Most Marine Corps recruiting commercials have not shown female Marines fighting – until now.
The latest commercial “Battle Up” shows the evolution of a female Marine, starting when she is a young girl stopping bullies at school, through her days as a rugby player and ultimately as a convoy commander, leading her Marines as they fight through an ambush. It ends showing her as a vet helping the homeless.
“Marines don’t back down from a fight – whether personal, in combat, or when confronted with injustice; Marines fight and win the battles they face throughout their lives,” Marine Corps Recruiting Command spokesman Lt. Col. John Caldwell said in a news release.
Click here to watch the video and original publication>>
The new commercial comes after female poolees and recruits told market researchers between that there was a disparity between how male and female Marines were depicted in recruiting material, Jonathan Chavez, co-founder and chief analytics officer with the analytics company Social Sphere, told Marine Corps Times in April 2016.
“One of the things that we heard in particular is that depictions of females up to that point in Marine Corps advertising had largely depicted females in training environments,” Chavez said. “Male advertising — or general market advertising — also featured Marines actually in service, in fleet, doing their jobs.”
“Battle Up” makes clear that the Marines are looking for fighters, and that includes highly motivated women.
“No one knows where it comes from; why some have it and some don’t: It’s the fighting spirit, and it needs to be fed,” a narrator says in a voice-over. “It consumes fear, self-doubt and weakness. It stands ready to protect those in danger and to fight whatever shape the battle takes.”
Capt. Erin Demchko, who plays the convoy commander in the commercial, has served on a Female Engagement Team in Afghanistan, a Defense Department news story says. Her awards include the Combat Action Ribbon.
“I fight every day to sharpen my mind, strengthen my body, and to take care of the Marines to my right and left,” Demchko said in the news release. “My fighting spirit is the continuous drive that I have to accomplish my mission.”
Sgt Grit wants to hear from you! Leave your comments below or Submit your own Story !
nothing like a gal with pms!
While kind of a sexist comment, I had to laugh at it…some truth there….get out of her damn way! Fighting spirit, right on! Hubby is a USMC Vietnam Vet and the person he still is today is due in large part to his childhood upbringing with 7 kids, and his 2 years in the Corps…..great discipline and mindset….focused and driven….whether male or female we need these warriors!
I glad someone finally woke up, and smelled the coffee. It’s way past time our Sisters got the respect they have been fighting for. Hopefully, with this advertising campaign, the rest of the world will learn to appreciate and respect Women Marines the way they should be.
“And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more” to paraphrase; Should we require the women of “all the land” register for Selective Service. Following, the silence will be deafening.
I enlisted in 1965, was commissioned as a SSgt in 1970, and have a 9 year old granddaughter who loves the Corps. It is about time that the Corps directed an ad towards her and those like her. I guarantee when she sees this ad she will hang a picture of Captain Demchko on her wall.
“Commissioned” as a SSgt??
Yeah i caught that one also, haha
Male or female if you were made a marine nothing changes the honor, courage, and commitment are the same so why are they denied combat assignments. To me there is no excuse Put a rifle in there hands and hey can hit there target just like the males can Semper Fi sisters
I would like to see a WM on the Presidential Detail…just think what that would do for recruiting some more women who want to serve !
This is a travesty, against all that is sane. Marines WILL die because of this social experiment. There is, as history has shown, plenty of places for females to serve in our beloved Corps. Being in fighting holes with males is NOT one of those places. Mark my words…
William F. Murphy, I absolutely agree with you. It was recently proven that “most” women do not have the physical ability to be in a front line combat unit. The Corps recently did testing to determine if women could keep up, to perform with the men and the results were a big resounding “NO”. I love women but I do not want to take a couple of women out on an ambush with me. I do not want to take women out on a Search & Destroy Op with me because I don’t have time to look after them while leaving my other troops on their own. I have a wife and two daughter’s and I love them dearly but I do not want them serving in a combat role. The idea of putting women in combat roles is a left-wing, progressive goofball idea that needs to be forever squashed.
The nature of modern warfare has changed since my day … Iraq and Afghanistan are far different than VietNam . My daughter spent “4-in-the-Corps” and so far 14 in the Army . In Iraq (04-05) she had an assigned “desk job” as an Intel analyst , but her gender put her in the field 1 to 3 times weekly . She spent 3 weeks on the streets of Baghdad during the elections . Modern warfare requires adaptive tactics . She has a slew of combat decorations , but the Army CIB eluded her and she only got a CAB despite time in the field with an infantry outfit . There are many valid places for women in combat roles today . BTW , her Army Division CG nicknamed her “Gunny Highway” because of her discipline and leadership .
