Each year, March 8 marks International Women’s Day, an international celebration of women’s achievements, resilience and contributions to society. But for Ronni Jacobs, a wife, former Marine Corps officer, lawyer and mother of three daughters, women’s accomplishments deserve recognition far beyond just one day.
Jacobs’ journey into the military began in her college’s ROTC program. Her experience taught her discipline and leadership skills, which she carried into the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in 2004. At the time, only about 6% of the USMC were female, and female officers were rare.
“I was one of only a few female Marines in a unit of several hundred men when I was deployed in Iraq,” Jacobs said. “I focused on self-improvement and supporting the Marines in my unit.” She took up running and clocked 30 miles a week while earning a green belt in the Marine Corps martial arts program
Balancing marriage and military service presented unique challenges. Jacobs and her husband, John, were newlyweds when they deployed. He was called up first, just seven days after their wedding. A few months later, she was also deployed.
“We were newlyweds who essentially took separate honeymoons to Iraq with the city of Fallujah between us,” Jacobs said. “We did finally manage to take a real honeymoon in 2023.”
Jacobs’ unit managed the shock trauma platoons at Al Taqqadum Airbase, where casualty whiteboards tracked the names and ranks of the most recent casualties. Every morning, she braced herself before scanning the names of fallen comrades. One day, she found her husband’s name listed.
“My husband, and infantry officer, was in the thickest fighting in Fallujah in November of 2004, so each morning I checked the casualty boards before our command brief so I could have time to leave the command center before everyone’s arrival if my husband’s name was on the board,” Jacobs said. “One morning, his name appeared with a description of ‘head trauma.’ What I felt when I saw his name on that board is something that sticks with me to this day.”
After her husband’s injury in Iraq, the couple was able to spend time in the States, where Jacobs transitioned from military life to law school while John headed back on deployment. Jacobs remained driven stateside, though she realized that the demanding nature of a law career clashed with her desire to prioritize her family. She made the conscious decision to step away from her career for a few years to homeschool her daughters despite warnings that this could hinder her legal career.
“For me, being a mother was exponentially harder than serving in the Marine Corps. One day, I was a company commander for hundreds of Marines, and the next day, I was in charge of diapers, cooking and dishes,” Jacobs said. “I have given up on certain opportunities, particularly in San Francisco, where I attended law school and prioritized my time with my children and living in a place where they could have dogs and jump in mud puddles.”
Jacobs never saw her choice as a setback. When she returned to work, her commitment to prioritizing family resonated with interviewers and colleagues alike. Now, years later, her two eldest daughters have followed in her military footsteps—one joining Air Force ROTC and another heading to the United States Naval Academy.
She encourages women to be intentional about their priorities. “You can only have one first priority,” she says. For her, that priority was her daughters, and all her decisions about where to live, work, and spend time were built around them.
Jacobs’ philosophy is simple but powerful, “Be very purposeful in determining what makes you feel proud and fulfilled and pursue what brings you pride and fulfillment.”
For her, celebrating women isn’t about one day of recognition, it’s about how we live every day, how we support one another and how we create a world where the next generation of women can rise even higher. In living her life with that belief, Jacobs exemplifies what International Women’s Day seeks to honor.
