Recent South Fork Graduate Makes History
Miranda Femenella in training. [Photos provided by her family]
“We’re very proud of her, she’s made history for women,” said her mother, Fortuna High School English teacher Jennifer Femenella, speaking from the San Diego airport on her way home to Humboldt from her daughter’s graduation. “It’s been a great weekend.”
“Miranda was one of the few in her company to get a perfect score on her fitness training and won a CFT (Combat Fitness Test) trophy and an IFT (Initial Strength Test) trophy,” she added.
According to the Marine Corp, women have only been trained at Parris island in South Carolina since 1984. Pvt. Femenella becomes part of a first ever group of graduates from the San Diego Depot that includes 53 women out of 397 recruits. Her graduation as part of Lima Company happened on May 6th in San Diego.
Miranda Femenella in dress uniform.
“Miranda has perseverance,” her mother said proudly. “As a teenager she and her friends would go out on adventures with backpacks and BB guns, training. Miranda said as she got older that she wanted to do something epic in her life and she did it.” Femenella also mentioned the recruiters at the Marine Corp recruiting sub station in Eureka. “I want to commend our recruiters, they were awesome and have really helped her achieve her dreams.”
Miranda grew up in the Southern Humboldt school district, attending Agnes Johnson Elementary school in Weott. “She was a bright, outgoing and friendly kid,” said her former teacher Adele Andersen. She then attended Miranda Junior High, before going to South Fork.
Miranda has now moved on to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and will complete Marine Combat Training over the next month and then will begin Military Occupational Specialty training in Aviation.
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We hope you have great success, and then we hope that women lead mankind into a world where guns and war are never necessary.
Having woman leaders, and women in general participate in all levels of society and business, is an admirable goal. We hope that this woman is able to explore levels of education and experience that will serve her well.
Many people use military service and training as a prequel to government service of all kinds. We hope that Miranda is safe and circumspect of all that bearing a rifle and protecting her country can engender.
A prayer for Miranda: Dear Spirits, protect Miranda and all women in the military from the abuses of her fellow marines, let her not be harassed or misused in any way, and let the woman-marines not be killed or injured in the performance of their duties.
Truly, I have to be repulsed by women bearing weapons to defend their country.
“Truly, I have to be repulsed by women bearing weapons to defend their country.”
Why? Women have fought hard to gain equal status with men in all fields. A couple of my senior officers and NCOS were women and were some of the best leaders that I ever served under. I’ve had a couple of women as supervisors in my current profession and both were capable, professional and inspiring leaders.
Mainstream news doesn’t say much about it but women in our country bear arms to repulse attack from vicious vermin that our politicians have allowed to roam free amongst the populace. I’m sure they’re glad they had that weapon to protect themselves and their families.
SEMPER FI to you, Miranda! Congratulations on your achievement and for joining the ranks of the Few, the Proud, the Marines! No better or feared fighting force on the planet. Thank you for protecting our shores, our Constitution and our country.
It’s young people like this that protect the vermin who want to run their mouths about turning this country socialist, propagate racism to fuel their agenda of socialism and suck the wealth from this that have and will to those that don’t have and will not.
Time to do something about this infestation of evil in our country.
Hoorah!
Congratulations. Well done.
I see the Dress uniform is now the traditional and unique blouse that previously had only been for the men. I had heard that women now (like the men before them) who live in the western United States would be training at S.D. Good to see it has happened. The east coast Marines used to call the west coast Marines “Hollywood Marines”…maybe they still do.
Aviation! Full disclosure, my son is a career Marine, in the air wing (as was his father, though not the career part). He’s now stationed down in San Diego. We didn’t want him to join (his father is a war veteran), but it has been good for him in so many ways.
