The Marine Corps sent two female Lieutenants to Marine Corps Infantry Officers Course in Quantico on Sept. 24 for the first time ever.
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These women are in for quite a challenge, as none of the training has been changed, or altered — In enlisted boot camp, as well as in the fleet Marine Corps, women have different physical fitness standards than men.
So we talked a few Marine Corps Infantry Officers to get a feel for what these Marines are in for. The consensus was, not so much that they didn't want females fighting beside them — more often than not, we heard, "as long as they don't change the training, more power to them" — but that the course was "one of the most rigorous the Marine Corps has to offer."
Finally, the Marine Corps Training And Education Command has decided that these two ladies are essentially just a "test." If they pass, the will not earn the Infantry Officer designation.
They're going through the training for no other reason than to do it, to prove what they're made of.
Communication — The first challenge is breaking through into a man's world
Women have never served in an infantry training unit.
The Marines world is totally dominated by men. Yes, women have a foot in the door, but the first obstacle they have is to break through socially with the men.
"Shoot, move, communicate," as Marines say. Communication is key.
The obstacles will not be altered in any way
In enlisted boot camp, most of the obstacles are different for women — bars are a little lower, walls a little shorter.
The female IOC Marines will have to surmount the exact same obstacles as the men.
Everyone will go through the early morning indoctrination test
"They drop you off in the woods, zero five in the morning, hand you a envelope, and say 'Go!" One officer tells me.
This is the indoctrination test.
Day 2, initial test, just to see if you have what it takes to do the training. The test consists of about 15 to 20 miles of land navigation, carrying a rifle and military "deuce gear," which is what carries ammunition and water.
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