7 Women In The Marine Corps On Life Beyond The Uniform

Years of active service: Five years of active duty, June 2001-August 2006 (served in Iraq in 2005). Prior to that, she was in NROTC, Marine OptionRank before transitioning: Captain. What she does now: Assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

What inspired you to join the Marines?My grandfather was a B-17 pilot who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and my other grandfather was a naval officer in the South Pacific. I was raised in the Jesuit tradition of “service for others.” At the young age of 17 […] my guidance counselor suggested ROTC. I think my words to her were, “I’m not the military type. I’m not at all what they’re looking for.” I never envisioned that my path to service would include the military. For one, I was a woman, and there weren’t that many role models at the time. But I was also a three-sport athlete and did well in academics, so my guidance counselor chuckled and said, “Actually, you’re exactly what they’re looking for.” I started out in the Navy ROTC program, and during Marine Week, when I met the Marine Corps, I knew that was the beginning of the rest of my life. It was like meeting the person you’re supposed to marry. I knew that this was where I belonged.

Can you describe your path to your current position?I was in Fallujah during 2005 and I saw the impact, on the ground, of policy decisions that were being made in Washington. I left Iraq with a deep resolve to take care of Marines and their families— and thought that the best way to do that was to leave active duty and go into policy. The ability to lead and run highly performing organizations is how I think I can make a difference for our country. I went to Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. I built a critical management skill-set at PepsiCo, where I held a number of general management roles. Simultaneously, I had the deep privilege of serving as a commissioner on The American Battle Monuments Commission, managing America’s 25 overseas cemeteries. The experience heightened my urgency to serve as I walked through 21 cemeteries around the world and viewed the final resting places of over 100,000 Americans. Last fall, I transitioned to leading a large team at VA as a part of [former Proctor & Gamble CEO] Bob McDonald’s leadership team, engaged in arguably one of the most significant management turnarounds of the decade. I am taking the lead for the department on our post-9/11 veterans, ensuring that they understand their benefits and services.

Do you think that serving in the Marines has changed how you’re perceived?People tend to be surprised. I chuckle and say, “I guess I don’t have the typical haircut” and try to put them at ease with humor. I tend to take this opportunity to inform them of the great contributions that women have been making to our military for a long time. There’s a misperception that women haven’t been in combat, but women have been in combat for a long time. While I was on active duty, 6 percent of the officer corps were women, so you’re certainly in the minority. But the way I think about it is this: I always wanted to be Captain Sullivan, a Marine Captain, as opposed to a “female Marine Captain.”

Do you have any advice for a young woman looking to join the Marines?Joining the Marines Corps was, far and away, the single best decision I ever made in my life. I simply would not be the person that I am today had I not done it. The Marine Corps will challenge you in a way beyond what you can probably fathom. It will change you in a way that you cannot predict. Most significantly, the Marines that you serve with will touch your heart and you will never be the same. To any smart, strong, woman who loves her country, I think it is simply the highest calling.

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Years of active duty: Eight, from 1999-2007.Rank before transitioning: Captain. Served as a combat engineer.What she does now: She’s the executive director for the Southeast region of The Mission Continues.

How did your service help to get you where you are today professionally? As a Marine, you’re taught some very core things. One is to always make a decision – to make good decisions, and make them quickly. Another is the ability to work with lots of different kinds of people. I had 200 Marines under me when I deployed to Iraq. I learned how to identify with different people’s personalities, learn what motivates them, and learn what strengths they had.

And personally? My challenges on active duty were one thing; my challenges as a Marine wife were another. If you don’t learn patience from that, and if you don’t learn independence from that, you can’t function. I’ve also learned that I’m not in any of this alone. Whether it’s from being a Marine or a Marine wife, I’ve developed the ability to rely on other people to be my tribe, and be my pack. I have three kids and I wouldn’t have survived [my husband’s] deployment were it not for all of these things.

Can you tell me about The Mission Continues? It’s an organization that empowers veterans to serve in new ways after they transition from the military. Our six-month fellowship allows them to stay on an empowered track. Two years ago, we [also] started launching service platoons in communities and cities throughout the country. They zero in on a mission – homelessness, youth mentoring, hunger, health and fitness, the environment – and support other nonprofit partners in their communities.

