As Women Try Out For Armor Units, 'If You Can Hack It, You Can Hack It'
Women use every advantage that they can, says Cpl. Thomas Debatt, a veteran armor crew member.
"They just have a different technique," he says. "There's no task they can't complete that any man can complete, it's all — it's all pretty much the same."
But Donk, who helped the women change the tire, is more circumspect.
"I mean, they're putting out their best effort," he says. "At the end of this, the data will show what the Marine Corps need to do, to move in whatever direction they choose to."
When asked whether he thinks women can be part of this crew, he declines to answer.
Nearby, Lance Cpl. Brittany Dunklee is trash-talking with the men.
Before volunteering for this experiment, Dunklee was also a Marine truck driver on Okinawa. She says those who oppose women in combat are stuck in the old ways.
"A lot of our men here, they're very supportive — and if you can hack it, you can hack it," she says.
Lance Cpl. Brittany Dunklee talks with her fellow marines. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption
itoggle caption David Gilkey/NPR
Last year, Dunklee says, she could do one pull-up. Now she can knock out seven.
"I know a lot of males that can't do what I can do," she says. "But as long as you can do it, there's no reason why you shouldn't be in combat."
She's just 19, small and wiry, with an intense, dark stare. As a high school wrestler, she took on the boys.
"I kicked some boys' ass," she says.
Her future? She hopes to be a first sergeant, leading Marines in combat.