The Marine Corps has announced that for the first time, a woman will lead an infantry platoon.
Lt. Marina Hierl, 24, who passed the Marine Corps Infantry Officer Course last year, the first woman to do so, leads roughly 35 men in the Third Platoon of the 4th Marines’ Echo Company, Second Battalion, currently training in Northern Australia. Capt. Joshua J. Pena, a spokesman for the Marines’ Training and Education Command, said that the men and women taking the Infantry Officer Course are tested with the same standards.
Corps spokesman Major Brian Block released a statement to CNN:
Leading Marines is an honor and privilege that 1st Lt. Hierl has earned through her own hard work and commitment, as do all our officers. While we recognize and honor the unique contributions of women to the Marine Corps over the last 100 years, including the historic milestone of 1st Lt. Hierl’s assignment, in the end we are Marines first and foremost. We are leveraging every Marines’ individual performance, talent, and skills to maximize our warfighting capabilities in an increasingly complex operating environment.
The New York Times reports that Hierl is one of four platoon commanders in Echo Company. The Times notes that 15,885 women currently serve in the Marines, comprising roughly 8.6% of all active duty members.
In 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, announced that women could serve in combat roles.
August 13, 2018 is the 100th anniversary of the enlistment of Opha May Johnson, the first female Marine.
Women are still not members of Special Operations units, such as the Navy SEALs, although a few women have attempted to join but have not passed the standards requirements.