Latest woman to attempt Marine Corps Infantry Officer School Fails
Back in 2015, 29 female officers took and dropped out of the Marine Corps Infantry Officer Course. All of them failed to pass the course. Then in December of last year, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that all military jobs would be opened to women. Back in April of 2016, the first woman to take the Infantry Officer Course dropped out after she failed two "conditioning hikes." Like any other officer who fails to complete the course on their first attempt, she was given another opportunity. Her second try began in July but again she was dropped from the course after failing a second conditioning hike. Now she's been given another Military Occupational Specialty (MOS).
The media is giving this failure more attention than it deserves. Most articles comment on the fact that at present there are no other women scheduled to attend the training. Some quote Marine Corps General John F. Kelly (retired) when he was still serving as Commander of the United States Southern Command. General Kelly said "If we don't change standards, it will be very, very difficult to have any numbers -- any real numbers come into the infantry."
The Infantry Officer School is an extremely difficult course. Of the 97 students in this class, there have been 34 students who have been dropped. That's a failure rate of over 35% and the course will undoubtedly lose more students before graduation on September 20th of this year. That's not to say that it is the military training course with the highest failure rate. That honor goes to the Air Force's Pararescue training course, which has an average course failure rate of 90%. Army Ranger training and Marine Corps Scout Sniper training have average drop-out rates of over 60%. This data is just here to provide perspective. This woman attempted and failed a course that more than four of every ten men who try it, fail.
Lewis B. Puller, Jr., was the son of the one of the most famous Marines who ever lived. In his Pulitizer Prize winning autobiography, Fortunate Son, he wrote something about the demands of Marine Corps training for officers. Before the Infantry Officer School, an officer must go to one of the military academies, or pass Officer Candidate School, another difficult course. One of his OCS classmates who failed OCS was the clerk who processed Puller Jr.'s orders to go to Vietnam.
The fact that this woman qualified to attend the Infantry Officer School is in and of itself an achievement. She got to a point many men did not reach. That is something the media seems to be ignoring. Instead they're focused on how she was unable to pass this course. I admire her for having the guts to try.
The media is giving this failure more attention than it deserves. Most articles comment on the fact that at present there are no other women scheduled to attend the training. Some quote Marine Corps General John F. Kelly (retired) when he was still serving as Commander of the United States Southern Command. General Kelly said "If we don't change standards, it will be very, very difficult to have any numbers -- any real numbers come into the infantry."
The Infantry Officer School is an extremely difficult course. Of the 97 students in this class, there have been 34 students who have been dropped. That's a failure rate of over 35% and the course will undoubtedly lose more students before graduation on September 20th of this year. That's not to say that it is the military training course with the highest failure rate. That honor goes to the Air Force's Pararescue training course, which has an average course failure rate of 90%. Army Ranger training and Marine Corps Scout Sniper training have average drop-out rates of over 60%. This data is just here to provide perspective. This woman attempted and failed a course that more than four of every ten men who try it, fail.
Lewis B. Puller, Jr., was the son of the one of the most famous Marines who ever lived. In his Pulitizer Prize winning autobiography, Fortunate Son, he wrote something about the demands of Marine Corps training for officers. Before the Infantry Officer School, an officer must go to one of the military academies, or pass Officer Candidate School, another difficult course. One of his OCS classmates who failed OCS was the clerk who processed Puller Jr.'s orders to go to Vietnam.
The fact that this woman qualified to attend the Infantry Officer School is in and of itself an achievement. She got to a point many men did not reach. That is something the media seems to be ignoring. Instead they're focused on how she was unable to pass this course. I admire her for having the guts to try.
posted by me at 8:19 PM
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