Marines May Get First Female "Rifleman"

Marine expects to be one of first female riflemen
Marine Corps Times
By Jeff Schogol, Staff writer
January 8, 2016

“There were times where I didn’t think that I could make it to the very end, but I just stuck it out.”
Cpl. Remedios Cruz

Cpl. Remedios Cruz, seen here training at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif., said she will apply for a lateral transfer to the Marine infantry. (Photo: Marine Corps)

If all goes as expected, Marine Corps Cpl. Remedios Cruz should be one of the first women in the infantry.

Cruz, 24, graduated from the School of Infantry in September 2014. Then in July, she and five other women completed a study, in which male and female Marines volunteered to perform combat tasks. Currently a supply clerk, Cruz plans on applying for a lateral move into the infantry.

“Just being in that study … I definitely enjoyed being out in the field and getting to experience the camaraderie between my brothers- and my sisters-in-arms,” she told Marine Corps Times on Thursday.

Originally from Fleischmanns, New York, Cruz has been overcoming obstacles since she joined the Marine Corps.

“One of the first things that my recruiter told me was, ‘Once you sign on the dotted line, you’re committed,’” Cruz said. “I’ve been loyal ever since.”
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