You’d think that the doubt from others during boot camp would have put Ihrke off. But, again, it had the opposite effect. She told Yahoo!, “You have to work twice as hard to be seen as an equal, so my goal was always to push myself to be as good if not better to show them you can be on the same level.” Plus, Ihrke said, she had her fellow female marines for support.
Ihrke explained, “I had drill instructors [during boot camp who] were beautiful, smart women. They were amazing – and it motivated me even more.” And, thankfully, the enlistee found mentors in the Marines who helped her realize that she could succeed in what seemed like a boys’ club. She told Inside Edition, “When you push yourself to the limit, you’re amazed at what your body can really go through.”
Ihrke didn’t stop there, either, as she continued to push herself after joining the ranks. And for her hard work, she received a promotion after two years in the service – one, in fact, that typically goes to enlistees after at least four years. Ihrke revealed to Yahoo!, “I was meritoriously promoted from E1 to E4.”
It probably helped that Ihrke had quite the affinity for guns as well as an exceptional ability to shoot on target. And some of that may have come from her childhood. Ihrke said, “I grew up shooting guns with my dad, which is part of the reason I did so well in the rifle range when I was in the Marines.”
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