which determine the jobs personnel are trained and certified to perform) are open to women Marines This even includes aviation jobs, such as flying fighter jets and attack helicopters. But for women Marines the official Defense Department definition of 'combat' still restricts them from combat-related MOSs, the specialties senior leaders consider most necessary for promotion. This includes infantry, armor, and other ground combat positions. The stated reasons for this restriction are the same as those of the U.S. Army: Women are said to lack the strength and endurance necessary for the rigors of ground combat. But this situation is changing, as General Krulak is currently considering lifting the restriction from artillery and some other combat MOSs.
Now, despite the restrictions on women serving in front-line ground units, the Corps still has training and readiness standards for all Marines, and every Marine has to be prepared for combat, anywhere and at any time. This means that female recruits also train for combat. But the female recruits have a somewhat different training regime from their male counterparts. For starters, they are housed and trained in a separate training unit at Parris Island, the 4th Recruit Training Battalion. The 4th Battalion facilities make few concessions to alleged female requirements (personal privacy and such). Squad bays have roughly the same layout and equipment as the male ones. Some 4th Battalion executive officers and Sergeant Majors are male, but there are no male DIs or Series Commanders.
One significant difference between male and female training, however, reflects an ugly reality of our society: A high percentage of the women who enter the Corps report they have been physically or sexually abused, molested, or raped prior to their entry into Recruit Training. While Marine leadership is quite discreet in discussing this subject, its action on behalf of female recruits is specific and effective. The 4th Battalion has a psychiatrist on call to help deal with emotional problems, as well as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Beaufort Naval Hospital. Though the percentage of female recruits with previously confirmed histories of victimization is reported as 7 %, something approaching 50 % of these wind up telling of such experiences during initial Recruit Training interviews. You may think people scarred with such experiences should not be put in a position of responsibility (like becoming a Marine), but the Corps views this situation differently. Marine leadership sees any person who is mentally, morally, and physically qualified and who completes Recruit Training as someone worth having — a part of their family. Furthermore, it is the experience of the Marines that such women are survivors, exactly the kind of people who can succeed in the male-dominated culture of the Marine Corps. The payoff is that while the initial dropout rate among women has always been about 50 % higher than that of men, the rate has been dropping rapidly over the last few years. As a bonus, the retention rate of women Marines who re-enlist for additional tours of duty is actually higher than that of their male counterparts.
Female recruits do everything at Parris Island that their male counterparts do. At the same time, the generally smaller build and lower body strength of women (compared to men) is taken into account. For example, on the obstacle course, a few (though not all) of the obstacles are scaled down slightly. It is just as difficult for women to get over them as it is for the men to get over the obstacles on their course. I should also say that the Corps is constantly reevaluating the curriculum of both the male and female recruits to see where improvements and/or additions should be made. For example, the Commandant recently merged the male and female requirements for distance running in the PFT, a change many leaders felt was long overdue.
When male Marines finish Recruit Training, they go to the School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where they learn ground infantry tactics and master heavy weapons. The Corps requires graduation from the School of Infantry before a Marine can join a ground combat unit. But because of the Congressionally-mandated DoD prohibition on women in ground combat units, female Marine recruits get an abbreviated course in heavy weapons and infantry tactics while they are still at Parris Island, adding one week to the training cycle. Thus, even before their male counterparts, the women recruits are firing machine guns and practicing rudimentary assault tactics!
For everyone, Phase III arrives as the most cherished part of Recruit Training. Once a recruit is in Phase III, he or she is over 'the hump,' and the DIs are working hard to ensure that every last recruit completes the course. Lasting two weeks, Phase III consists of final examinations and makeups. Final marks for PFTs, marksmanship, and other drills are scored; and records are updated. Included in all this are final inspection, drills, and rehearsal of the graduation ceremonies. It is a heady time for the young recruits. Frequently, new training series/platoons will be allowed to march to see the Phase III units, so they will know that it really is possible to become a Marine!
Graduation week passes in a rush, with parents, friends, and loved ones coming down to visit, often for the first time since the recruits were taken in hand by their recruiters. Parents are usually amazed and proud to see what their son or daughter has accomplished. Their bodies will have become toned, their dress immaculate, and their manners impeccable. It is a wonderful thing when a parent sees a son or daughter leave as a child and reappear as a young man or woman. The day before graduation, there is a small ritual for each platoon-called an 'emblem ceremony'-out on the parade ground. Standing in formation, the DIs award the recruits the eagle, globe, and anchor badge of the USMC for their dress hats. From that moment on, for the rest of their lives, no matter what they do or become, they will know the satisfaction that once in their lives, they were good enough to earn the title Marine.
The following morning, there is a large parade and ceremony on the parade ground for the graduating company. Awards are given for the top recruit and marksman in each platoon. And as their loved ones look on, there is a final parade. Then it is over, and you just have to watch what happens after to know that you have seen something special in the lives of several hundred young people. Hugs and kisses. Firm hand shakes and looks. Perhaps most impressive of all, new Marines rushing to introduce their families and friends to their DIs. 'Thanks for getting me through Boot Camp' are words you hear often from former recruits to their DIs. Frequently, the parents also thank the training staff-for turning their child into something better, or different, or both. I defy you to watch this moment and not shed a tear or two. I did.
More School: Warrior Training and Beyond
Following graduation, the new Marines get a short leave, and then report for their next duty assignments. For male recruits, it's the School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune. There they are taught the use of heavy weapons and demolition and breaching gear, small-unit tactics, and other skills of ground combat. Every single male Marine in the Corps completes this training, whether he is to become a crewman in a helicopter unit or a public relations specialist in the Pentagon. It is just as grueling as the Recruit Training course, and is a foundation of the combat ethos that makes every Marine a rifleman. From there they head out to their MOS schools, following their female counterparts, who received their warrior training during Basic School. Women recruits go directly to their MOS school, and from there on to their first unit assignment.
School is a common experience in a Marine's career, with some officers and enlisted personnel going through several dozen training courses by the time that they finish a twenty-year-plus stint in the Corps. Each school can last anywhere from two weeks to a year. The Intelligence Training School down at Dam Neck, Virginia, for example, lasts a full year and is considered to be among the best intelligence schools in the military. By the time they complete their first MOS school, most enlisted Marines will have made the rank of Private First Class (E-2) or Lance Corporal (E-3). Normally, this is the point where a Marine would start moving into combat assignments, such as a rifle platoon. Thirty months to four years after making Lance Corporal, Marines generally make Corporal (E-4), continuing to function in their chosen MOS, but with growing responsibility and more training.
There is also the option of transferring to other duties, which can give an enlisted Marine's career some balance and variety. While the concept of 'career enhancing' or 'joint' billets has yet to take hold in the enlisted
