COVER: On 4 November 1948, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen Clifton

B. Cates administers the oath to the first three

women to be sworn into the Regular Marine

Corps. They are (left to right) LtCol Katherine A. Towle, Maj Julia E. Hamblet, and 1stLt

Mary J. Hale.
A HISTORY OF THE

WOMEN MARINES,

1946-197 7

by

Colonel Mary V. Stremlow, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve

HISTORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISION

HEADQUARTERS, U.S . MARINE CORPS

WASHINGTON, D.C.

1986
PCN 1 900030940 0

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U .S. Government Printing Offic e

Washington, D .C. 20402
Foreword

Despite the acknowledged contribution made by the 20,000 women Reservists who served in th e

Marine Corps during World War II, there was no thought in 1946 of maintaining women on activ e

duty or, for that matter, even in the Reserve forces. This volume recounts the events that brough t

about the change in thinking on the part of Marines, both men and women, that led to the integration of women into the Corps, to the point where they now constitute eight percent of our strength .

The project was the idea of Brigadier General Margaret A . Brewer, who, in 1975, as the last Direc -

tor of Women Marines, noted that the phasing out of women-only organizations marked the star t

of a new era for women in the Corps, and the end of an old one . Further, she rightly reasoned tha t

the increased assimilation of women would make the historical trail of women in Marine Corps difficul t

to follow.

The story is drawn from official reports, documents, personal interviews, and transcribed reminiscences collected by the author and preserved by the Oral History and Archives Sections of th e

History and Museums Division .

The pattern set during World War II of calling women Reservists "WRs " was followed after the

passage of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act in 1948 by referring to the women as "Women

Marines," or more often as "WMs . " In the mid-1970s there was a mood to erase all appearances

of a separate organization for women in the Marine Corps and an effort was made to refer to th e

women simply as Marines. When it was necessary to distinguish between the sexes, the noun "wom -

an" with a lower case "w" was used as an adjective . Thus, throughout the text the terms "WR" an d

"WM" are used only when dictated by the context.

The comment edition of this manuscript was read by many Marines, men and women, who wer e

directly associated with the events. All but one of the former Directors of Women Marines contributed to the work and reviewed the manuscript draft . Unfortunately, Colonel Katherine A . Towl e

was too ill to participate.

The author, Colonel Mary V . Stremlow, now a retired Reservist, has a bachelor of science degre e

from New York State University College at Buffalo . She counts three other women Marines in he r

family—two aunts, Corporal Rose M. Nigro and Master Sergeant Petrina C . Nigro, who served as

WRs in World War Il, and her sister, retired Major Carol Vertalino Diliberto . Colonel Stremlow

came to the History and Museums Division in 1976 with experience as a company commander ; S-3 ;

executive officer of Woman Recruit Training Battalion, Parris Island ; inspector-instructor of Women Reserve Platoon, 2d Infantry Battalion, Boston ; instructor at the Woman Officer School, Quantico ; and woman officer selection officer for the 1st Marine Corps District .

In the interests of accuracy and objectivity, the History and Museums Division welcomes comments on this history from interested individuals .

:_ *4Vft__n

E. H. SIMMONS

Brigadier General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret. )

Director of Marine Corps History and Museums

ui

Preface

A History of the Women Marines, 1946-1977 is almost entirely derived from raw files, interview s

and conversations, newspaper articles, muster rolls and unit diaries, and materials loaned by Marines. There was no one large body of records available . In the course of the project, more tha n

300 letters were written to individuals, several mass mailings were made, and notices soliciting information were printed in all post and station newspapers, Leatherneck, Marine Corps Gazette, Retire d

Marine, and the newsletters of Marine Corps associations. More than 100 written responses wer e

received and some women Marines generously loaned us personal papers and precious scrapbooks .

Especially helpful in piecing together the events between World War II and the passage of the Wom -

en's Armed Services Integration Act were the scrapbooks of former Director of Women Marines Colone l

Julia E. Hamblet, and former WR Dorothy M. Munroe . Taped interviews were conducted with 3 2

women, including former Director of the Women's Reserve Colonel Ruth Cheney Streeter .

Researching this history was a challenge . Women's units were extremely difficult to find . Only

those labeled "Women Marine Company" were easily identified. At times, days were spent screening the muster rolls of all the companies of all the battalions on a base looking for one with personnel having feminine first names. More recent unit diaries were even less useful since they are not

signed by commanding officers and initials are used rather than first names . To add to the problem ,

the Corps had no system that permits a researcher to find a married woman when only her maide n

name is known, or vice versa .

