Posted on 01/05/2017 6:21:38 PM PST by Chode
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — For the first time, the Marine Corps has put three enlisted female Marines in a ground combat unit once open only to men, officials said Thursday.
They will serve as a rifleman, machine gunner and mortar Marine, said 1st Lt. John McCombs, spokesman for the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejuene.
They report Thursday to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, which has had three female officers in its ranks for several months to help integrate the enlisted females into the unit, McCombs said. The women's names and ranks were not released.
"This process ensures the Marine Corps will adhere to its standards and will continue its emphasis on combat readiness," McCombs said in an email.
Their entry in the unit marks ongoing efforts to comply with Defense Secretary Ash Carter's directive in December 2015 to open all military jobs to women, including the most dangerous commando posts.
That decision was formal recognition of the thousands of female servicewomen who fought in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars in recent years, including those who were killed or wounded.
Carter's decision also stood as a rebuff to the Marine Corps, which was the only service branch to ask for an exception to women serving in certain infantry and combat slots.
The Army, Navy, Air Force and Special Operations Command all said they would not seek any exceptions and would recommend removing the ban on women in dangerous combat jobs.
In June, six months after Carter's move, The Associated Press reported the Marine Corps had seven female officers either serving in combat posts or waiting in line to serve, and 167 women with noncombat jobs in front-line units.
There are about 40,000 Marines in the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.
Yeah, she was a clerk typist during WWII, stationed around Wash DC, she came out of the closet before she died.
Read “We were soldiers once...”the mortar platoons humped their equipment through the jungle. Not all situations allow mobile platforms. I recall many a mile humping our 81mm and forget depending on the mules, they ran great at the M.P. but in the field.. not so well. This will not work well if a part of the mortar does not show up because one of the crew can’t pull her weight. Or is unable to carry ammo.
Rush beat you to it
Rush Limbaugh TV- All American First Cavalry Amazon Battalion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahPwlOOKedg
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