Two trailblazing women who became the first female participants in the notoriously brutal Marine Corps’ Infantry Officer Course have dropped out of the program, according to the Stars and Stripes.
The two female lieutenants failed to complete the combat endurance test portion of the program, as did 26 male Marines.
Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Eric Flanagan told the Stars and Stripes one of women was dropped from the grueling 13-week course because of medical issues, although Flanagan said she is now in “good condition."
The Marine Corps Times reports the two women volunteered for the course when the Marines offered female members a chance to participate for the first time:
The Corps sought female volunteers for the course as part of a broader research effort to assess how female Marines might perform in assignments whose primary mission is direct ground combat — jobs they are prohibited from filling now.
The Marines are keeping the identities of the two female volunteers private. However, one of the women released a statement after dropping out of the program, which reads in part:
“I want to try to open up a door, maybe, for women after me. I don’t know how far it will open, but I’m hoping to make a difference for women down the road.”
