Marines participate in an exercise during the Infantry Officer Course in August at Quantico, Va. The first female Marine to complete the course graduated on Monday. Master Gunnery Sgt. Chad McMeen/Office of Marine Corps Communication hide caption
Marines
A screenshot shows a new TV ad recruiting for the Marines. It's the first to focus on a woman in a combat role. Marine Corps Recruiting/Screenshot by NPR hide caption
The Marines will join the approximately 500 U.S. troops already in Syria, such as these U.S. forces on the western outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Manbij on Sunday. Delil Souleiman /AFP/Getty Images hide caption
U.S. Marines march in the annual Veterans Day Parade along Fifth Avenue in 2014 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
For Veterans, Trauma Of War Can Persist In Struggles With Sexual Intimacy
Maj. Jason Brezler holds a meeting with local governors in 2010 in Afghanistan's Helmand province. Monique Jaques/Getty Images hide caption
Fiancee Jessica Paker looks on as Ret. Marine Sgt. John Peck works with occupational therapist Meredith Grinnell. Peck, who was injured in Afghanistan in 2010, recently received a double arm transplant after a two-year wait on a transplant list. The Washington Post/Getty Images hide caption
A Marine Corps drill instructor watches recruits on the parade deck during boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., in 2007. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption
Jason Brezler in the market of Nowzad on May 7, 2010, with village elders, Afghan National Police and U.S. Marines. Maj. Brezler is now facing a possible discharge from the Marines after he emailed classified documents. Monique Jaques/Getty Images hide caption
Marine Lance Cpls. Julia Carroll (left) and Paula Pineda lift "Carl" — a 220-pound test dummy — during training in March in California. Female Marines have completed months of training and are now waiting to hear whether they will be allowed to serve in combat roles. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption
Sgt. Cassie McDole sits in an AAV. Arezou Rezvani/NPR hide caption
On The California Shore, Sizing Up Female Marines' Combat Readiness
A woman in Kathmandu walks past rubble following several massive earthquakes in Nepal. Officials say at least 76 people died in Tuesday's magnitude-7.3 quake. Jonas Gratzer/Getty Images hide caption
Female and male Marines prepare for a live-fire exercise at Twentynine Palms, a training camp in the Mojave Desert. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption
In Intense Desert Training, Marine Women Fight For Place On Front Lines
This Nov. 19 screenshot shows the cover photo of an unofficial Marine group on Facebook called Just the Tip, of the Spear. The group and those like it have been accused of promoting sexism and of acting as a forum for hate speech. Just the Tip, of the Spear - 21/Facebook hide caption
U.K. armed forces and U.S. Marines have ended combat operations in Afghanistan. In a formal handover, British troops stood with peers from the U.S. Marine Corps and the Afghan National Security Forces as the Union Flag and Stars and Stripes were lowered for the last time at the Bastion-Leatherneck complex Sunday. Sergeant Obi Igbo, RLC/AP hide caption