The author and the women Marines whose story is told in this monograph owe a special deb t

of gratitude to Master Sergeant Laura J . Dennis, USMCR, now retired, who from January to Octobe r

1977 voluntarily worked several days a week at the History and Museums Division, doing the painstaking research that resulted in the publication of much more material than would have been other -

wise possible . Had it not been for her tenacity and dogged determination, easily 100 names, now

documented for posterity, would not have made it to these pages . She tracked vague but important

leads that the author, because of limited time allowed for the study, could not . Later, as a civilian

volunteer, she shepherded the work through the comment edition stage and assisted in the searc h

and final selection of photographs.

Master Sergeant Dennis also induced Colonel Agnes M . Kennedy, USMCR, to volunteer for the

difficult task of indexing the manuscript . In the process, Colonel Kennedy further assisted in checking and verifying hundreds of names cited . Her own experience as a Marine officer enabled her als o

to make other valuable comments.

The manuscript was prepared under the editorial direction of Mr . Henry I. Shaw, Jr., chief historia n

of the History and Museums Division . Teacher and mentor, he encouraged the author to take the

step from merely parroting a string of facts to presenting interpretations as appeared justified . Mor e

than 100 Marines reviewed the draft edition and, thanks in large measure to Mr . Shaw's expert

guidance, few took issue with the historical facts or the interpretations of those facts .

The author also received valuable assistance from Mrs . Catherine A . Kerns, of the division's Publications Production Section, who prepared the typeset version of the manuscript, offering numerous stylistic suggestions in the process, and who was particularly helpful in the rendering of captions

v
vi

for photographs and in designing the tables which appear both within the text and in the appendices . Thanks also are due to Mr. W . Stephen Hill, the division's graphic artist, who is the book 's

designer, and who prepared all of the boards used in printing. His contribution has been to enhanc e

the usefulness of the book by making its appearance especially attractive .

