Marines Certify First Female as Martial Arts Instructor

Staff Sgt. Jessica Field has just been named as the first female airman to become a certified martial arts instructor as she graduated from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program instructor course with a green belt. She is ready to share what she learned from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Center of Excellence at Quantico, Virginia.

Field said that her overall goal is to take the program back to the Air Force and teach other airmen. She is a member of the 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing based in Fort Meade, Maryland.

Dozens of airmen have gone through the tan and gray belt levels but only 12 have continued with the instructor course at Quantico. This was according to 1st Lt. Matt Rojo, spokesman of the Marine Corps Training and Education Command. Field is the only female airman who has been certified via the challenging three-week, 10 hour a day instructor course at Quantico.

Rojo said that becoming Marine Corps Martial Arts instructor is a tremendous accomplishment. He added that they applaud the accomplishment of Staff Sgt. Field for being able to display the mental, physical and character discipline that defines the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.

All marine infantrymen are required to have a green belt and green belt instructors can train tan and gray airmen. It was in 2010 when Field entered the MCMAP while she was based at Fort Gordon, Georgia. Her only goal was to learn basic self-defense. She just wanted to know how to defend herself during dynamic situations and be able to free herself long enough to get help.

During the program, Field trained once or twice daily with 16 Marines in her class. Three of them were also women and passed the combat fitness test of the Marine Corps. The training involved more than just learning the techniques. It also prepared them mentally for combat.

Photo by Tatum Vayavananda [Public domain], undefined