Marine Corps Stories: WMs

Two military police (MP) stand guard at a checkpoint in Tehran, Iran. They are the first line of defense against any shady characters that may attempt to pass through the fences and other barriers set up outside their station.

“Colonel Marsh has lost her damn mind,” Sergeant Harry Delby.

“Yes, and you can find those words with other sexist statements against women in charge of Marines in the latest edition of Prehistoric Magazine,” Sergeant Penelope Sands said.

“Shut up, Penelope. This has nothing to do with gender or whatever and you know it.”

“She’s getting orders from another woman leader, Commanding General Wainwright. Get used to it.” Penelope said with a smirk.

“Look, I don’t mind taking orders from a woman. I’m no brute. I’ve got a baby daughter whom I hope will never be a Devil’. But, excuse my tongue, I don’t believe in you or the colonel, nor the general, or any other woman Marine. I recognize your right to be amongst the ranks, but that’s all that I will say.”

Penelope took a pause and then burst out laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you serious? Women have played so many major roles within the Corps that it’s not even funny. This entire theater in Iran is due to the ideals of a woman in Marine greens. We owe our lives to the fact that thousands of women are on the frontlines with us, knocking out these bastards at every which way and turn.”

“I just said that I don’t have to believe in having female Marines. It’s totally cool for recruiters to boost their quotas and sign up as many WMs as possible. Cool. But, I’m just saying that I don’t approve of females being Marines.”

Penelope fumed. “So, you mean to tell mean that when it gets thick out here, you don’t trust me to cover you or vise versa?”

Delby bit his tongue. A small trickle of blood spurted from it. “I–”

“‘I–’ what?”

“I don’t think that we should be having this conversation. We’ll just go ‘round in hula hoops discussing something that is already fixed and in place.”

Penelope spoke again. “No, we don’t have to talk about it. But remember this Harry. I shot higher rifle and pistol scores than you, ran a faster three miles than you, and have a brown belt.”

“Whoopee. Let’s break out the funny hats and noisemakers because it looks like we’re having a gloating party.”

“It’s not gloating if it’s true.”

A vehicle rolled up to the booth where the two Marines had been patrolling for the past nine hours.

The car carried Captain Jules Versailles. Both sergeants saluted and checked for the captain’s identification.

“You’re all set to go, sir,” Penelope said.

The car sped off into the base.

“So, you don’t believe in women Marines?”

“I said drop it.”

“I’m still on it. Why don’t you?”

“Okay. God didn’t intend for women to be on the battlefield. He didn’t want women warriors to be the ones fighting America’s battles.”

“That’s all you’ve got? The supernatural doesn’t ‘want’ women to take up the burden of the fight as opposed to a weak and unscrupulous man who could never defend an even semi-free country? Is that what you’re saying?”

“What I’m trying to say is that if Jesus had wanted women in war, then he would have made their bodies different.”

“What about our minds?”

“What about them?”

“It is our minds that allow our bodies to perform at the ultimate level. Our body’s CEO permits us to build up our bodies and train our thoughts to be just as good or even better than our male counterparts.”

“I hear you talking.”

“Look, we’re out here in the one place that we should’ve been a long time ago. This is the hotbed of jihadist activity. We are poised to topple a vicious regime and institute an incredible new way of life, not for Iranians, but to protect American lives and property. I mean they’ll get the benefits of it, but especially America. And we need all the help that we can get. The other branches have reached these shores to collaborate with Marines and some of them just happen to be women...in charge.”

The winds picked up a bit. It was like a Western where they had camped: desolate and away from the main parts of the city. Both Delby and Penelope sought ways of reaching reconciliation knowing that their differences may stay in their minds but not on the battlefield.