“‘I Had To Be On’: A Look into the Career of the Corps’ First Female Marine Ground Combat Battalion Commander

Posted June 23, 2020

External Article: Military Times

LtCol. Michelle Macander, an alumna of the Nunn School and NROTC at Georgia Tech, was featured in “‘I had to be on’: A look into the career of the Corps’ first female Marine ground combat battalion commander” featured in Military Times, June 23.  

Excerpt:

So one of the first things Macander did when she first stepped foot on the Georgia Tech campus was walk over to Navy ROTC and ask what she needed to do to become a Marine.

A week later she was in a uniform and starting a path that sent her on numerous combat tours, introduced her to her wife, and gave her the opportunity to mentor and train the next generation of Marine officers.

That fateful day also led Macander to make history: She became the first woman to command a Marine Corps ground combat battalion in 2018 when she took over as battalion commander for the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division.

Read full article on Military Times