User:K24smith/Amanda Mathew

Amanda Mathew is a United States Marine Corps Officer. Her MOS is as a commisioned Logistics 1st Lieutenant.

As the Marine Corps began to open up batallions to women, Mathew was one of 19 to fill a position that was previously only held by men. 1st Lieutenant Mathew became the first woman to lead a deployed combat arms platoon upon her arrival in December 2013 to Camp Leatherneck. With the unexpected change two months after they arrived in Afghanistan. There was some concern about whether or not the platoon would still prevail, or if this would bring about a struggle to the otherwise smooth deployment. Mathew only learned of her new position to be held about two months before taking it on, and really only had about a week to prepare. However, with a strong will to learn, and some strong mentorship from her fellow Marine Corps she was able to gain respect and most importantly acquire the skills necessary to lead the platoon. When researchers asked the 50 enlisted Marine's lead by Lieutenant Mathew, every one of them said the transition went smoothly. In fact, this paved the way for to women to included in the MOS of combat engineer, tanks, low altitude air defense, and other units under the combat arms umbrella. It is said now that a great deal of research is being conducted to transiton women more into these and other workforces across the Corps that were previously only held by men. As the opportunities are becoming more available the criticism is also rising, but with the success of 1st Lieutenant Mathew and her fellow Marine Corps the countdown to complete integration for women in the typically thought of as male career feels is hopefully coming to a close.