MARY V. STREMLOW

Colonel, U . S . Marine Corps Reserve
Table of Contents

Page

Foreword iii

Preface v

Table of Contents vii

Introduction 1

CHAPTER 1 A Time of Uncertainty, 1946-1948 3

A Time of Uncertainty 3

Postwar Women's Reserve Board 4

Termination of the Wartime MCWR 5

Retention of the WRs at HQMC 5

A New Director 6

The Volunteer Women's Reserve 7

4th Anniversary Celebration, 13 February 1947 7

The Women's VTUs 8

Plans for the Organized Reserve 1 1

Release of the WRs Delayed Again 1 1

Stenographers Recalled 1 3

CHAPTER 2 Women's Armed Forces Legislation : Public Law 625 1 5

Women 's Armed Forces Legislation 1 5

Provisions of Public Law 625 1 8

CHAPTER 3 Going Regular 2 1

The Transfer Program 2 1

Establishing the Office and Title, Director of Women Marines 2 3

The First Enlisted Women Marines 2 4

The Pioneers 2 5

Reindoctrination of the Officers 2 5

Reindoctrination of Enlisted WMs 2 6

Designation of Women Marines 2 7

Recruit Training Established at Parris Island 2 7

The First Black Women Marines 3 1

Establishing the Women Officers' Training Class at Quantico 3 3

CHAPTER 4 The Korean War Years 3 9

Organized Reserve Gets Underway 3 9

Mission and Administration 3 9

The First Seven WR Platoons 4 0

Add Six More Platoons 4 2

Mobilization of Organized Reserve Units, Korea 44

Volunteer Reservists Answer the Call 4 6

Women Marines Return to Posts and Stations 46

vii
viii

Korean War Brings Changes to Recruit Training 5 3

A Few Changes at Officer Candidates School 5 3

The Korean Years, Reprise 5 4

CHAPTER 5 Utilization and Numbers, 1951-1963 5 7

Utilization of Women Marines, Evolution of a Policy 5 7

Report of Procedures Analysis Office, 1951 5 7

Women Officers' MOSs, 1948-1953 60

1950-1953 Summary 6 2

1954-1964 62

Numbers 6 2

Utilization, 1954-1964 62

Rank Does Not Have Its Privileges, Officers 63

Rank Does Not Have Its Privileges, Staff Noncommissioned Officers 65

Noncommissioned Officer Leadership School 65

A Woman in the Fleet Marine Force 68

1954-1964 Summary 68

CHAPTER 6 Utilization and Numbers: Pepper Board, 1964-1972 6 9

The Pepper Board 7 1

Women Marine Program Revitalized, 1965-1973 7 3

Strength Increases 7 3

Women Officers Specialist Training, 1965-1973 74

Women Lawyers and Judges, A Beginning 7 5

Professional Training 76

Amphibious Warfare School 7 6

Post-Graduate Schooling 76

Command and Staff College 7 6

The Armed Forces Staff College 7 7

Advanced Training and Assignment of Enlisted Woman Marines, 1965-1973 7 7

New Woman Marine Units, Stateside 7 8

Marine Corps Supply Center, Barstow 78

Marine Corps Supply Center, Albany 7 9

Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe 7 9

Women Marines Overseas 79

Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni 80

Marine Corps Air Station, Futema, Okinawa 8 1

Marine Corps Base, Camp Butler, Okinawa 8 1

Women Marines in Vietnam 8 3

Women Marines in Marine Security Guard Battalion 8 7

Women Marines Overseas, Summary 8 7

CHAPTER 7 Utilization and Numbers: Snell Committee, 1973-1977 8 9

Strength, 1973-1977 90

New Occupational Fields 90

Military Police 9 1

Presiding Judges 9 2

Breaking the Tradition 93

Bandsmen 94

Women Marines in the Fleet Marine Force 95
ix

Women in Command 9 8

1973-1977, Summary 10 0

CHAPTER 8 Reserves After Korea 10 1

Deactivation of the WR Platoons 10 4

Woman Special Enlistment Program 10 4

Strength 10 6

Women Reserve Officers 10 6

Formal Training for Women Reservists 10 6

CHAPTER 9 Recruit Training 10 9

Mission 10 9

The Training Program 10 9

Arrival at Parris Island 11 3

The Daily Routine 11 4

Recruit Regulations 11 6

Recruit Evaluation and Awards 12 0

WM Complex 12 3

Command Reorganized 12 4

CHAPTER 10 Officer Training 12 5

Location 12 5

Training Program 12 6

Traditions 12 7

Awards 12 9

1973-1977 12 9

Towards Total Integration 13 2

Second Platoon, Company C, BC 3-77 13 5

CHAPTER 11 Administration of Women 13 7

Supervision and Guidance of Women Marines 13 9

Barracks 14 1

Daily Routine 14 3

Discipline 14 4

CHAPTER 12 Promotions 14 5

Public Law 90-130 14 5

Enlisted Promotions 14 8

CHAPTER 13 Marriage, Motherhood, and Dependent Husbands 15 1

Marriage 15 1

Motherhood 15 1

Dependency Regulations 15 4

The Military Couple 15 5

Marine Wife, Civilian Husband 15 5

CHAPTER 14 Uniforms 15 7

The Beginnings of Change, 1950 15 9

The Mainbocher Wardrobe, 1950-1952 161
X

After Mainbocher 16 4

Grooming and Personal Appearance 16 7

Utilities 16 8

CHAPTER 15 Laurels and Traditions 16 9

Legion of Merit 16 9

Navy and Marine Corps Medal 16 9

Bronze Star Medal 17 2

Joint Service Commendation Medal 17 2

Dominican Republic 17 3

WM Anniversary 17 4

Women Marines and Mess Night 17 7

Molly Marine 17 7

Women Marines Association 18 0

CHAPTER 16 The Sergeants Major of Women Marines 18 1

Bertha L. Peters 18 2

Evelyn E. Albert 18 2

Ouida W. Craddock 18 4

Mabel A. R. Otten 18 4

June V. Andler 18 5

Grace A. Carle 18 6

CHAPTER 17 The Directors of Women Marines 18 7

Katherine A. Towle 18 7

Julia E. Hamblet 18 9

Margaret M. Henderson 19 0

Barbara J. Bishop 19 1

Jeanette I. Sustad 19 2

Margaret A. Brewer 19 3

The Position 19 4

Notes 19 7

Appendices 20 7

A. Women Marines Strength, 1948-1977 207

B. Occupational Fields for Women Officers 209

C. Occupational Fields for Enlisted Women 21 1

D. Women Marine Units, 1946-1977 21 3

E. Women Marines Who Served in Vietnam, 1967-1973 225

F. Enlisted Women Marines Retained After World War I I

Who Served Until Retirement 227

Index 229
Introduction

"The opinion generally held by the Marine Corp s

is that women have no proper place or function in th e

regular service in peace-time . This opinion is concurred in by the Director of Marine Corps Women's

