A recent change in the rules means young women soon will be eligible to go into harm’s way with the U.S. military’s most elite fighting force.
Female Marines Train For Combat
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Female Marine recruits Princesse Aldrete and Genisis Ordonez stand in formation following hand-to-hand combat training during boot camp Feb. 27, 2013 at MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina. Female enlisted Marines have gone through recruit training at the base since 1949. About 11 percent of female recruits who arrive at the boot camp fail to complete the training, which can be physically and mentally demanding. On Jan. 24, 2013 Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta lifted a ban, which had been in place since 1994, that restricted women from being attached to ground combat units. About six percent of enlisted Marines are female.
