Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey announced yesterday that they were lifting the 1994 Combat Exclusion Policy that bans women from serving directly in the infantry and other ground combat units. The move has been greeted with mixed reaction, with some hailing it as a victory for equal rights and others saying it will weaken the U.S. military. I’ve spent most of the last 24 hours working on a full-length cover story that will be published soon addressing what the change means for Marines. In particular, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Mike…
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It’s now widely reported that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will announce today that he is lifting the Pentagon’s ban on women being assigned to combat units. A briefing will be held with the media this afternoon, with Panetta and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, taking questions from the press. Make no mistake, women have served in combat for years. They’ve earned valor awards, led convoys through hostile countryside and given their lives at times in service to our nation. Still, there’s a variety of questions that must be addressed as the Pentagon and the individual branches of…
This week’s Marine Corps Times takes a look at the new physical fitness requirements for female Marines and the impact the change is likely to have on the entire force, not just women. In a forcewide message last week, Marine Commandant Gen. Jim Amos announced that women will be required to complete three pullups to pass the test and eight to achieve a perfect PFT score starting in 2014. The change is likely to impact promotion fairness and unit training for men and women starting in 2013. The flexed-arm hang will remain as part of the Corps’ initial strength test…
On Nov. 10 Marines will celebrate the 237th birthday of the Marine Corps. Cake cutting ceremonies and birthday balls will be held throughout the next few weeks as a way to honor the sacrifice and service of Marines past and present. On Oct. 24 I spoke with Bonnie Amos, wife of Commandant Gen. Jim Amos, following an event for military spouses to discuss careers, deployments and romance aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. Since Marines all over the world will celebrate the Corps’ birthday later this week, I asked Amos about tips for those attending this year’s festivities: [HTML1] I…
Yesterday, I posted about ‘MuscleFest’, the sixth event of the 2012 Commanders Cup at Marine Barracks Washington 8th & I. The event was part of a series designed to introduce Marines to a variety of physical fitness activities and enhance camaraderie through friendly competition. This morning I spoke with two Marines who participated in the event on July 30. Staff Sgt. Noel Min Just 10 minutes before our conversation, Min was informed that he won the Masters Division for Marines 33 years and older. The Huntsville, Ala. native participated in MuscleFest in 2011 and said the preparation of knowing what…
For some, CrossFit is just a hobby. For others, like Marine Staff Sgt. Christen Wagner, it’s a way of life. Wagner, a training chief attached to III MHG in Okinawa, Japan, recently traveled to California to compete in the 2012 Reebok CrossFit games. The world famous competition is open to individuals from around the globe who qualify and challenges athletes to take home the title of “Fittest on Earth” by completing high-intensity combinations of weight and endurance training. The 25-year old Marine began CrossFit in 2010 and was hoping to make her debut at the 2011 CrossFit Asia Open. Unable…
Ready or not, the debate about whether or not women should be able to serve in infantry units has moved firmly into the mainstream media spotlight. Capt. Katie Petronio appeared on CNN this morning, reaffirming the position she took in a recent Marine Corps Gazette article that women should not be able to serve in infantry units: [HTML1] Petronio’s appearance follows on the heels of a piece by the New York Times’ C.J. Chivers published Sunday. It outlined the planned experimental introduction of female lieutenants at Infantry Officers Course. Marine Corps Times has covered the issue at length in the…
Check out Katy Perry’s new “Part of Me” music video filmed at Camp Pendleton, Calif. She joins the Marine Corps in what amounts to one big, long, awesome recruiting ad. Its not quite a Marine in dress blues slaying wizards on a chess board, but its a close second. [HTML1] If you missed that vintage reference, check out this recruiting commercial from before some of you were born. [HTML2]
With an exception to a long-standing Pentagon policy, female Marines in the ranks of captain, gunnery sergeant and staff sergeant will be permitted to serve in combat arms units below the division level. But don’t expect to see women in infantry battalions yet. The Corps is only cracking the door open for women at this point and will place them in units through the normal assignment process in staff positions for select military occupational specialties newly opened up for female officers and enlisted women. Marines assigned to combat arms battalions will begin seeing women occupying these staff positions sometime in…
