The U.S. Marine Corps is looking for a few more good women. And this time the campaign is a bit different. Marine recruiters are turning to girls high school sports teams to find candidates who may be able to meet the Corps’ rigorous physical standards, including for the front-line combat jobs now open to women. Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller says he wants to increase the number of women in the Corps to 1 in 10. “I’ve told them that 10 percent is where we want to go and they’re working on it,” Neller told The Associated Press in an interview. “Go recruit more women. Find them. They’re out there.” For years, only about 7 percent to 8 percent of the Corps, which numbers 184,200, has been women. It’s the smallest percentage of women among all the military services. But on the heels of the Pentagon decision to allow women who qualify to serve in combat jobs, thousands of new infantry, armor and other front-line posts are now open.
Marines turn to girls high school sports teams for recruits
