It’s been more than four months since Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that all ground combat jobs would be open to women who qualify. The Marines had asked for a partial exemption for areas that included infantry and machine gunner, but Carter said no. He wanted all four military branches treated the same.
A few women are now signing up for jobs in the war zone, including Marines at Camp Pendleton.
Cpl. Angelique Preston, 22, a marksmanship coach at Camp Pendleton, has submitted her application for field artillery. She's an avid weightlifter and expert shooter who takes pride in her muscular arms.
“This is going to come as a surprise, but I was a cheerleader for five years," said Preston, who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. "I was kind of the black sheep though of the squad."
Another Marine going for a combat role is Capt. Brittney Boucher, a logistics officer at Camp Pendleton.
“When it came out in December, I immediately went to my commanding officer and said, 'I want the opportunity to be a tracker,'” said Boucher, a 26-year-old Naval Academy graduate and triathlete from San Antonio, Texas.
Both women are committed Marines.
Preston signed up for the military straight out of her high school in Fremont.
“I joined the Marine Corps ‘cause I wanted to do Marine things, like go to combat,” Preston said.
Her inspiration was her dad — an Army artillery officer who taught her to love howitzers and do battlefield crawls.
“Growing up and wanting to be in the Marine Corps and wanting to do artillery, and people are like, ‘Well, you shouldn’t do that because you’re a female, you’re a woman,’” Preston said.
Now she can. Preston wants to be a cannoneer — one of the most demanding and dangerous jobs in a war zone.
“I’m good at it, and I can do it better than some of the men can. And a lot of times they get kind of butt hurt,” she said.
Preston proved herself last year in the California desert when she was part of a historic experiment to see if women could handle the rigorous requirements of combat. Alongside men, she carried 100-pound rounds for distances of 200 meters and loaded and fired howitzers.
“Coming into these jobs you have to be emotionally and physically strong,” Preston said. “You can’t just be one or the other.”
If her application is accepted, she’s prepared to prove to her male counterparts she’s worthy to serve beside them in combat.
“If a guy gets shot and a female picks him up and drives him off to safety, he’s not going to care anymore that she’s a female,” Preston said.
She said her determination comes from people who’ve tried to discourage her.
“Like even my dad when I was younger. I said, ‘I want to do that.’ And he said, ‘Not in my lifetime.’ So I think part of my drive comes from me just being defiant,” Preston said.
Besides Preston, a couple hundred other women are eligible for the newly opened jobs — they’ve completed infantry or other ground combat schools — but few have applied.
“There’s interest, and Marines ask about it, but I think it’s more inquisitive," said Gunnery Sgt. Rachel Edwards, a military career planner at Camp Pendleton. "It’s not that they want to jump on board. It’s just that they want to know what it’s all about."
Edwards said she didn’t expect applications from women to pour in because most of them are comfortable in their current jobs.
“They like what they do,” Edwards said. “Or maybe they’ve already spoken to females that have gone through it.”
In coming months and years as more women pass physical assessments, complete training and become qualified for combat roles, Edwards is prepared to get them ready.
“We’ll go through and make sure you’re qualified. And if you’re qualified, we’ll push it forward, and if you’re not, we’ll do whatever we can to get you qualified if it’s what you really want."
Before women like Preston are integrated into combat forces, more female leaders need to be put in roles where they can lead by example and serve as mentors. That's what Capt. Boucher hopes to be.
She's asked to become an Assault Amphibious Vehicle officer, commanding personnel carriers that swim out of Navy ships and onto invasion beaches.
“So they’re going in and they’re clearing the enemy left, right, forward, behind, dropping the infantry off in a safe position and setting up security,” said Boucher, who placed third last year in the military division of the Ironman World Championships.
“The Marine Corps trains you to have a mind and body that is prepared to go into the front lines if you’re called to do so,” Boucher said. “So If I’m in the front lines ... I’m ready to do so."
She said she's eager to lead a ground combat platoon and enforce physical standards for men and women.
