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\u201cTo say that I came in and saw so much progress for Marines, and especially female Marines, over my time \u2026 it hits me really hard.\u201d<\/em> When Lt. Col. Rhonda C. Martin was 19 years old, she unintentionally walked into a Marine recruiting office on her way to join the Peace Corps.<\/p>\n More than four decades later, she is the longest-serving active duty Marine, according to a service press release last week, and is set to celebrate her retirement at the end of the month.<\/p>\n She began her 42-year career as an administrative specialist, going on to serve as a drill instructor \u2014 though women were not allowed to don the iconic campaign cover at the time \u2014 before earning a commission as an officer in 1996.<\/p>\n She deployed multiple times, including in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and throughout her career, she both witnessed and took part in the Corps\u2019 institutional changes, especially as it slowly allowed women into more roles within the service.<\/p>\n \u201cTo say that I came in and saw so much progress for Marines, and especially female Marines, over my time \u2026 it hits me really hard,\u201d Martin said, according to the press release.<\/p>\n She reflected on her experiences and some of those changes, having been in the Corps since women were first permitted to qualify with the M16A2 on the recruit rifle range in 1985, all the way through to the Defense Department decision to lift its ban on women serving in direct combat roles more than twenty years later.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll be tough, but I\u2019ve had 42 years of doing what I love, and I\u2019m leaving at a time when the Marine Corps is stronger than ever,\u201d she said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nDrew F. Lawrence<\/strong><\/p>\n