The first female Marine to complete the second phase in the intense selection process to become a MARSOC Raider, is leaving the Corps “for other opportunities” after being passed over for the final phase of training, Military.com reports.
- Sgt. Bailey Weis, an aviation maintenance controller with Marine Attack Squadron 542, completed both phases of the Marine Special Operations Command’s Assessment and Selection course on her first attempt.
- According to Military.com, Weis chose to leave the Marine Corps after she was not selected for the Individual Training Course, the nine-month crucible that molds qualified Marines into elite MARSOC Raiders, a MARSOC spokesman Maj. Nick Mannweiler told Military.com
- Only 5% of initial applicants end up selected for the ITC, Mannweiler said.
- “It feels good to be the first one because that way other females know it’s possible to do something like this,” Weis told Military.com. “If that makes them want to do it more or have more confidence, then I think it’s going to break a good barrier — especially for special operations.”
- “There are some cultures where men aren’t able to interact with women,” she added. “Having women on those missions who meet the same standards that you’ve got men in special operations meeting, that’s a huge asset.”
- The sergeant has come the closest among female Marines to earning MARSOC’s Critical Skills Operator (0372) military occupational specialty. Currently, there are just 27 female Marines serving in the infantry (03) MOS.
