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They Survived Training, Now Female Marines Await Word On Ground Combat
JULY 07, 2015 5:01 AM ET
TOM BOWMAN
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Marine Lance Cpls. Julia Carroll (left) and Paula Pineda lift "Carl" — a 220-pound test dummy — during training in March in California. Female Marines have completed months of training and are now waiting to hear whether they will be allowed to serve in combat roles.David Gilkey/NPR
Lance Cpl. Paula Pineda relaxes at a picnic table not far from her barracks in Camp LeJeune, N.C. She's in a crisp uniform and has a ready smile. It's one of the few breaks she's had in months — and she can finally laugh about Carl.
"Carl — our special, heavy, unique dummy," she says.
It was back in March, in the heat of the Mojave Desert in California, that Pineda — sweaty and grimy and just 5-foot-2 — struggled to help pull Carl the dummy out of her armored vehicle, along with another Marine, Julia Carroll. It was part of an exercise to rescue an injured crewman.
Carl weighed 220 pounds.
They also changed tires weighing 170 pounds on the armored vehicles, and hitched up heavy chains and hooks to simulate a towing operation.
The women proved something in their months of tough training, says Pineda, who wore a helmet with the words "Mad Max" taped on the back.
They're ready to serve in ground combat.
"In my opinion, I believe we can do it. The physical part of it, we can all work up for it," says Pineda, who grew up in a tough part of Los Angeles. "As long as we work hard and we're dedicated, we can all get there."
All seven women trained on tanks and armored vehicles, and all made it through to the end. Among them was 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Brittany Dunklee. She's lean with an intense stare. A former high school wrestler, she often took on the boys.
Right now she drives a Marine truck. But she'd rather be a crew member in a light armored vehicle.
"I like shooting the gun, honestly," she says. "It's a big gun and the [M]242 is easy to clean, so that's on the plus side also."
For Dunklee, it all comes down to these simple questions: "I've done it. So why can I not do it? If I can physically do it, why can't I?"
That's what Marine Corps officials are now trying to figure out.
In a yearlong experiment, Marine researchers and researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have collected reams of information on male and female Marines' physical strength, endurance, speed and marksmanship. The data will show whether gender made a difference in the fighting ability of the unit.
Small Marine units attacked with all men, then with one woman, then with two women. The numbers remain low to reflect reality: Women make up just 7 percent of the Marine Corps.
Sgt. Kelly Brown puts her weapon over her shoulder at the Marine base at Twentynine Palms, Calif. in March.David Gilkey/NPR
What the data won't address — but what many of the men talk about privately — is whether having women in units changes the chemistry of the group, or "unit cohesion."
Sgt. Kelly Brown, who trained with Alpha Company, the infantry unit, thinks not.
"After a while, you've been training together for so long, you've been living together and working together and sweating, and everybody's suffering together," she says. "I've had some of the guys I was working with say, 'Hey, I wouldn't have a problem if you were serving with me in combat.' "
Sgt. Ryan McCauley did serve in combat, three tours in Afghanistan. For this training, he served along with a half-dozen women.
"I thought the women performed to the best of their abilities," he says.
And what does that mean?
"Exactly what it is, sir. They performed the best they can, and they did it, and my hat's off to them for finishing all out."
In the end, McCauley said he'd be comfortable serving in combat with just one of the women he trained alongside.
"Some of the females performed better than some of the other females," Dober says. "Some of the females performed better than some of the males."
Dober says that the training will identify some male Marines who clearly don't belong in the infantry. And it will allow the Marine Corps to make sure future training and selection pinpoints the best candidates to serve in the infantry.
More than 30 percent of the women training in Dober's infantry unit washed out, most due to injuries like stress fractures from carrying heavy packs. That rate is far higher than for the men, some officers say, although the Marines are not releasing any details and are still completing their report.
Dober is a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, and he's troubled by the high number of physical injuries among the women in a training course that he says is nothing like the real world of infantry combat.
"Close-quarters battle, it's a very ugly thing," Dober says. "It shouldn't be up to opinion or feelings. It should be about who's the best. Could I say [gender] integration will positively and absolutely enhance the combat effectiveness and efficiency of a Marine rifle squad? I doubt it."