To all women who aspire to be REAL U.S. MARINES. Know and research what you are going after. Do not listen to those left wing people in our country who would try to change your minds of a great career in the United States Marine Corps. Let this weekend remind you of all the blood shed by all Marines in wars past, to give you the strength to make the decision to go on to become Marines. The recent scandal of porn which the Commadant had to answer to in Washington, D.C. in front of politicians was hard for me to watch, but the true qualities of great Marines will shine until we guard the Heavenly gates forever. Semper Fi to all.
Strongly AGREE!! Combat is NOT a situation where I want to see women. Plenty of places for them to serve that is every bit as important!!
William F. Murphy. I agree with you, We Marines have prided ourselves on always being different and unique. I know that there are a few and I mean a very few women who could hold there on in the field of combat. I have seen the same in my profession as a law enforcement deputy. My daughter also wants to serve in the Marines just as her father has and her brother is currently doing. But I know she does not possess the physical abilities, mentally she would do fine. And yes we will hear the whole crossfit argument, that’s not combat!! This is an entirely different type of physical ability. Look bottom line the other branches will tell (Not publicly of course) that it is a mistake!
Ask the navy how the female recruites are working out on ship. Then ask them what it’s costing them in maternity paymenys, sexual harassment payments, and the lost of good men due to females in the work place, I.e. not really being able to do the work that men are capable of doing, making the men feel responsible to pick up the slack for them while the whole time the females claiming that they do “equal” work and there for deserve equal pay for equal work. I have worked with many woman both in the Corps. and the real world and can count on less than one hand how many woman that really can work as hard and or as long as a man. I married a female marine and the only reason she became a Marine was to get married and receive a free ride. She is an ex-wife (thank god). I will be the first person to make the statement that a woman should get paid equally as a man when you show me a woman that works as equal as a man. Sorry if I affend any woman but I have been forced to work with women for almost 30 years and stand behind what I am saying. Show me a woman that works equal to a man with no special stipulations because there woman and I will admit that I am wrong. Over 30 years and running and I haven’t had to say it yet. Semper Fi Marines.
In case those who are promoting women in combat haven’t noticed it, there are differences between men and woman. I know Mr. Obama wanted a one world one government, one unisex soldier, but I don’t believe he lived in the real world. Forest Hardardt described the Navy’s problems so I won’t repeat it. Just think back, as a man or a woman, what your hormonal impulses were between 17 and say 26 or so. If the Corps puts young people of that age in situations where privacy is next to impossible it will create sexual problems. Let’s suppose two guys in the same platoon have a yen for the same female Marine. Doesn’t anyone in Washington understand the consequences of gasoline and fire together. Guys will be ‘killing’ each other. They sure won’t be making ‘nice’ to one another. I hope President Trump and his troopers get a hard look at this before it becomes reality, morale is ruined by male competition for a female platoon member, the gunny promises some attractive young female Marine special duty and the lower ranked men are mad as hell, etc. I am glad to see women serve and if a woman does the same job as a man, pay her accordingly. But a woman next to a male Leatherneck in a combat is going to have him looking out for her in a protective manner and that will be a distraction. And I am not saying we didn’t all look out for each other, but this is a accident waiting to happen. If the Army and the other services want this let them do it, but leave the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen out of this sure to fail plan. It’s just another part of Obama’s legacy. He wouldn’t take a chance like this with his two pretty daughters. Hell no he wouldn’t, but risk the kids of the average working man, Hell yes heh would. I’ve written letters to Washington on this matter and they are all afraid to talk about it. Political correctness, now that’s important, but I am not sure for whom. If Washington wants equality in everything put the senate and the house on the same social security, retirement benefits, health plans, obeying US investment laws, etc as the rest of have to do. Nobody in Washington wants to even smell that kind of equality, but they are going to jam it down the throats of the Corps. God Bless our country, the Marines and all the other service men and women who are devoted to America—the greatest bastion of freedom ever in spite of Obama’s efforts toward the destruction of our culture and freedom. Semper Fi, buzz
What a great response, having gone thru boot camp in 1940 era before all the modern tools available to day with 10 drill instructors 24hrs a day for a total of 4 months until graduation no women could have made it. Semper Fi Sgt. Marty
For those who think men and women are equal physically and can serve in combat together I propose the following “social experiment”. Let 100 women volunteer to include any MMA fighters, Olympic caliber athletes, or any badass type of women. Using the Selective Service model select at random 100 men between the age of 18 to 26 from across the country. Put all of them into an arena with no weapons and tell them only the last one standing can walk out. Does anyone really believe that a women would be the one to walk out? As we all know combat is not just shooting the enemy at long range, it gets up close and very personal. I for one would not want my Granddaughter, when the SHTF, to have to try to survive a hand to hand fight to the death with an enemy fighter.