Reserve, and a majority of the Women Reserves . " ' In

these words, Brigader General Gerald C. Thomas ,

Director, Division of Plans and Policies in Octobe r

1945, stated the basic Marine Corps case against women on active duty . He elaborated his stand with th e

contention, "The American tradition is that a woman's place is in the home . . . ." and, "Women do

not take kindly to military regimentation . During th e

war they have accepted the regulations imposed o n

them, but hereafter the problem of enforcing discipline alone would be a headache ." 2

The controversy over what to do with the wome n

had been going on for months before the hostilities

of World War II ended . It was a problem—an emotional one at that—which had to be faced . It was

agreed that the Women Reserves (WRs) had successfully met the challenge of military service . At the

close of the war, working in 225 specialties in 16 out

of 21 functional fields, WRs constituted 85 percent

of the enlisted personnel at Headquarters Marin e

Corps and one-half to two-thirds of the permanen t

personnel at all large Marine Corps posts and stations . 3

It was generally acknowledged that it had been necessary to activate a women's unit for wartime duty ; it

was safe to assume that women would be called upon

in any future, major emergency ; most Marines,

however, men and women, displayed a marked lac k

of enthusiasm toward the prospect of women in th e

postwar Marine Corps . The men were understandably reluctant to admit women permanently into on e

of the few remaining male-dominated societies, an d

the senior women officers were concerned about th e

type of women who would volunteer. Colonel Ruth

C. Streeter, wartime Director of the Marine Corps

Women Reserves (MCWR), believed that there wa s

a difference in the women who enlisted for purely

patriotic reasons due to the war, and those who en -

listed after the G.I. Bill was passed—those who joined

for what they could get for themselves . 4

The pressure to give peacetime military status t o

women came from the other services, most notabl y

the Navy. In the summer of 1945, the Secretary o f

the Navy, James V . Forrestal, made the statement ,

"The Navy favors retention, at least in cadre strength ,

of the WAVES, as well as SPARS and the Marine Aux -

iliary ."*

Hoping to keep the Marine Corps out of any grand -

scale plan for maintaining a women's corps in peace -

time, Colonel Streeter developed a plan for an inactive Women's Reserve to be administered by no mor e

than 10 women officers on active duty . On the accompanying routing sheet, she pencilled :

These comments are submitted at this time because ther e

is considerable agitation in the Navy in favor of keepin g

WAVES on active duty in peacetime . It comes mostly fro m

BuAir, Communications, and Hospital Corps . The WAVE S

themselves are much opposed to the plan . ,

Colonel Streeter, tempered by her experience i n

building a wartime women's organization from nothing, took a very practical approach to the matter . She

recognized that in planning a Reserve of women ,

wastage was going to occur because many of the wom -

en trained for military service would marry and hav e

children, but this was a loss which would have to be

accepted if women were truly needed . Indeed, if war

threatened, even mothers could give a few months'

active service for recruiting and training programs unti l

enough new women Marines were ready to carry on .

By December 1945, General Thomas' division had

developed a detailed plan for training a postwar, in -

active, Volunteer MCWR (VMCWR) of 500 officers

*In 1943, when women joined the Marine Corps, the Directo r

of Reserve, Colonel Littleton W . T. Waller, wrote to Representative

Louis L. Ludlow of Indiana : " . . . these women will not be auxiliary, but members of the Marine Corps Reserve which is an integral part of the Corps and as . . . they will be performing man y

duties of Marines it was felt they should be so known ." Col Little -

ton W. T. Waller, Jr., ltr to Hon. Louis L. Ludlow, dtd 8Feb43.

(File 1535-55-10, Female Enrollment Marine Corps Reserve No . 1 ,

Central Files, HQMC). Thus, the term auxiliary used by the secretary was incorrect .

