Female Marine Officer Fired: Kate Germano Fired From Marines After ‘Treating Women Like Men’

A female Marine officer fired for treating women recruits like men is making headlines this week.

According to NewsMax, Kate Germano received charges for “a toxic leadership environment,” and was released from the Marines on June 30. Evidently, Germano’s way of commanding was too harsh for the Marine Corps, so Brig. Gen. Terry Williams relieved her of her duties last month after an investigation.

“Germano showed ‘toxic leadership’ by berating and showing contempt for those under her command in public, along with bullying fellow Marines and singling them out for under-performing, according to the Marine Corps Times’ command investigation gathered from a Freedom of Information Act request.”

The female Marine officer fired had commanded the 4th Recruit Training Battalion for one year before getting let go. She has since spoken out about what happened, and says that her way of instructing instilled confidence, something that she thought the Marines would appreciate.

Toxic leader or tough reformer? Firing of Marine Lt. Col Kate Germano is raising questions. http://t.co/tO24pZyWit … pic.twitter.com/3suhO8SRiV

— Hope Hodge Seck (@HopeSeck) July 7, 2015

“Once we showed the recruits and the coaches and drill instructors it was possible, it filled them with so much confidence. They knew they were as good as every other recruit, and my hope was the Marines saw it, too,” Germano explained.

However, Germano was thought to be “too-demanding,” and her style of instruction wasn’t cool with her superiors.

“This whole thing started when her Marines — her female Marines — were telling us they were being mistreated. She was telling them their male counterparts will never respect them if they don’t get good physical scores. You just don’t do that,” Col. Jeffrey Fultz said.

The female Marine officer fired says that she was only doing her job. According to Fox News, Germano felt as though she was pushing the recruits to be just as good — if not better — than their male counterparts. She filed a complaint in May, saying that her boss was “undermining her efforts,” and the Marine Corps launched an investigation. Weeks later, it was Germano who was let go.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Germano would hold her female recruits to the same standards as the male recruits, and would treat them poorly if they didn’t prove that they were just as capable as the men. There are, of course, two sides to take here. While many thought that Germano was way too strict, others appreciated her, and thought she was good at her job.

“Several witnesses also say she made things better at the battalion. They say she was a caring and supportive leader who prioritized troop welfare and the well-being of their families.”

[Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images]