Tell them to watch the movie Full Metal Jacket. That’s as close to my boot camp experience in 58 see if they still want to join I doubt it. Semper Fi 0300. 58-64
The Corps did not want this, they did not want don’t ask don’t tell to end either, however the PC liberals in power know what’s best and they have a great record to run on. (Enter sarcasm here). If women had done to them what we had done to us in boot camp physically and mentally the Corps would of been disbanded so don’t even try and tell me the training is no different. And to tell you the truth if it has to be a liberal PC Marine Corps I wish it would stand down. After all I thought “The bended knee is not our way” ! Unfortunately we don’t have leaders in our Corps like that anymore to stand up to PC politicians. Any man that wants to see our women coming home in body bags from being in combat arms MOS’s while capable men fit to serve stay home and tend the kitchen is in need of a gender check in my opinion. However I digress, I’m a dinosaur and the PC culture has won, just glad my time in the Corps was a different era. S/FI
DAN YOU NAILED IT IN VERY FEW WORDS. I AM IN TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH YOUR ASSESSMENT. IF I MAY ADD SOME ADDITIONAL COMMENTS TO IT THESE ARE THEM. 1. IF THESE WOMAN CAN MANAGE TO PASS BOOT CAMP, INFINTRY TRAINING WITH THE BIG GUNS AND STILL WANT TO STAY LETS ASSIGN THEM TO “KP” MESS DUTY HEAD CLEANING DUTY INCLUDING BURNING THE HALF BARREL 55 GALLION DRUMS FULL OF REAL MARINES CRAP. MAKE THEM LIVE IN AN 8 TOO 10 PERSON TENT LIKE SOME OF US LUCKY ONES DID IN VIETNAM. IT SHOULD NOT BE RESTRICTED TO FEMALES ONLY. ALONG WITH THAT NO SHOWERS, LOTS OF BUGS AND MORE BUGS, SOME BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS, NO AIR CONDITIONING AND ABSOLUTLY NO PRIVACY OF ANY SORT. LET THEM EAT POWERED EGGS AND DRINK POWERED MILK. ALONG WITH “SOS”. SEE THEY CAN STAND UP TO HARRESSMENT SUCH AS SEXUAL, WEIGHT JOKES, HAIR JOKES, LOOKS, SIZE OF SEX ORGAN, ETE ETC. YOU TREAT THEM JUST LIKE YOU WERE TREATED AS A NEW GUY. AS TO YOUR MENTIONING THE PC POLITICIANS. AT THE TOP OF THE LIST IS 2 WOMEN SENATORS. BARBARA BOXER CALF AND KRISTEN GILLABRAND N.Y. BEING FROM N.Y. I APOLIGIZE FOR GILLABRAND. I DID NOT VOTE FOR HER. THIS REMINDS ME OF WHEN THIS COUNTRY PASSED A LAW CALLED PROABITION. NO BARS NO DRINKING. IT WAS CHAMPIONED BY WOMEN. WHAT A FAILURE. THE MEN FINALLY WOKE UP AND REPEALED IT THANK GOD. TO SUM THIS ALL UP. IT SUCKS AND I SURE HOPE MAD DOG AND CHESTY DEEP SIX THE HOLE THING BEFORE OUR PRECIOUS MARINE CORP DISAPPEARS. WRITE YOUR MALE SENATORS ONLY TO END THIS CRAP. DAN MY THOUGHTS ON THIS ARE LONGER AND MORE WORDY THAN YOURS. I LIKE YOURS BETTER. THANKS MARINE.
Dan As a former Corpsman I agree with you 100% . Even the Navy as become PC weak. Time out for basic if the instructor becomes too hard. I have a friend who’s daughter who’s a Sgt in the Corp. She said the MEN were treated harsher than the women.
Right on Dan. Agree 100 percent Semper Fi Thank god for the old Coup 58-64
Semper Fi Brendon & Don, thanks!
Women do not belong in front line units, Period.
Marines here seem to be promoting a stereotype woman from the 1950s. There are a lot of tuff athletic women today who could cut it if the men showed enough discipline and respect to let them do their jobs. Don’t blame the women for your lack of discipline. There were some pretty wimpy guys in my platoon at PI in 1966 and they made it through. Remember, they are not going to draft women of the streets and push them into combat. It’s all volunteer. I’d be the last to push someone in over their head but if they can cut it (and there are those that can) I would not stand in their way. I was running a10K out and back run some years ago and shortly after making the turn for home, I met my 7 month pregnant neighbor approaching the turn with a hundred men trailing her. Then 2 days out of the hospital after delivery she was out for another run. She could fight along side of me any time. Semper Fi!
It is madness to assign women to infantry positions!!!!!!!!! There are plenty of MOS’s they can be placed in. Yes, I admire any young woman who can make it through PI, but is our country that desperate that we need them in the 0300 mos category? If our country is desperate for bodies to fill the ranks, I’m getting off this planet just in time. Thank heavens I lived in the best of times.”