1
2 INTRODUCTION

and 4,500 enlisted women, that would provide a guments against retention . . . preclude any furthe r

nucleus of ready WRs capable of being expanded discussion in favor of women being kept on activ e

rapidly into a war-strength organization . In the in- duty." 6 In the eyes of the leading Marines, the cas e

troduction to this plan it was bluntly stated, "The ar- was closed.
CHAPTER 1

A Time of Uncertainty, 1946-1948

A Time of Uncertainty—Postwar Women's Reserve Board—Termination of the Wartime MCWR

Retention of the WRs at HQMC—A New Director—The Volunteer Women's Reserv e

4th Anniversary Celebration, 13 February 1947— The Women's VTUs —Plans for the Organized Reserve

Release of the WRs Delayed Again—Stenographers Recalle d

A Time of Uncertainty

At the end of the war in August 1945, the strengt h

of the Marine Corps Women's Reserve was approximately 17,640 enlisted women and 820 officers.

Demobilization procedures for women called for th e

mandatory resignation or discharge of all WRs, officer s

and enlisted . Demobilization was to be completed by

1 September 1946 .

Colonel Streeter, who felt strongly that no woman

should remain after she was no longer needed, asked

to be released . She resigned on 6 December 1945 and ,

the following day, her assistant, Lieutenant Colonel

Katherine A. Towle was appointed the second Director of the wartime Marine Corps Women's Reserve and

promoted to the rank of colonel . To Colonel Towle fel l

the dual responsibility of overseeing the demobilization of the women and planning for a postwar women's organization.

In the spring of 1946 there was a steady flow of correspondence between the Chief of Naval Personnel ,

Vice Admiral Louis E . Denfeld, and the Commandant

of the Marine Corps (CMC), General Alexander A .

Vandegrift. The Navy was making plans for a WAVE

organization with 1,500 officers and 10,000 enlisted

women on active duty. The Army had already publicly announced its plan to give Regular status to th e

WACs' The Commandant, however, stood firm. The

only women Marines on active duty during peacetim e

would be "Director, VMCWR; OIC [Officer in

Charge], Personnel; OIC, Planning and Training ; OIC,

Recruiting; six officers, one officer assigned to each

Recruiting Division ." 2

Recognizing that some sort of women's military organization was inevitable, and because legislation

authorizing a women's inactive Reserve was pending ,

the Marine Corps no longer required WR officers t o

resign. Those still on active duty were allowed to re -

quest assignment to inactive status, and those alread y

separated were sent a letter asking them to reenlist

in the Reserve and reminding them of the privileges

and responsibilities of belonging to the Marine Corp s

Reserve . Upon request, they could be reappointed to

the permanent rank held upon resignation .3

Former colonel Mrs. Streeter was one of the women

who applied for a Reserve commission, but her request

was denied because of a legal restriction that precluded the appointment of more than one woman colone l

in the Reserve. In fact, Mrs. Streeter, who saw the wartime Women's Reserve through all of its growing pains

and its initial demobilization, had voluntarily give n

up terminal leave in order that her successor (then

Lieutenant Colonel Towle) might immediately have

the rank of colonel. The Commandant told Mrs.

Streeter that he would recommend her to the Secretary of the Navy for reappointment in her rightful ran k

in the inactive Reserve, but the Navy Judge Advocat e

General held that there could be no exception . He

later reversed his decision and Mildred H . McAfee Horton, the WAVE Director, was given Reserve status as

a captain. *

Colonel Joseph W. Knighton, legal aide to th e

Commandant, advised General Vandegrift on 1 3

March 1946 of the Army's and the Navy's plans to keep

women on active duty. They even allowed for women

in their budgets—something that the Marine Corps

was not to consider until after passage of the women' s

armed forces legislation in 1948 . It was apparent that

Admiral Denfeld was giving more than lip service t o

the support of women since he had instructed the Na -

*Subsequently, efforts were made by Colonel Towle, and two Commandants, General Vandegrift and General Lemuel C . Shepherd ,

Jr., to straighten out the matter . It was not until 1959, however,

through the persistence of Colonel Julia E . Hamblet, that this situation was satisfactorily resolved . In a letter to the Chairman, Boar d

for Corrections of Naval Records, the then Commandant, Genera l

Randolph McC . Pate, wrote : "Correction of Mrs . Streeter's records

would eiase an apparent inequity and allow her to be affiliated with

the Marine Corps Women's Reserve which she was so instrumenta l

in establishing . This correction would afford the Commandant of

the Marine Corps great satisfaction ." (CMC Its to Chairman, Bd for

Corr of NavRecords, dtd 31Mar59 [Postwar MCWR I File]). He also

wrote to Mrs. Streeter and said, "In view of your outstanding contribution to the Corps, I sincerely hope you will not deprive me

of the opportunity of recommissioning you as a Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve" (Gen Randolph McC . Pate ltr to Mrs. Ruth C.

