Did you know this Officer Becomes First Woman to Command Marine Engineer Battalion?

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 17:15:39 -0500

Did you know this Officer Becomes First Woman to Command Marine Engineer Battalion?

RP Members are there more commands in store for Female Officers in the Marines?

Marine Corps Lt. Col. Lauren Edwards made history when she took command of the service’s 8th Engineer Support Battalion at Camp Lejeune, Nov. 30.

“My charge now is to serve as a positive example of leadership and professionalism to men and women alike,” Edwards said during the change of command ceremony. “I'm extraordinarily proud to take command of 8th ESB today, and I hope that all Marines and sailors in this battalion recognize that if they work hard and look out for each other they can accomplish whatever they set their minds to.”

Edwards’ new responsibility, as the first female commander of an ESB, will be to provide engineer support to II Marine Expeditionary Force. “Engineer support battalions are very much the life support of an MEF,” she said. “We are a large unit that can be tasked to perform a myriad of engineering tasks across the battlefield.”

Edwards was commissioned as a second lieutenant Aug. 14

http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/633475/face-of-defense-officer-becomes-first-woman-to-command-marine-engineer-battalion?source=GovDelivery

Marine Corps Lt. Col. Lauren Edwards gives a speech after taking command of the 8th Engineer Support Battalion during a change of command ceremony held at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Nov. 30, 2015. “I'm extraordinarily proud to take command of 8th ESB today, and I hope that all Marines and sailors in this battalion recognize that if they work hard and look out for each other they can accomplish whatever they the set their minds to,” Edwards said. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan Young

Face of Defense: Officer Becomes First Woman to Command Marine Enginee

Marine Corps Lt. Col. Lauren Edwards made history when she became the first woman to command an Engineer Support Battalion.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Dec 13 at 2015 5:21 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 17:21:59 -0500

COL Mikel J. Burroughs I did not know Marine Corps Lt. Col. Lauren Edwards was the first woman to command marine corps engineer battalion.
When I first saw your discussion my thoughts went back to when I was a 12B combat engineer as a PV2 at Fort Campbell in the 20th Engineer Battalion (Combat). That brought back memories from 40 years ago.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Dec 13 at 2015 5:24 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 17:24:42 -0500

I heard about this earlier in the week, and I look forward to the day that there are no "firsts."

Response by MSgt Curtis Ellis made Dec 13 at 2015 5:48 PM

MSgt Curtis Ellis — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 17:48:40 -0500

I remember reading about her a couple days ago. My congratulations, and I wish her the best of luck!

Response by SN Greg Wright made Dec 13 at 2015 5:51 PM

SN Greg Wright — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 17:51:15 -0500

COL Mikel J. Burroughs I'm surprised. This seems like a low-level command for it to be the first woman. (In other words, why hasn't there been a female commander before in this position?) The Navy has had female CBG commanders already. I wonder why the Marines haven't matched, in terms of senior females.

Congrats, though, Colonel!

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2015 12:48 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 12:48:03 -0500

Congratulations to her. I am not a Marine but it does seem strange that it has taken this long for a woman to lead a Marine Engineering Battalion. I think that women should be given the same opportunity as men, it should be based on ability not gender.