“If I were to be one of the first combat arms females, it’s my standard and my internal challenge to be the most effective officer that I can be,” Boucher said.
She blazed a similar trail in 2013 when she commanded a motor vehicle platoon of roughly 50 male Marines. Her yearlong assignment was part of an initial trial to bring women leadership into combat units.
“Never had one issue when I was there. Not one,” Boucher said. “I took them out for a run, I went out and PT’d with them, and the communication piece with getting down and really knowing your Marines.”
If her application is accepted, Boucher said she could begin an extensive 10-week training as early as June, followed by a deployment soon after. She anticipates a trial period as more women join the ranks of combat.
This is KPBS midday edition I am Maureen Cavanaugh. The decision has been made and now it is time for women to begin signing up for frontline the ground combat roles. KPBS reporter Susan Murphy spoke with two of the first female Marines at Camp Pendleton for signing up a the war zone. This is going to come as a surprise but I was a cheerleader for five years. I was kind of the black sheep of the squad. That 22-year-old Corporal. Angelique Preston from the San Francisco Bay area . She became a Marine straight out of high school. I joined Marine Corps because I wanted to do Marine things like go to combat. Preston's inspiration her dad and Army artillery officer who taught her to love [ Indiscernible ] and do battlefield crawls. Growing up and wanting to be in the Marine Corps and wanting to do artillery people said uke shouldn't do that because you are female, you're a woman. Why? I want to go. Now the Marine Corporal. can. The Pentagon has cleared the way for women who qualify to join ground fighting forces. Preston has cemented her application for field artillery. It's one of the most demanding and dangerous jobs in a war zone. I'm good at it and I could do it better than some of the men can. A lot of times they get kind of butt hurt. Preston proved herself last year alongside men she carried 100 pound loads for distances of 200 m in the California desert then loaded and fired howitzers. The avid weightlifter was part of a historic experiment to see if women could handle the rigorous requirements of combat. Shortly after the experiment ended the Defense Secretary in December ordered all ground combat units open to women. Coming into these kind of jobs you have to be emotionally and physically strong. You can't be one or the other. She works now is a Markman ship called -- coach she's prepared to move -- Of a guy gets shot in a female drag them up to safety he's not going to care that she's a female. Preston said termination comes are people were try discourage her. Even my dad when I was younger and I said I want to do that he said not in my lifetime. I think part of my drive comes from me just being defiant. Besides Preston a couple hundred other women are eligible for the newly opened jobs they have completed infantry or other grounds combat schools but feel have applied before women like Preston are integrated into combat forces more female leaders need to be put in roles where they can lead by example and serve as mentors one of them is Captain. Brittney Boucher. When it came out December I medially went to my commanding officer and said I want the opportunity to be a tracker. The naval Academy graduate and triathlete from San Antonio Texas wants to be an insidious assault vehicle officer commanding personnel carriers that swim out of Navy ships and onto invasion beaches. They are going and and they are clearing the enemy left, right, forward copy I drubbing infantry often is a position and setting up security. She's eager to lead a ground combat patroon and enforced physical Stinnett for men and women. If I were to be one of the first combat arms females -- my standard and my internal challenge to be the most effective officer that I can be. The 26-year-old blazed a similar trail in 2013. Where I had a platoon of roughly 50 Marines and they were all male. Her year-long world as motor vehicle platoon commander was part of an initial trial to bring the women leadership in the combat units. Never had one issue while I was there, not one. I took them out for Ron I went out and PT to with them. At Sigma Notation piece of getting down to really knowing your Marines. She says of her application is accepted she could begin an extensive 10 week training as early as June followed by a deployment then after. There will be challenges. I think everybody knows that. That's why Navy Secretary. Ray Mabus says the process will be gradual . He recently talked 1200 entry-level Marines at camp Pendleton school of infantry about his plan for screening and training Marines for the battlefield jobs. His message, a more diverse forces a stronger force. We don't want everybody to come from the same background. We don't want everyone to have the same experiences. That makes us weaker. What makes a stronger is more diversity [ Indiscernible ] more diversity of experience. In coming months of more women apply and to qualify like Preston and Boucher the will begin training alongside men and then be assigned to the artillery kind injury kind positions. Over KPBS