Streeter, dtd 25Feb59 [Postwar MCWR I file] ). And so, on 25 Jun e

1959, Ruth Cheney Streeter was reappointed a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve and retired.

3
4 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

vy's judge advocate general to prepare a bill which

would enable the Navy to have women in its Regular

component. Colonel Knighton put two questions t o

the Commandant :

(1) Does the Marine Corps want women in its regular peacetim e

establishment? (2) If the answer is negative, can the Marine Corp s

justify this stance if the Army and the Navy have come to the conclusion that women should be included in their permanent establishment? '

In response, the Plans and Policy Division recommended that the Marine Corps be excluded from th e

provisions of Denfeld's proposed legislation to provid e

Regular status for women because ". . . the number

of billets which could be filled to advantage by women in the postwar Marine Corps is so limited that th e

increased administrative overhead could not be justified." Although the Commandant approved thi s

recommendation on 18 March, that was not the en d

of it.

Postwar Women's Reserve Board

Acting on a suggestion from Colonel Towle, on 2 8

March 1946, General Vandegrift appointed Colone l

Randolph McC. Pate, Director, Division of Reserve ,

senior member of a board to recommend policies fo r

administration of women in the Marine Corps post -

war Reserve structure . The board convened at Head -

quarters, Marine Corps (HQMC) on 1 April and

consisted of Colonel Pate, Colonel Richard C. Mangrum, Colonel Katherine A. Towle, and Major Ernest

L . Medford, Jr., with Major Cornelia D . T. Williams

and Major Marion Wing as additional members, an d

Captain Sarah M. Vardy as member and recorders

The report of this board, which was approved by

the Commandant on 7 June, called for women to b e

included in both the Volunteer and Organized components of the Reserve . Enlisted women would b e

trained at unit meetings in home armories. Officers

would train at an annual summer officer candidat e

school to be established at Quantico and then retur n

home to participate in a Reserve unit . A total of 4 5

officers and 32 enlisted women—all Reservists—would

be assigned to continuous active duty to administe r

the program. It was spelled out that no woman woul d

be allowed to remain on active duty longer than four

years, and summer training was not considered necessary even for the organized Reservists . At the time of

the study, only the volunteer, inactive status was legally possible and many of the 40 recommendation s

were based upon the premise that legislation would

be passed authorizing inclusion of woman in the Organized Reserve . Finally, the board recommended that

a qualified woman Reservist of field grade be selected as soon as possible for the position of director an d

that she be appointed to the rank of colonel ?

Concurrence with the creation of a permanent women's Reserve was unanimous. The staff comments, fo r

the most part, dealt with minor administrative details.

Colonel Knighton, however, spotted the weakness

which would eventually alter the opinions of the leading women officers. He recognized that the four-yea r

active duty limit was impractical, and he stated:

. . . where can you find a woman, unless she happen s

to be unemployed and hunting for a job, who would agre e

to serve on active duty for a short period? In peacetime house -

wives will not volunteer, socialites will not be interested, an d

a woman who has to work for a living, unless she is temporarily looking for employment, will certainly not sign u p

for a few years of active duty in the Women's Reserve .'

Long before the board report was officially approved, Colonel Towle outlined its main points in a statement she prepared for the Joint Army-Navy Personnel

Board on 17 April, and for the 9 May House Naval

Affairs Committee Hearings on H . R. Bill 5919, "To

amend the Naval Reserve Act of 1938, as amended s o

as to establish the Women 's Reserve on a permanen t

basis . . . "*

By the time the bill was reported out of committe e

on 21 May, it had undergone some major changes. The

next day, Admiral Denfeld wrote to Representative

Margaret Chase Smith of Maine giving his views o f

what the legislation should embody. Due mainly to

her efforts, the subsequent draft read:

All laws or parts of laws which authorize the appointmen t

of persons to commissioned grades or ranks in the Regula r

Navy and Regular Marine Corps and which authorize th e

enlistment of persons in the Regular Navy and Regular Marine Corps should be construed to include the authority t o

appoint and enlist women in the Regular Navy and Regular Marine Corps in the same manner and under the sam e

conditions as such laws or parts of laws apply to the appointment and enlistment of men .'

Now, like it or not, the Marine Corps was included .