Very challenging accomplishment. Tough basic training. Kudos to this lady. As a Vietnam veteran I hope she will not be sent to a useless, political, make weapon’s corporations’ big taxpayer paid profits to fund another American fake unwinnable war, police action, killing field. The time is far past with killing and maiming our young people. No foreign country has EVER attack our Bill of Rights. And to those who will claim it is because of our military that foreign countries don’t attack us why did the Republicans vote to spend 1.2 trillion taxpayers dollars attacking Iraq and the other messes we got into in the Middle East. And that cost has increased ten fold. And now the Navy wants 350 more ships? We currently have 18 aircraft carriers at a cost of 16 billion taxpayer dollars a piece. Billion dollar F-35’s. And 22 nuclear subs that carrier enough nuclear missiles to completely nihilate the entire planet and along with Russia and China that all three of us could turn this earth into a cinder sphere. It’s time we lead the world into turning our militaries into organizations of peaceful missions. Like building a needed country’s infrastructures. Providing clean water, roads, schools and hospitals, how to feed themselves, and much more. Did Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and other places where our military missions was to kill them into submission end up in better places? Seventy thousand Japanese civilians were vaporized at “Hiroshima” and “Nagasaki”. Seven hundred thousand died later of radiation poisoning. Thousands of innocent Koreans were killed by U.S. G.I.’s because the soldiers could not tell the enemy from the citizens. And Vietnamese citizens are still dying from being sprayed with Agent Orange 50 years ago. And they sprayed me too and the military didn’t tell us what they were spraying or to immediately wash off the fluid being sprayed. It sat on our skin for days and even weeks. Our Country’s military objectives need to change.
Thank you
A freaking men. Thank you for your service and it is well past time to stop the forever wars the United States has been leading in the name of “democracy” for everyone. The longest war by far has been the failed “drug war” that’s overreach encompasses the entire planet thanks to the “United Nations.” There is no greater danger than a world with one government other than the dangers of nuclear proliferation, unchecked secret military budgets and special ops (so special the taxpayers funding them have no idea how much they are paying or what they are actually paying for), and a race to the bottom. If there is enough money for billions or trillions of dollar CIA “budgets”, the most expensive armed military submarines ever built, and missions to colonize or patrol outer space (for example Space Force), surely there is enough money for everyone in America to have a roof over their heads, food in their bellies, clean water to drink or use, and access to life sustaining and saving healthcare, right?
[Edit: Please Note anyone caught using someone else’s unique handle will be banned]
It is extremely rude to post under someone else’s “Handle”
The preceding comment is not a product of the actual VMG.
Thank you.
Not only rude; against Kym’s posting rules, one would think.
Happens to me all the time.🤔,😁.
Semper Fi Marine !!!
Semper Fidelis Marine.
You honor your country.
SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM
(If you want peace prepare for the war.)
It’s just that simple.
From a Marine Mom
Peace has never been attached to preparing for war. Because war is a product of elected officials receiving re-election money from military corporations and then voting for places of Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and a long list of police actions by our young people in places we have no issues except the insurance of profits for a huge military complex. When I was in Vietnam a single M60 weapon bullet was .38 cents per 7.62 round. Literally millions of rounds were fired at places the illusive enemy was hiding. 5.56 rounds were .24 cents each. And billions were fired. Today’s costs are ten times that Vietnam prices. M60 cost 38 thousand taxpayer’s dollars then. And one belt held 100 round and the full on M60 fire will burn up 100 rounds in one minute. Don’t even ask about the .50 caliber round in a belt of 100. There were mini guns on a helicopter with a 4 – 6 barrel electrically-operated Gatling gun that is mounted on helicopters. I don’t even know the number of rounds per minute. Probably in the tens of thousands per minute.
I only point out the least expensive ammunition. There are too many new weapons that cost more because there is no competitive bidding. Is it any wonder G. Bush’s mock war in Iraq (the claim by George that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction which was proven to be lies on several different levels) cost 1.2 trillion taxpayer dollar? How many infrastructure projects would that have paid for? “How many Americans would have had good paying jobs working on In-country projects. How much better would Medicare cover the over 65 year olds? How much would the cost of a University degree for students who are in student loan programs that will take them years to payoff. My 32 year old primary physician is paying off student loans of $675,000 dollars. Is it any wonder why doctors need high treatment costs?
Congratulations Miranda…Semper Fi…
Congratulations. Ms. Femenella. I’m sure wherever you choose to go, you will make a success of it.
Congratulations Miss Femenella. Maybe you and my daughter will cross paths as she is entering officer training for the Navy (NROTC)in San Diego this fall.
It seems, like you, she was raised tough in the backwoods and mountains of our area.
Wow, Miranda Femenella,
Way to represent !!
Congratulations.
Right on Miranda You “Rock” Semper Fi Take your dreams to the limit!!! Dont let nothing stand in your way You got this Girl!!!!
Rock on little sister 🥳
Blessed and honored that Miranda Femenella is on our side.
as all marines say, “there’s gotta be someone needs a little killin”!!