Susan Murphy filed a report. She joins us now. Susan welcome. An afternoon thinks Marine. Tell us more if you can about these women. To the share certain traits? I would say they share a lot of traits they are very athletic cut physically strong, they happen muscular physique just that toughness. A also are emotionally strong they come across as very confident, determined, articulate, and I would also describe them as overachiever types. Brittney Boucher the officer, she placed third in the military division of last year's Ironman world championship so that's quite an account Bush meant. Corporal. Preston she was part of the integrated task force that was where they were testing women alongside men to see if they women could keep up into these jobs. She completed that, she also powerless 350 -- 315 pounds of the gym every day. Yes, strong, tough and very determined. Did you get a sense why these women want these jobs? For Corporal. Preston she said it become rotter he of working closely with these Marines in the field, she like that aspect of the job she was on before is wireman and communication she didn't have that experience. She liked the adrenaline rush of working with these large howitzers and other weapons. The challenges that come with it. She also wanted to be able to be deployed and see other places in the world. Captain. Brittney Boucher loved working with the insidious vehicle community and she said if she had the chance to start out on that truck that she would have taken it. She also said that she feels she has this unique opportunity to help integrate women junior enlisted women into these units. She was part of an initial trial to bring women leadership into these units. That's happened over the past couple of years. She feels like she is the right person to come in and help these junior enlisted females mentor them and help them to reach the standards that are required. In your report we heard that not many other women share the same drive as the women that you talk to. In other words there are so few female signing up for these newly opened combat jobs. Why is that? There only a couple hundred who are currently qualified. They've completed infantry and ground combat schools. Some of the women who participated in this study didn't ever intend to change jobs once the studies were over they wanted to participate got to represent women and then they went back to their previous jobs. They are content and settled into these jobs. They have this routine and they don't really have a desire to change. Summer mom sewed be a big leap to change jobs at this point. Moving forward as women start off from recruit training from boot camp they will be training from the start. It will take time Probably before we start seeing more women integrated into these war zone jobs. Susan, are these women hearing support or opposition from their male counterparts? I think a little both. One of the women told me that she heard quite a lot of backlash. The Pentagon's announcement in December didn't go over too well. Lots of rumbling and you can also see a lot of bad on social media sites as well. When I talked to some of the manic camp Pendleton of course they were very supportive and that it was a great idea they were necessarily speaking way opening, truthfully. Both women foresee a cohesion and acceptance and respect coming. Corporal. Preston said she experienced a similar situation last year during the experiment were she was integrated with men for the year-long experiment. She said it took a while for men to warm up to the women but a few months into training they had a close-knit group a cohesion. Also Boucher she commended that group of 50 men and not platoon. She said there were no issues. ISU repeatedly she said she was respected, she was trusted and she's ready to do it again. Finally Susan about that timeline what is the timeline for women training for combat? Women will -- as they can going to combat training as recruits. They were continue to train separately. They will be gender divided from boot camp and then as they go into the second strap -- step which is the school of infantry there will be training together. They will train and qualify men and women together. I've been speaking with KPBS reporter Susan Murphy. Thank you Susan. Thank you Maureen.
“There will be challenges, and I think everybody knows that in the Marine Corps and in the military in general,” Boucher said.
That’s why Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the process will be gradual. This month, he talked to 1,200 entry-level Marines at Camp Pendleton’s School of Infantry about his plan for screening and training Marines, including women, for battlefield jobs. His message: a more diverse force is a stronger force.
“We don’t want everybody to think exactly the same way, we don’t want everyone to come from the same background, we don’t want everybody to have had the same experiences — that makes us weaker,” Mabus said. “What makes us stronger is more diversity of thought, more diversity of experience, more diversity of how we get the job done.”
In coming months, as more women like Preston and Boucher apply for combat roles, they’ll begin training alongside men and then be assigned to the artillery, infantry and armor positions.
