The past two years have seen some significant new steps for female enlisted leaders. In 2013, Sgt. Maj. Angela Maness became the first woman to serve as sergeant major for Marine Barracks Washington, the oldest post in the Marine Corps. And this year, Sgt. Maj. Lanette Wright made history as the first female to serve as top enlisted leader for a Marine expeditionary unit when she assumed her post at the 24th MEU.
As the selection process for the next sergeant major of the Marine Corps nears, at least two female sergeants major may qualify for consideration. They are Sgt. Maj. Bonnie Skinner, who advises Army Maj. Gen. Wayne Grisgsby Jr. at Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa; and Maness, who multiple sources say has been tapped to serve as sergeant major of Eastern Recruiting Region and Marine Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, a position that would make her an adviser to a one-star post. Sgt. Maj. Irene O'Neal, who serves at a general officer-level post at the Marine Corps Inspector General's office, has requested retirement, according to a Pentagon source with knowledge of the move.
Several current issues that emphasize the role of women in the Corps may suggest that now is the right time to consider the first female SMMC. The Marine Corps is completing its Women in Service Review, with a Defense Department mandate to open all combat jobs to women by 2016 or argue for exceptions. Meanwhile, the issue of sex assault in the ranks, which disproportionately affects female troops, has become an increased focal point for senior leadership in recent years due to heightened awareness of the problem.
Retired Sgt. Maj. John Estrada, the 15th sergeant major of the Marine Corps and a former member of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, acknowledged that there were rumors about whether a female sergeant major would be considered for the top enlisted job.
"It should not be a politically correct decision. It should come down to who is best qualified," he said.
