The city of New Orleans dedicated the first United States monument of a woman in service uniform: “Molly Marine” November 10, 1943. A local recruiter commissioned the statue to help recruit women during World War II. For female Marines around the world, Molly has come to represent the countless significant contributions they have made to the Corps. She has become a symbol of esprit de corps for all women Marines. Just before graduation from boot camp, the female recruits are asked to name one woman within their platoon who best exemplifies esprit de corps. Here, we celebrate two of our newest sisters, Privates First Class Bentz and Delashmutt, who’ve been recognized as Molly Marines.
PFC Amanda M. Bentz, Platoon 4006, N Company, Battle Ground, WA
“Boot camp is many things. Countless analogies and general statements have been made and the transformations that are made. I believe that boot camp is about perspective. Each person experiences it differently and learns a lot of lessons. Throughout the course of training, one of the greatest things for me has been helping other people in my platoon. Helping them come to the realization that boot camp is only as hard as you make it. This lesson was one that was hard learned for me. I arrived at Parris Island on October 26th 2010, over a month before my platoon picked up. I spent that time in FRP. While I was there I saw countless recruits give up on themselves. Out of all the girls that I was there with only one or two actually made it out. There were many times I was tempted to give up, and even when I did get back in to training, I knew the hard part wasn’t over yet. Motivation is one of the most important things in life. No matter how talented you are, you cannot succeed if you are not motivated to do your job well. In boot camp, motivation can make or break a recruit. Attitude and Motivation go hand in hand. It’s impossible to stay motivated if you don’t care about anything. My platoon chose me to be the Molly Marine because even when things got hard I [was] there to help them and motivate them. The platoon [saw] how much I love the Marine Corps and want to be part of it..”
PFC Kristi N. Delashmutt, Platoon 4007, N Company, Stockton, CA
“Following dreams and doing what is right in order to better yourself and all those around is not easy. As a squad leader, when it comes to leading my fellow recruits and trying to set the example, I think back to the things that motivate me and what I am truly passionate about, music, family, and my Drill Instructors. Finding the right motivation can be the one thing that will pick you and your team up from a hard fall. That is what I, as a recruit, strive to do on my journey to becoming a United States Marine.”