Women will begin serving in ground combat jobs starting in January, unless Marine Corps leaders decide otherwise and can get Pentagon leaders to keep some jobs closed.
Lance Cpl. Brittany Holloway (left) talks with Brittany Dunklee in front of their LAV-25 vehicle in March at California's Mojave Desert.David Gilkey/NPR
"Some people look at it as a civil rights issue," says Dober. "I will tell you emphatically and to my grave that it's not a civil rights issue. It's a national security issue."
Actually, it's both.
When the Pentagon decided to open ground combat jobs to women more than two years ago, then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said this:
"We've been working for well over a year to examine, how can we expand the opportunities for women in the armed services? Female service members have faced the reality of combat, proven their willingness to fight and, yes, to die to defend their fellow Americans."
Still, he added:
"If members of our military can meet the qualifications for a job — and let me be clear, I'm not talking about reducing the qualifications for the job — if they can meet the qualifications for the job, then they should have the right to serve regardless of creed or color or gender or sexual orientation. ... We are all committed to implementing this change without compromising readiness or morale or our warfighting capabilities."
Brown, the sergeant who trained with the Alpha Company infantry unit, thinks women can serve in ground combat — but stresses that officers and sergeants must hold everyone to the same standards.
"You know you're working with someone of another gender and you have to have a certain amount of professionalism," she says. "This has not been tested in combat."
One of those who hopes to be tested is Sgt. Danielle Beck. She's been a Marine for six years, working as a comptroller.
Beck completed the combat training, carrying an anti-tank weapon and sometimes a pack weighing 155 pounds. It left her with a stress fracture on her hip. Right now, she's hobbling around on crutches — but remains determined.
"We've never been able to do this before," says Beck. "This is why I joined the Marine Corps — to be able to fight and serve along[side] our brothers in arms."
Beck should know later this year whether that will be possible.
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Sunday, October 13, 2013
Two US generals forced to retire over attack on US base in Afghanistan
The US Marine Corps has forced two two-star generals to retire for what the top general called their failure to secure a base in Afghanistan attacked by the Taliban last year, killing two Marines and destroying several aircraft.
US Marine, Major General Charles Mark Gurganus Photo: AFP/Getty Images
our foreign staff
12:09AM BST 01 Oct 2013
The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Amos, said he took the action after reviewing the findings of a four-month investigation by the US Central Command.
Fifteen Taliban fighters penetrated Camp Bastion in southwestern Afghanistan and destroyed almost an entire squadron of Marine AV-8B Harrier jets in a September 2012 attack that was one of the most brazen of the war.
Gen Amos said he asked Maj. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus and Maj. Gen. Gregg A. Sturdevant to retire. They agreed to do so.
He also recommended that Maj Gen Gurganus' nomination to the rank of lieutenant general be rescinded and that Maj Gen Sturdevant receive a letter of censure from the secretary of the Navy.
Maj Gen Gurganus was commander of all coalition forces in southwestern Afghanistan. Maj Gen Sturdevant was commander of Marine aviation in the area.
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It is the first time since the Vietnam War that any general has been forced to retire for negligence after a successful enemy attack.
Gen Amos said the two generals did not deploy enough troops to guard the base and "failed to exercise the level of judgment expected of commanders of their rank."
"It was unrealistic to think that a determined enemy would not be able to penetrate the perimeter fence," Gen Amos said.
"In their duty to protect their forces these two generals did not meet [the] standard."
The attack occurred at Camp Bastion, the British-run Nato air base in Helmand province that adjoins Camp Leatherneck, a US facility that also serves as the Nato headquarters for southwestern Afghanistan.
Marines use Camp Bastion's runway and dozens of US helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are parked there.
On the night of the attack, Tongan troops, who had been assigned as lookouts by the British commanders of Camp Bastion, left one watchtower unmanned.
The investigation found that aspects of the US-British security plan were "sub-optimal," with no single officer in charge of security for both camps.
Troop reductions also affected security measures, it found.
Two US marines were killed in the attack and eight were wounded. The cost of damage to aircraft was estimated at $200m.