Is there anything you want to tell young women who are thinking about joining the Marines? Be authentic. Be yourself. Be proud of who you are. We are a vast minority in the military, particularly in the Marine Corps, and it’s too easy to feel like you need to be “one of the guys.” It is so imperative that women go out there and be themselves. They need to know that there are generations of female veterans who are supporting them and working really hard to break down important walls for them. We’ve got our hands on their backs – all of us.

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Years of active duty: Four.Rank before transitioning: Sergeant. Squadron Headquarters Administrator.What she does now: Director of social media at Veterans in Film and Television, freelance writer, actress, brand ambassador.

What inspired you to join the Marines?It’s kind of a funny story, and people look at me strange because I joined spontaneously. No one in my family is in the military. But I just didn’t have a purpose. I had been 21 for two months and I was like, “Is this it?” I knew there was so much more to life. I don’t regret it at all.I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and I moved to Michigan when I was 21 years old. I basically just wanted to get out of Michigan, get back West, and be able to travel. At the time, my dad was paying my college bills, and I wasn’t taking it seriously. I figured that if I were putting myself through college, I’d complete it. [When I joined], I thought, “I can do college later, but until then I’ll have a steady job that I won’t be able to quit.”

Can you tell me about your role at Veterans in Film and Television? I’m one of the only full-time staff members at an organization that has 1,800 members nationwide. We have partnerships with major networks and studios. I’m doing operations, social media marketing, HR, events, and outreach.

What challenges do veterans face in the entertainment industry, and how does VFT help?We provide greater visibility for veterans to get jobs [in the industry]. We work with studios and high-profile names who know about VFT and want to use veterans because they see the discipline and talent that we bring. Our main function is that we connect veterans with these opportunities, and I think Hollywood has been very veteran-friendly.

What unique skills do you think you bring to the table?I’m so lucky that I learned what I did in the Marines. I would have to go and speak to large groups of service members in the Marines because it was my job to coordinate events and host them. I was a sergeant talking to a whole battalion of officers, so those were very high-ranking people. I had to learn very quickly how to fake it until I make it. It’s about rolling with the punches, rolling with change, and being able to step in and do the job, even if I don’t actually know everything.

What surprises people about you? Let’s say a [movie studio] executive, they see how young I am. They’re thinking, “How are you in this position?” I look young, and it doesn’t help that I’m an actress. But as soon as I start speaking with confidence and know what I’m talking about, and they find out I served in the Marines, they say: “OK, you’re badass!” They have some respect. They don’t really understand, but they know they should be respectful, and it’s instant credibility.

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Years of active duty: Three years and nine months, between December 2009 and September 2013.Rank before transitioning: Corporal.What she does now: Sophomore at Stanford University, studying economics.

Can you describe what you’re doing now? It’s interesting being 26 years old and a sophomore in college! I’m studying economics and I’m volunteering as the director of undergraduate operations for Service To School, a small nonprofit that advises veterans applying to college. That takes up quite a bit of my free time, and I love it. I’m also volunteering at the VA hospital. I’m involved in a program that teaches disabled veterans how to kayak.

How did your service help to get you where you are today, professionally and personally? I can honestly say that I don’t think I would be at Stanford were it not for the experience I got from the military. [As part of my second deployment to Afghanistan in 2012], I was part of a program called the Marine Female Engagement Team, and it completely opened my eyes to the idea of international development.

Can you tell me a bit more about your interest in international development? I was [in Afghanistan] with a corpsman and a linguist who were both female, and our job was to be the liaison between the military and the civilian populations. We did a lot of community development work. We would sit down and talk to women about women’s rights. Really, it was closer to humanitarian work than military work, and I totally loved it. When it came time to come home, I felt like I’d left my heart there and needed to find a way to go back and help. There are bizarre misconceptions that [Westerners] have about Afghan women, but these women are very passionate, strong, outspoken people. They don’t feel like it’s their right to be equal, and there isn’t an infrastructure where they can start their own business and their own jobs because they’re not able to [be supported].

