The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Marines to have first female infantry officer

Woman passes tough 13-week training course.

- By Dan Lamothe

assigntry following graduation­vice’scer male The The Course,officer, Thursday. colleagues­gruelingMa­rinea lieutenant­womanhera servicefro­m Corps historic Infantry anticipate­das completeda­n andthe officialsp­lans infan- first, Offi-ser-her to said a cisetheter Calif., three-weekat service’sthat Twentynine­the includes service combat trainingli­ve Palms,fire exer- cen-in at a said statemente­xercisegra­ded requiremen­tmarked Thursday. the in That final the 13-weekwidely seen course,as some whichof the is toughestit­ary. About training25 percentin the mil- all students typically wash out.

The woman is the first of three dozen who attempted the course to complete it. She toon is of expectedab­out 40 to Marineslea­d a pla- in a service that is often seen as the most resistant to full gender integratio­n in the with pho- military.year more Marines investigat­edtographs­leagues graduation­a Quantico,officials “warriorThe than class online.It andof a withhas scandalnud­ea Va.,for breakfast”Monday veterans1,000will grappledsh­aring knowledges­aid female markin currentwhi­ch threewere withthis col-its in anonymity of on not arrives becauseThe­the conditiony­et course. historic occurred.nearlythe graduation­of They two momentspok­e years has after Carter miltary itary’s Ash for then-Defenselas­t women, remainingl­ifted the restric- Secre-of an tions part effort istrationf­orces by fully to the inclusive.make Obama the Officialsa­dmin- armed shared lieutenant few Thursday.details about the CourseThe Infantryre­quires both Officerpro­ficiency as a military officer in the field and the stamina to carry loads of up to 152 pounds for long periods of time. The school begins with a day-long combat endurance test that includes gru- eling hikes through Quanti- co’s rolling, wooded hills, an obstacle course and assess- mentsons assemblyof skills like weap- navand land igation. The lieutenant will join a part of the military that has long been seen as being critical of serving alongside women. Three out of four activeduty infantryme­n said they were opposed to full gender integratio­n in a 2012 survey of 54,000 Marines obtained last year through the Freedom of Informatio­n Act. Marine officials have argued those sentiments have waned in the last few years, but it’s unclear how much. Kyleanne Hunter, a member of the Pentagon’s Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Services and former Marine helicopter pilot, said that the new infantry officer have to win over Marines under her command, Hunter said, and cope with outside attention and critics who want to see her fail. “She did something that is really hard, and it’s hard physically and it’s hard mentally,” she said. “Her first challenge is going to be to remain anonymous and just do her job.”

 ?? LANCE CPL. JODSON B. GRAVES / MARINE CORPS ?? In 2015, 32 women attempted the Infantry Officer Course as part of research into where women fit in combat units, but none passed.
LANCE CPL. JODSON B. GRAVES / MARINE CORPS In 2015, 32 women attempted the Infantry Officer Course as part of research into where women fit in combat units, but none passed.

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