Women in the Marines? Is it a good thing?

[Amanda]

I am 18 and, want to join the Marines! I know that women are not allowed in front line combat! However what is your opinion on women in occupations such as MP, and things that involve phisical strentgh, or mental toughness! You all have been there and seen women in the Corps! Tell me your opinion!


Amanda

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

It is a touchy subject. I know Marines that refuse to acknowledge female Marines and I know Marines that don't see any difference between male and female Marines. Most lie somewhere in the middle.

You asked specifically about an MP, so that is what I will talk about. I know of one female MP that was at Camp Lejeune that was stronger than most, if not all, of the men MPs. She took pride in her ability to handle any physical situation and worked hard to ensure that she was up to the task. Clearly, there is no real way to question this woman about her abilities. There are other female MPs that I have come across that clearly couldn't win a strength contest with many men. However, they knew their jobs, they knew how to perform, and they knew their limitations. That being the case, they were fine Marines. On the down side, I know of at least one female MP that felt she had something to prove. She had a chip on her shoulder about being a woman, and was always ready to try and prove herself. At times this was less than desirable. Words are often more effective than actions.

All of that being said, it depends on the person. The best officer I ever came across was a woman. I would gladly follow her into the pits of hell. The worst Marine I ever met was also a woman. At times I was ashamed to wear the same uniform as her. Most Marines know enough to make decisions based on the person, not their sex. It may be a little more difficult for a woman to be accepted at times (an example, the female officer I spoke of would break her back to avoid having another woman in her platoon) but once you prove yourself, everything will be fine.

[greensideout]

"Most Marines know enough to make decisions based on the person, not their sex".

Well said! I think that you covered it from A to Z.

I get a little upset when women want to act like a man. (Even more upset when men want to act like a woman. LOL)

[Cheezballz]

We were always told to stay away from them, so far i've seen many that will just get u in trouble.

[ftrmarinemp]

im still a poolee so ive only met two female Marine, one was a ruff master seargeant at MEPS, she is attached to the Marine Corps Liason office she intimidates me moer thatn all the male Marines ive met this far. I've also met a supply reservist who wears nice long blonde hair and looks like she never left hollywood. i sat behind her in a class at college and then she walked in the recruiting station one day asking to be put on recruiters assistance, but i respected her because she pulled her time in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[HardJedi]

Hmmm. it all depends on the person, male or female. I, as with most others have met all types. The only thing is, Ibring an infantry perspective to it. I never had a problem with a female Marine, except when they tried to act all hard and tough, and then couldn't keep up on a battalion hump. and those wouold include the WM admin people. Now, is it fair to excpet a supply clerk or admin person to be able to keep up with a grunt in the feild? probably not. So my opinion of them was this, if they couldn't hack it, they should pack it( ie,leave)

Now, My mother was a Police officer for 20 years, and my grandmother a gaurd in a juvenile facility for both boys and girls, and I wouldn't suggest messing with either of em LOL

So yes, if a woman can pull her own wieght, she has every right to do whatever she wants. If she CAN'T pull her own wieght, she is just a drag on the rest of the unit( and the same applies to men)

[enviro]

so far i've seen many that will just get u in trouble

It always takes two to tango. The majority of the time, the male Marines will get themselves in trouble.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Enviro, that is true usually. But I have seen cases that were clearly a WM out to get a man with made up charges. Of course I also know of civillian women that knew how to play the system and did the same thing.

HardJedi, you seem to have a better image of women in the Corps than most grunts I know. One of my est friends was FAPed to the MTU at the end of his enlistment. He used to refuse to stand in field day formation with a woman as the squad leader. good thing the people in his chain of command thought it was funny and decided to exempt wing and deck NCOs from the formations if they had somewhere else to be.

[Arlene Horton]

Thanks Hardball for the intelligent reply. I was in the Corps during the "police action" in Korea. Boot camp at that time was nothing like what the young recruits of today go through. We never even had the opportunity to go into a battle situation (except for some dates!). (smile) Stateside duty entailed jobs that weren't difficult. We were well trained and when needed we were sent to special schools to improve our skills. My time in the Marine Corps was something I was very proud to admit to. My family has always "bragged" about having a Mom & Dad who proudly served in the Corps. Semper Fi and LOL.

[snipowsky]

Females in the Marines?

I was in the GRUNTS and in the GRUNTS we have no females. From time to time we'd see some here and there. Honestly I look at them like any other Marine. During boot camp I had the luxury of spotting some fine looking DI's and a few recruits at Parris Island.

I'm just glad there are people like us in this county to serve and risk our necks.

BUT I AM BIAS TOWARDS 03 TYPES!

[CMyr]

I've run across my fair share of both kinds of WMs (and men) - the ones who embarrassed me; the ones who I respected. Ditto - it depends on the individual and how they present themselves. Personally, I found that I had to "prove" myself at every new duty assignment. With that in mind going into these situations, things generally worked out well. I'll never forget my first NCOIC telling me women didn't belong in HIS Marine Corps. That attitude lasted until Gunny Pete with his mohawk showed up and told me I was "better than peanut butter." (smile) Since I was a PFC and didn't know what that meant, my NCOIC had to explain. My NCOIC never grumbled about me again.

[Namvet67]

I spent most of my enlistment in Vietnam..only 6 months stateside...bootcamp,ITR,schools bat,stageing bat. Never met a female Marine. Don't think I would want to go into combat with one however. Probably a place for female Marines in the Corps but not in a combat role. Amanda, do you want to join the Marines because your boyfriend did? If that is the case, then I would suggest you pick another branch of the military. Semper Fi

[jryanjack]

Like all of the other posters, I've run across good Marines and bad Marines, some were women. I too have heard of some male Marines getting in trouble with WM's - however that goes with the territory. Its really no different then getting involoved with a co-worker - in the long run usually not a good idea. That being said, in my last year if service I was stationed with a headquarters unit (the previous 5 were all line units, not grunts but there are a few other line units in the Corps). That was my first direct experience with WM's. We had one Sgt who was more squared away than many of the male Marines that I ever met! We also had a couple of non-rates who were beyond contempt. To me, its all in how you do the job - if you're always looking to skate then I have no use for you.

[hrscowboy]

chesty puller said it all gentlemen about the women marine. There shall be a beer machine in every barracks and a brothel house on every base. Now guess where the women marines lived.

[enviro]

Damn - glad I served in a modern day Marine Corps. Hmm - wonder where all the black Marines lived? How about the Samoans or the Japanese?