Do you have any advice for a young woman looking to join the Marines?When I was going in, I didn’t really have any female military people in my life that I could reach out to. I wish I had known how much female veterans were willing to speak about their experience to people who are interested. I think it’s important to speak to someone, just so you know what you’re getting into.

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Years of active duty: Four, and two in the reserves. Rank before transitioning: Captain.What she does now: Community engagement manager for Team Rubicon, a disaster-response organization with 25,000 veteran and civilian members.

What inspired you to join the Marines?My parents were in the Air Force, and I knew I wanted to go into the military but I didn’t know which service. My brothers were in the Army when I was in high school, but I thought that the Marines would offer the biggest challenge. There’s a little interservice rivalry, which is fun.

Can you describe how you became involved with Team Rubicon?My husband and I had quit our jobs and sold everything, and we were on a cross-country backpacking trip living out of our car. We were in LA when Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in 2013. My husband was volunteering with Team Rubicon, and I had just started volunteering. They needed someone who could deploy in 12 hours and lead a logistics team, and luckily, I had that background. I deployed for two weeks in Manila, making sure we had food and lodging and that our team had everything they needed to get in and out of the affected areas. On the ninth day, I said, “This is it.” I was actually awaiting government orders at the time, but I turned them down and applied for a job at Team Rubicon.

How did your service help to get you where you are today, professionally and personally? It taught me basic confidence. Being in situations where you’re tired, grumpy, cold, and wet, and having to maintain composure and get things done – that boosted my confidence for any situation I’ve been in. You also learn small-unit leadership. The Marine Corps taught me how to take care of people, from A to Z.

Do you have any advice for women who are thinking of joining the Marines?My favorite part is that the standards don’t change whether you’re a male or a female. You should be able to lead an infantry platoon through an attack. For example, my roommate was 4’11” and probably 95 pounds, and I remember seeing her carry an 85-pound pack up a hill. If you can physically keep up with the Marines, they respect you.

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Years of active duty: Four, and just over two years as a mobilized reservist. Rank before transitioning: Sergeant. What she does now: Owns and operates a San Francisco-based PR firm, Moriah Creatives PR. She recently founded Clear PR, a tech startup that productizes public relations services for small businesses.

What inspired you to join the Marines? Both of my grandfathers served in the military during WWII, so I grew up listening to their stories. By the time I was 9, I knew I wanted to serve as well. Also, as a high school student I was incredibly lazy, but I couldn’t find anything in my environment to incentivize me to make the kinds of changes I felt I needed. I knew I would have to change my environment to be transformed into who I thought I was capable of becoming. I researched each of the services, and decided on the Marine Corps because it’s the only service I wasn’t sure I could succeed in. It intimidated me. I figured that if I could make it in the Marine Corps, I could do anything. So off to boot camp I went, and once I was there I didn’t question my decision. I knew I was where I was supposed to be.

How did your service help to get you where you are today, professionally and personally? The most important lesson I learned as a Marine is that people are so much more capable than they know – emotionally, physically, and mentally. Human beings are incredible; challenge and hardship expose that reality. That knowledge has empowered me to take tremendous risks as an entrepreneur, and they’ve paid off.

I also formed an incredibly powerful personal and professional network during my time in the service. Women make up a small percent of the Marine Corps, so most of my military network is made up of men. These guys have been some of my greatest friends, advisers, mentors, collaborators in business, and sources of encouragement and support.

When you tell someone that you’ve served in the Marines, are there any assumptions they make that are a little off-the-mark? Interestingly, quite a few civilian men have wanted to physically challenge me. It makes me laugh, but I think the rigor of the training Marines receive serves as some kind of perceived challenge to their manhood.

What’s something about you that usually surprises people when they meet you? People sometimes say they’re surprised by how feminine I am. I’m not sure what they’re expecting, but capability and femininity need not be opposing forces. I’m a huge fan of being strong without being hard.

This post is brought to you by the U.S. Marine Corps.