think the military would treat it a bit differently than giving her a poor evaluation. More like a, "Well, so that happened," and move her back into a previous position or different position where her training will be helpful but will not be essential... if I am making sense.

I realize that would be giving her preferential treatment and perhaps unequal, but she's an experiment. I suppose she knew going into this what would happen if she ended up not being able to cut it.

[Peter1469]

I wonder whether they would modify that, though, since this is basically an experiment. She passed the course, which was only recently opened to women, and is now the only woman to have completed it. If she ultimately is unable to do the job I would think the military would treat it a bit differently than giving her a poor evaluation. More like a, "Well, so that happened," and move her back into a previous position or different position where her training will be helpful but will not be essential... if I am making sense.

I realize that would be giving her preferential treatment and perhaps unequal, but she's an experiment. I suppose she knew going into this what would happen if she ended up not being able to cut it.

We will see what happens. She may be a general in 18 years.