Gender-integrated task forces in Twentynine Palms, Calif. and Camp Lejeune, N.C. by the Marine Corps come with mixed results, says The Washington Post.The 9-month long task force's goal was to assess what the Corps might look like with women in combat roles.
With the Jan. 1 deadline to open all combat positions to women swiftly approaching, all branches of the military need to be prepared and many have already made huge strides. As deadline for full integration approaches, more than 245,000 positions remain closed to women, according to Military.com.
The Army has lifted all restrictions on women in their elite Ranger school, after the year's historic graduation that including the first two woman soldiers, both West Point Cadets, as previously reported by HNGN. The Air Force is also close to final decisions on standards for elite female integration combat jobs.
But what about the Marines? How did the task force fare? "[The Marine Corps] hope[s] to provide transparency to our research and findings soonest," Marine spokesman Maj. Christian Devine said. Peer assessments have been mixed. Much of the results so far appear to have been individual's perception and experiences.
"I definitely hope I contributed to them letting females eventually into the infantry because I worked my ass off for it and I don't want to see it go to waste," said Lance Cpl. Ashleigh Howell, who served on a light armored vehicle in the experimental task force.
"Mainly for girls down the road who have dreams... They're 15- or 16-years old and they want to fight for their country. If I'm the reason they won't be able to do that just because our trials weren't good enough, that would make me feel pretty (crappy)," said Howell, 19, of Grand Rapids, Mich.
