The first female infantry Marines will share fighting holes and tents with male Marines during field exercises.
“We’re not changing any of our tactical posture or breaking unit cohesion or adjusting anything to accommodate mixed genders while we’re operating in a field environment replicating tactical conditions,” said Maj. Charles Anklam III, executive officer for 1st Battalion, 8th Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
On Jan. 5, the battalion received three female infantry Marines: a rifleman, machine gunner and mortar Marine. Whenever the Marines are in the field, they will live, train and fight with their unit, Anklam told Marine Corps Times.
“Our female Marines will find themselves side-by-side their male counterparts in a fighting hole or in their living conditions for the execution of field or deployed duties,” he said in a Jan. 20 interview.
When in their barracks, all of the female Marines have their own rooms, which include their own shower and bathroom, Anklam said. The battalion has had to make some adjustments in buildings where both women and men now work, he said.
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