In the words of Victor Hugo, "No army can withstan d

the strength of an idea whose time has come" 1 0

*See Chapter 2 for a more detailed discussion of the Women's

Armed Forces Integration Act of 1948 (P.L. 625).
A TIME OF UNCERTAINTY, 1946-1948 5

Marine Corps Commandant Gen A . A . Vandegrift (center) zs shown with Col Katherine

A. Towle (right) and Col Ruth C. Streeter (left) in December 1945 . Col Towle has just

succeeded Col Streeter as the post-war Director, Marine Corps Women's Reserve.

Termination of the Wartime MCWR

The office of the wartime MCWR was closed on 1 5

June 1946 when Colonel Towle began her terminal

leave. Before leaving the Marine Corps to return t o

the University of California's Berkeley campus as administrative assistant to the vice president and provost, Colonel Towle proposed the name of Major Juli a

E . Hamblet to be director of the women's postwar organization . She wrote:

It is believed that Major Hamblet has all the attribute s

and qualifications desirable in a director of a postwar MCWR .

She is a college graduate, about 30 years of age (which i s

considered a great advantage in appealing to volunteers

among younger women, especially those of college age), o f

fine appearance, with a great deal of natural dignity and

poise, and has an outstanding service record and reputation .

She has had experience in both line and aviation assignment s

and has served in the present MCWR since her commissioning in the First Officers' Class in May 1943 ."

The recommendation of Major Hamblet to head up

the postwar MCWR was acknowledged and held i n

abeyance .

Turning to another matter, Colonel Towle suggeste d

that her assistant, Captain Mary V. Illich, continu e

duty in the Personnel Department to take care of th e

work incident to the termination of the office of th e

director. Captain Illich and one private first class wer e

assigned the task of tying up the administrative de -

tails of the wartime Women's Reserve and were expected to finish by 15 July 1946 .

Retention of the WRs at HQMC

It is ironic that only two months earlier, on 14 June ,

in a report on the state of the MCWR to the Director

of Personnel, Colonel Towle wrote :

General morale during demobilization has been gratifyingly high . Part of this had been due to the definite stand
6 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

the Marine Corps itself had taken from the beginning o n

MCWR demobilization, particularly in setting and maintaining 1 September as the terminal date of the wartim e

Women's Reserve . It had been a goal to work toward, an d

Marine Corps women have never had the uncertainty an d

confusion concerning demobilization which have occurre d

in some of the other women's services because of the shifting of date and changes in policy. 1 2

Most of the WRs still on active duty in the summe r

of 1946 were working at Headquarters on the administrative job of demobilization of the wartime Marine

Corps. In spite of the general feeling against retention of women in the Marine Corps, individual wor k

supervisors were anxious to keep their women on th e

job. As the September deadline for the release of al l

WRs neared, case after case of exception was request -

ed. Few were granted, but this activity not only kep t

Captain Illich on the job, but also on 30 August gav e

her an assistant, First Lieutenant Mary Janice Hale .*

This appointment followed a major change in polic y

announced on 7 August 1946 when the Commandan t

authorized the retention on active duty at HQMC, o n

a voluntary basis, of 100 WRs for a period of eigh t

months. These women, clerk typists, payroll clerks,

and auditors, were to be assigned to a new divisio n

of the Personnel Department established to administe r

the Armed Forces Leave Act of 1946 . One officer woul d

be retained to command a company to be activate d

on 1 September, all of whose members would live off

post and be placed on subsistence and quarters allowances. The last of the WR barracks was finall y

closed. As an inducement to apply, privates first clas s

who were accepted would be automatically promote d

to corporal.1 3

The next day, 8 August, the Commandant authorized the retention of 200 additional WRs until 30

June 1947 . It was specified that these women ". . . must

have clerical, stenographic or other specific ability (n o

cooks, truck drivers, hairdressers, etc ., unless they have

a secondary clerical specification) ." 1 4

Company E, 1st Headquarters Battalion, Head -

quarters, U.S . Marine Corps, commanded by First

Lieutenant Regina M. Durant, was activated on 19 Au -

gust 1946 with a strength of 12 officers and 286 en -

listed women, with Master Sergeant Geraldine M .

Moran as first sergeant .

*Lieutenant Colonel Hale, who retired in March 1964, is the only

woman officer to have served on continuous active duty from Worl d

War lI until the completion of a 20-year career.

A New Director

Major Julia E. Hamblet had served as assistant for

the Women's Reserve from December 1945 until sh e

was released from active duty in April 1946 . She had

never considered the military as a career and was very

much in favor of the Marine Corps plan for wome n

in organized and volunteer Reserve units.

