With the military's recent decision to allow women in combat, the concerns of female Marines are likely to grow in prominence.
Indeed, Marines such as Jenna Lombardo, who left the Corps last year after two tours in Iraq, have already been serving in de facto combat roles, and their presence presents unique challenges.
So Lombardo has launched Lady Leatherneck, a web publication and forum for female military personnel, as part of the established Leatherneck.com website.
"The purpose is the same: to inspire, motivate... but to give women a voice," she said. "Even in the country, you're still away from your family. Back in the States, you're always preparing for a deployment, regardless of what your job is."
Already, Lady Leatherneck has taken off. After just six months, the site has 100,000 registered users, Lombardo said.
She writes articles that help women navigate not only life as a military employee, but careers, relationships, parenthood and life in general.
"If [the article] can transcend life in the Department of Defense, then that's all the more empowering," she said.
In addition, the site hosts a number of forums on such subjects as families in which both spouses are active-duty Marines. (Lombardo's family was in that camp until 2012; her husband, Staff Sgt. Michael Lombardo, is still in the Corps.)
Jenna Lombardo, who left the Marines as a sergeant, had an intense career in the Corps. She served as a Lioness attached to combat units. The Lioness Program trains women in weapons systems and communications to conduct outreach and collect intelligence from local women in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Customs in many Middle Eastern countries make it inappropriate for men to speak to married women, so Lionesses prove indispensable on many missions, according to Marine Corps literature.
Lombardo also was an intelligence analyst, searching and assessing threats and aiding with explosives disposal, she said.
Read Lombardo's articles and visit the Lady Leatherneck forums here.
