Marine Brig. Gen. L.E. Reynolds is Parris Island’s first female commander

Marine Brig. Gen. L.E. Reynolds is Parris Island’s first female commander

(John Wollwerth/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST) - Brig. General. Loretta E. Reynolds, 46, is the first female Marine commander of the Corps' iconic training ground for recruits at Parris Island, S.C. She took command in June.

By Craig Whitlock, Published: August 19

PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — There’s a new commander on this sandy, swampy spit of land that has transformed rawboned recruits into macho Marines for nearly a century. Brig. Gen. L.E. Reynolds, a 6-foot-tall Baltimore native and a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, is the latest in a long line of no-nonsense leaders to take charge here.

But she’s the first woman.

And for the tradition-bound Marine Corps, which endlessly promotes a tough-guy image and built its recruiting on the search for “a few good men,” the idea of all those ruthless Parris Island drill instructors having to salute a leatherneck named Loretta could take some getting used to.

“I am sure that some Marines, especially those who served many years ago, were disconcerted that a female Marine general would take over Parris Island,” said Maj. Jim Franks, who served under Reynolds as her executive officer when they were deployed to Afghanistan. “But if they had the opportunity to meet her, they would quickly see that she’s eminently qualified to do that job. . . . Take the female part out of it. She’s an outstanding officer.”

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