Amid the Department of Defense's historic change to open all combat jobs to women, the Marine Corps accepted the first female applicants to the sister service branches' special operations command (MARSOC).
An average of 11 months of grueling training and the mastery of seven weapons are just some of the hurdles to join the elite tier of the Corps'.
After serving three years as a Marine, MARSOC candidates arrive at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in the best shape of their lives.
Some of the physical assessments include a 300 yard swim in cammies and a brutal 12-mile timed rucksack run carrying 45 pounds of gear.
Come along to MARSOC and see what the training is like.
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MARSOC training begins with Phase One, a 10 week long course that focuses on basic skills that all operators will need to master.
These skills include general fitness ...
... And significantly more advanced swimming skills.
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