In 1918, a woman enlisted in the Marine Corps and became the first one to join. Since that time, the inclusion and roles of women have expanded.
For the past six years, Sgt. Courtney Montecalvo has been enlisted in the Marine Corps, but her journey hasn't been easy. She joined the Marine Corps in 2014, but had to go to basic training twice. A dental X-ray showed Montecalvo was missing part of her jaw, and she was sent home and instantly went back to the recruiters office.
What You Need to Know
The first female Marine was Opha Mae Johnson in 1918
Female Marines are now being integrated into more combat roles
Sgt. Courtney Montecalvo holds her standards as high as every Marine
“My hair was still in a bun, I go to the recruiting station and I go 'Sir, I want to be a Marine,' and he was like 'you just got discharged from the Marine Corps, you know medical and stuff, so why don't you take some time and think about it,' and I'm like 'I don't need to think about it, this is what I want to do,'” Montecalvo said.
After getting more X-rays and going to the military entrance processing station, commonly known as MEPS, and going through the enlistment process 12 times, she was able to clear waivers and go back to Parris Island for training again.
Now, she looks at her journey and is proud of her accomplishments, as well as the role women play in the Marine Corps.
“I think we're getting away from it more in the Marine Corps, that it's not 'female Marines, woman Marines,' it's just Marines. Marines are Marines, and finally I think we're coming to that point in the Marine Corps. It's honestly beautiful to see, and it's great to be a part of that as well” Montecalvo said.
While she knows female marines are important, she does notice there are times when she and others are underestimated.
“Sometimes they'll look at you off the bat and look at you and go, 'OK, you know, maybe the performance isn't necessarily there because your standards aren't as high so you don't have to work as hard,” she said.
Montecalvo holds her standards as high as any other Marine, male or female.
“At the end of the day, you don't get to pick who goes down in combat, so if I'm not strong enough to pull the biggest guy to safety and make sure he gets home, than am I really doing my job, so that's kind of the mindset I like to have with it,” said Montecalvo.
She instills that same mindset into her junior Marines and does so by staying true to the leadership traits she's learned, but one of those traits means the most to her: justice.
“When people hear justice, they think it's bringing people to justice, and holding Marines accountable, and writing those charge sheets, and smacking down that hammer, but it's a lot more than that. Justice is also ensuring that, again the credit is given where the credit is due, and when Marines work hard, they should be awarded for that,” she said.
Montecalvo takes time to give the hard-working Marines the awards she feels they deserve.
“My biggest thing is when I give these awards, I want to make sure I'm there for when my Marines actually get awarded, you know, just kind of show my support, my appreciation for them,” she said.
She will continue to support her current Marines and has no plans to leave the Marine Corps. Soon, she will be back in basic training again.
“October 1, I go check in to drill instructor school, so it'll be Parris Island round three. I'm very excited,” she said.
Adding to the diversity within the branch, the Marine Corps did recently integrate female recruits to train at Recruit Depot San Diego for the first time in the Corps history.