The first female drill instructor arrived at MCRD San Diego in 2003, Stephenson said. They've served as physical training, academic, martial arts and water-survival instructors, he added.

The first female Drill Instructor (DI) School graduates stand in front of the DI Monument at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego, Dec. 16, 2020.

The first female Drill Instructor (DI) School graduates stand in front of the DI Monument at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego, Dec. 16, 2020.

Female drill instructors train at the Marine Corps' East Coast schoolhouse to lead recruits only at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina.

The first female Drill Instructor (DI) School graduates stand in front of the DI Monument at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego, Dec. 16, 2020.

The Marine Corps is about to be short on female drill instructors and is willing to pay up to $14,700 to fill its ranks, according to an administrative message released Wednesday.

In 2021, the service announced it wanted to increase its female drill instructor population by a daunting 70 personnel, from 134–207 within the next five years, to support the integration ...

Staff Sgt. Savannah Pizano, a senior drill instructor with India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, participates in a battalion commander inspection at MCRD San Diego, Oct. 23, 2024. (Cpl ...

The first female Drill Instructor (DI) School graduates stand in front of the DI Monument at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego, Dec. 16, 2020.

The first female Drill Instructor (DI) School graduates stand in front of the DI Monument at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego, Dec. 16, 2020.

On Wednesday, Dec. 16, three women made Marine Corps history by becoming the first females to graduate from a gender-integrated drill instructor course at the 100-year-old Marine Corps Recruit Depo… ...