Baptism in Chaos: First Women Experience ‘Black Friday’ at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
Mil & Intel
By Ethan E. Rocke | February 16, 2021
Around 2:30 p.m. Friday, the women of Platoon 3241, Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, moved into their squad bay aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and met their drill instructors for the first time.
The recruits of Platoon 3241 are the first women ever trained aboard the West Coast installation, and the day that new recruits move from the receiving barracks to the squad bay they’ll call home is affectionately known as “Black Friday.†Similar to what the Army used to call “Shark Attack,†the baptism in chaos is meant to introduce the recruits to the high-intensity operational tempo that defines entry-level military training.
Sgt. Stephanie Fahl, a drill instructor with Platoon 3241, paces the ranks, spot-checking and correcting recruits as they take instructions from Staff Sgt. Carmen Medinaponce. Fahl is one of three female Marines who graduated from the Drill Instructor School aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in December 2020. Photo by Ethan E. Rocke/Coffee or Die Magazine.
https://coffeeordie.com/recruit-training-black-friday/
