In the wake of the nude photograph scandal that saw explicit photos of female Marines and veterans shared in a secret Facebook group, Marine Lt. Col. Ann Bernard created a group called Actionable Change. The goals of the group are to combat misogyny in the Marines and to fully integrate boot camp. The Marine Corps recruit training program separates males from females during boot camp, and according to Bernard, this is where the culture of misogyny begins. She’s also encouraging other high-ranking female Marines to speak out against misogyny and be the voice for those who are lower ranking and feel as though they cannot speak up or be heard.
The Marine Corps culture is pretty intense. Starting in the recruiting office, recruits are instilled with the idea that being a Marine is the greatest thing they will ever accomplish in life. I actually almost joined the Marine Corps myself before I chose the Army, and I remember a conversation I had with a female Marine who informed me that males in the Army compete with female Marines. She used that comparison to illustrate how “tough” I would be by joining the Marine Corps. She continued the conversation by stating, “People like to laugh and say that I think I’m God … I am God, I’m a Marine.”
As I recall the conversation today, it makes me laugh. However, at 20 years old, I thought that she was the coolest person there was. She carried herself with a level of confidence and self-assurance that I admired and wanted for myself. She was also a noncommissioned officer and not a lieutenant colonel.
While it’s important to acknowledge the valid concerns of Lt. Col. Bernard, it’s just as important to consider the culture down to the lowest levels of the enlisted.
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Angelina Newsom is an OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army veteran.
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