Ashley: Why did you join the miliatary?
Kate: I never intended to join the military while I was in highschool as my parents told me that I needed to go to college. Then when I got to college, I worked full time to pay for school and realized that I wouldn't feel flulfilled and challenged if I graduated and went on to take a normal office job. I wanted to be apart of something bigger than a corporation and knew I wanted to be a leader. The idea of being apart of a team with a clear mission appealed to me. Once I signed up for the Marines, it made sense, because I come from a family with a strong military tradition...I think it's in our blood!
Ashley: When you joined, how did you view the difference between men and women in the military? Did that view change after you were in?
Kate: Interestingly enough, despite the fact that I had always excelled in school, when U went to see the Navy recruiter as I was exploring the branches of the military, he looked at my college entrance exam score (SAT) and told me I wasn't smart enough to join. I walked out of his office and noticed a sign for the Marine recruiter across the hall and decided I might as well check it out. Well, when I walked in, the male Gunnery Sergeant in charge of the office asked if I was waiting for my noyfriend to finish taking the military entrance test (ASVAB)! What an introduction to the service, right?!? I learned right away that the Marine Corps is the smallest branch with the highest standards and the fewest women, and thought it would be a place for me to make a mark. I also quickley learned that women not only had different uniforms, but we had different physical fitness requirements as well, but I don't think I really questioned why until I was in a position where I was able to get a big picture view of the organitation and bteer understand what would make the Marines a stronger organization. My view of the servuce and my beliefs about what women are capable of changed drastically after I was on recruting duty and I raised the standards for my male and female applicants alike. They rose to the occasion and made me understand most perceptions of the physical and mental abilities of Marine women are not based on science and fact, but on bias and stereotypes.
Ashley: What are the biggest changes you saw during you career with how women are treated in the military? Can you speak about the other services too, or just the Marine Corps?
Kate: The December before I retired, the Secretary of Defense lifted the ban on women serving in ground combat jobs like the infrantry (like GI Joe those who serve on the front lines in war) for military women, meaning they can now serve in any position in any service, as long as they are physically and mentally qualified to do so. The inability of qualified women to serve these roles was abig sourve of discrimination and an easy way to seperate men and women within the culture, so it represented a hug step forward for all the branches of service. I think over time, this will level the playing field for men and women and make the culture better for everyone. We still have issues with harassment and gender bias, but attitudes are changing, particulary since the younger generations that serve expect more equity and have witnessed strong women in sports excel firsthand. I can honestly say that it is the older generations that are holding the military back, because most senior leaders (almosy all of them in the Marines) are white men who have very traditional views about the roles women should hold. Once they leave the service, I know that things will change for the better. They aren't bad people, they just have old fashioned notions about what is right for the services based on how they were raised.
Ashley: Was there a point in your career when you decided that you wanted to be part of the change in culture that needed to happen? If so, when and why?
Kate: I always wanted to make every place I served better, and became known as a leader who could improve her unit, but it wasn't until midway in my career in the Marines when I was a commanding officer of a recruiting station that I really felt I had the ability to influence the culture. I knew if we brought in high caliber officers and enlisted men and women, the entire institution would be stronger for it. I assumed that my senior leaders would want to know how we were achieving historic results and how they could adopt these same practices throughout the Marines. Think about it like this-- if the Marine Corps were a corporation like Apple or Lyft, the CEO should want to adopt profits. Shareholders and their corporate boards would fire them if annual profit margin like corporations, so it can be tough to get senior leaders to see the value in changing, particularly when it comes to diversity. More importantly, the Marine Corps is very tied to its history, and sometimes we confuse the way we have always done things with tradition. Change is very hard in organizations that don't have to make money for stockholders, especially when leaders believe believe the "old ways" are the best ways. That experience challenged me to think differently about the existing culture and made me understanf that you can love an organization and its traditions while simultaneously understandings it needs to change. Many Marines view squeaky wheels (Marines who speak out) as disloyal, but I have always viewed openness to change as a positive because when we don't evolve, we go the way of the dinosaurs!
Ashley: What are you most proud about in your career that you helped make?
Kate: I am definitely proud that I was able to show women are capable of achieving the same degree of success as men in the Marines. Because of the work my Marines and I did, we disproved stereotypes and changed perspectives. Most importantly, I am proud that I stood for something I believed in. Despite making mistakes along the way because I didn't understand how changes were affecting the emotions of some of my Marines and the senior leadership, if I had not written and spoken out about gender bias and sexism, I wonder if we would have integrated companies at bootcamp today.