“This historic moment arrives nearly two years after then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter lifted the military’s last remaining restrictions for women, part of an effort by the Obama administration to make the armed forces fully inclusive.”
The Marine Corps expects to soon have a female infantry officer, a historic first, following her anticipated graduation Monday from the service’s grueling Infantry Officer Course, said three military officials with knowledge of the training.
The lieutenant and her male colleagues completed a three-week combat exercise at the service’s training center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., on Wednesday, the final graded requirement in the 13-week program. The infantry course is widely seen as some of the toughest training in the military, with about 25 percent of all students washing out.
The woman is the first of three dozen women who have attempted the course to pass. She is expected to lead a platoon of infantry Marines in a service that is often seen as the most resistant to full gender integration in the military.
Click to continue. By Dan Lamothe – Sep 21, 2017