When told of the decision to relieve him of his duties, Maj Gen Gurganus told Gen Amos "As the most senior commander on the ground, I am accountable."
Gen Amos said it was the "hardest decision I have had to make as commandant of the Marine Corps" and that he had served with both men in combat, calling them "extraordinary Marine officers."
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Sunday, September 16, 2012
Official: No Marines in Libya at time of Benghazi attack
Photo by: Ibrahim Alaguri
Libyans gather at the gutted U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Alaguri)U.S. ambassador and three others killed by militants
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The Washington Times
Saturday, September 15, 2012
No U.S. Marines were in Libya when protesters stormed a diplomatic mission in the eastern city of Benghazi and killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans late Tuesday, a senior Obama administration official said Saturday.
The official’s comments were intended to correct previous statements by administration officials who said a small contingent of Marines was stationed at State Department facilities in the North African nation.
The U.S. diplomatic compound breached Tuesday by Libyan protesters in Benghazi had a relatively light security posture compared to diplomatic facilities in other conflict zones.
Marines are guarding diplomatic facilities in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen, Defense Press Secretary George Little told reporters Thursday.
“The State Department has the lead for embassy security around the world. Naturally, if they ask for our advice in given situations, we’ll offer it up, no question about it,” Mr. Little said in response to a question about who plans security at embassies and diplomatic facilities.
Part of the reason Marines were not stationed at the Benghazi compound is that it is not an embassy or consulate, but a “diplomatic mission,” officials said.
In some conflict zones, State Department officials work in buildings other than embassies or consulates in order to conduct “expeditionary diplomacy” — establishing an initial presence and building a relationship with locals, as in post-revolution Libya, officials said.
Senior administration officials described the facility in Benghazi as an “interim” one that the State Department had acquired before the fall of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, consisting of a main building and several ancillary buildings, as well as an annex farther away.
The Pentagon has deployed a 50-man Marine platoon to the Libyan capital of Tripoli to protect U.S. citizens and the embassy.
“If called upon, we would obviously provide support to our State Department colleagues to provide additional security at embassies,” Mr. Little said.
Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/sep/15/official-no-marines-libya-time-benghazi-attack/#ixzz26fIwsumI
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Midair helicopter collision kills 7 Marines
- NEW: Six of the Marines who died were from Camp Pendleton
- The Marine Corps says the collision occurred during routine training
- A UH-1Y helicopter and an AH-1W helicopter crash midair
- Spokeswoman: Marines onboard were preparing to deploy to Afghanistan
(CNN) -- Seven U.S. Marines were killed in the midair collision of two U.S. military helicopters in southern Arizona, officials said Thursday.
The crash occurred during routine training operations Wednesday night along the California-Arizona border, the Marine Corps said in a statement.
The collision, which occurred near the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, involved an AH-1W "Super Cobra" attack helicopter and a UH-1Y "Huey" utility chopper.
The aircraft were part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and based in Camp Pendleton in California.
Six of the Marines killed in the crash were from Camp Pendleton, and one was from Yuma, the Marine Corps said.
Authorities were investigating the collision.
"We won't know exactly what happened until the investigation is complete, and we can't make any assumptions right now," said 1st Lt. Maureen Dooley, a Marine Corps spokeswoman.
The Marines onboard were preparing for deployment to Afghanistan, she said.
"We have aircraft going out to Yuma training ranges on a weekly basis, and they go out there primarily because the aircraft mimics what they will see in Afghanistan," Dooley said.
Authorities did not plan to release the names of the Marines involved until their families were notified.
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma is home to about 4,000 active duty Marines and sailors. It supports 80% of the Marine Corps air-to-ground aviation training and covers five square miles in southeastern Yuma.
The air station "hosts approximately 70 aviation units, bringing an average of 600 aircraft and 14,000 personnel for ongoing training that takes place throughout the year," utilizing U.S. and NATO forces, the station's website said.
The military has long used the AH-1W and UH-1 Huey for a variety of tasks. The military describes the AH-1W as "the backbone of the United States Marine Corps' attack helicopter fleet." The UH-1Y is a twin-engine, medium-size helicopter, according to the military.
CNN's Ashley Hayes and Moni Basu contributed to this report.