‘I’m proud of something that’s bigger than me’: History-making Marine has no regrets

SAN DIEGO

Pvt. Jordan Peshlakai, a 19-year-old from Naschitti, New Mexico, has made history – several times.

The Newcomb High alum, who is Táchii’nii, became the first Navajo woman to graduate from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Training in San Diego last Thursday.

Peshlakai and 52 other young women led Lima Company, which is made up of five all-male platoons and one all-female platoon, onto the parade deck carrying their flag that represented Platoon No. 3241.

In January while training for the rigors of boot camp and military life, Peshlakai was already exceeding the Marine Corps 1.5-mile run time by three minutes – she eventually knocked off another minute – and had no problem with her sit-ups, although she struggled with her pushups.

But her hard work paid off and helped her platoon get the highest scores on the physical fitness and combat fitness tests – another first. The platoon also won the final drill competition as well – another first.

Peshlakai forged another first when she completed the grueling 54-hour training known as “the crucible,” which is held on Camp Pendleton north of San Diego. All Marine recruits must pass the crucible before earning the eagle, globe and anchor emblem, and the title “U.S. Marine” at the top of The Reaper, one of the steepest hills in Camp Pendleton.

Peshlakai won’t be the first tell you her pioneering accomplishments while at boot camp. For her, it was the familiarity in the photos of the boys who would become the legendary Navajo Code Talkers, which helped her not feel so homesick; that she wanted to talk about.

“Honestly, it was their hair,” she said. “The hair on the gentlemen reminded me of when I got out of ROM (Restriction of Duty), because it was the first time that my hair was really washed.
“It kind of took me back to that moment,” Peshlakai said. “I was actually getting pretty homesick. And it was nice to see something that resembled home. And it was pretty cool.”

Next, it was the women motivating one another, which helped them complete the crucible, that she felt proud of.

“The Reaper, it was the toughest, it was a pain that I couldn’t express because it’s something that I’ve never been through before,” she said, “so it was definitely something. It made my heart happy.”

The other moment during her 12-week training she chose to speak of was teaching other recruits in her platoon about her culture, the tribal government, and how to make frybread.

Peshlakai became friends with Emma Zimmer from Tuscola, Illinois, during the 14-day quarantine before starting boot camp.

“I would tell her about Naschitti, she’d be like, ‘OK, so what’s a chapter house?’” Peshlakai said. “And I had to explain it to her. And she was like, ‘I figured it was a fraternity.’ And I was like, ‘No, that’s where like our Council delegates or chapter delegates all go in.’

“She was really confused,” she said. “But she was really fascinated. And we had, like, we had the opportunity to look on YouTube. So, I’d show her like, the process of a kinaalda and frybread.”

Another part of her boot camp experience was the amount of media attention her platoon received.

“We were actually held to a higher standard, we were told,” she said. “We had to be more disciplined, take accountability of one another.

“Because throughout boot camp, we had a lot of eyes on us through our whole training period,” she said. “And it’s something that we had to be a lot more disciplined (about), basically.
“And that’s something that was a little tough,” she said, “and it was tougher having cameras all the time on us.

“And most of the girls felt uncomfortable,” she said, “but we overcame it. It was kind of annoying because you’re trying to perform to the best of your ability.”

The media hoopla Peshlakai is referring to is related to the national attention the Marine Corps has gotten as being the only U.S. military branch not yet fully integrated. According to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, in January 2019, the Marine Corps integrated a female recruit training platoon with five male platoons at MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina, for the first time.

However, when that class of Marines graduated and the pilot program ended, the Marine Corps returned to its model of partially integrated training.

Gender integration in recruit training refers to the integration of women at all levels within training battalions. The Marine Corps remains the only service that has not permanently established gender integration practices during its training.

The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act mandated the Marine Corps — which in 2020 was just 8% women — to begin gender integration for both training facilities at Parris Island and San Diego.

The Air Force is made up of 22% women; the Navy, 21%; and the Army, 18%.

Now that Platoon 3241 has graduated, and exceeded expectations, and trained alongside men, the Marine Corps plans to continue piloting gender?integrated platoons. The question is a matter of when.

The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act requires the Marine Corps to integrate its training facility at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island within five years, and its facility at MCRD San Diego within eight years.

Peshlakai and the rest of the Marine graduates must stay on base due to restrictions because of COVID, which is the first global pandemic Platoon 3241 has ever experienced.

Usually, newly graduated Marines are given a 10-day leave to go home. Instead, Peshlakai will go into the next phase of training called Marine Combat Training, which lasts a month. Even after she completes the training, which is held on Camp Pendleton, she said she was not sure she would be allowed to go home.

For Peshlakai, the most important first for her is not regretting her decision to become a Marine.

“When I first stepped on the yellow footprints, I heard the yelling,” she said. “It was something new to me and seeing that we were going to be in a place where it was big.

“I do not regret stepping on those yellow footprints,” she said. “I’m really glad that I chose the route that I did, because now I’m proud of something that’s bigger than me. And something that I overcame, and I really take pride in what I earned.”

Peshlakai said she plans to operate and work on tanks and armored vehicles.

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