While in England visiting her family, Major Hamblet, as other Marine veterans, received numerous letters from Headquarters Marine Corps . The familia r

brown envelopes contained words of thanks and appreciation for wartime service, advice regarding veteran's benefits, a request to keep in contact with th e

Reserve District commander, and information regarding the planning for the postwar Reserve .

In mid June 1946, rushing to an appointment fro m

her brother's London home, she found yet anothe r

message from Headquarters. In a hurry, she put it i n

her purse and promptly forgot it. Nearly a week later ,

while at a party, she remembered the letter an d

opened it to find that it was not the routine form letter she had come to expect . Instead it was a persona l

letter to her from the Commandant, General Vandegrift.

In the letter he explained the plan to establish women as part of the Organized Reserve and to maintai n

on active duty a limited number of women Reservists

to adminster the program. He stated:

Because of your record and experience in the present Marine Corps Women's Reserve, you have been selected to fill

the position of Director of the postwar Women's Reserve ,

and it is hoped that you will be interested in accepting thi s

appointment. If you do accept, it is desired that you be available for duty at Headquarters Marine Corps not later tha n

1 September 1946 . You will understand, of course, that th e

continuance of a postwar Women's Reserve and the positio n

of Director are contingent upon the enactment of enablin g

legislation by the Congress which is currently giving it consideration .

A prompt reply will be appreciated .1 5

Had she not immediately thereafter received letter s

from both Colonels Streeter and Towle expressing thei r

pleasure at her selection and their concern for the future of the MCWR, Major Hamblet's first inclination

would have been to refuse the appointment . Rather,

on 25 June, she wrote to the Commandant and accepted.

Due to the difficulty in obtaining transportation

from England at the time, she asked to be activate d

there, so that she could travel on military orders .16 Existing laws did not permit members of the MCWR to
A TIME OF UNCERTAINTY, 1946-1948 7

be on active duty anywhere outside the United State s

except Hawaii . Therefore, she was informed that sh e

could not be assigned to duty until her return" Majo r

Hamblet reported to the Division of Reserve, Head -

quarters Marine Corps on 6 September 1946, and be -

came the Director, MCWR.

At this time two distinct women Marine program s

existed with the sex of their members as the only common denominator. At Headquarters, the several

hundred retained wartime WRs continued to work on

administrative matters unrelated to the MCWR . Thes e

women were under the cognizance of Captain Illich

in the Personnel Division . Then there was Major Hamblet in the Division of Reserve concerned with initiating detailed planning for a postwar, inactive Reserve .

Inevitably, some confusion arose . In a study dated 8

October, Major Hamblet wrote :

The relationship of the undersigned to the 286 enliste d

women and 5 officers retained on active duty after 1 September 1946 for assignment other than MCWR postwar planning is not at present clear. It would seem evident, however,

that the powers assigned to the Director, MCWR, shoul d

be exercised in relation to all women reservists, on whateve r

basis they may be serving ] ,

Clarification was soon made, in no uncertain terms,

in a Headquarters Memorandum of 16 October 194 6

which stated the policy for the administration of the

Marine Corps Women's Reserve . The wording was pre -

cise and unequivocal, and it was the foundation of a

policy that was to last for more than 25 years. The

Commandant directed :

That all matters of policy and procedure pertaining to th e

Marine Corps Women's Reserve, which are initiated by an y

department or division of Headquarters Marine Corps, b e

referred to the Director, MCWR, for comment an d

recommendation . In regard to matters of policy, such reference shall be made prior to submission to the Commandant of the Marine Corps for approval ; in matters of

procedure, such reference shall be made prior to execution ."

The Volunteer Women's Reserve

With a staff of two women, First Lieutenant Mar y

J. Hale and Technical Sergeant Dolores M . Adam,

Major Hamblet began her work . She faced the task

totally committed to the urgency of obtaining as soon

as possible the nucleus of a postwar women's Reserve .

Her visit to England and France during the summe r

convinced her that the world situation was still unsettled and that greater utilization of womanpower in th e

U.S . military would be required in the event of another

war. As a member of the first officer training class in

the wartime MCWR, she saw the difficulties of building up such an organization after an emergency had

already occurred . In 1943, the Marine Corps had bee n

forced to rely on civilian facilities and Navy personnel to get its women's program started. Worse, male

Marines, needed for combat, were used instead to trai n

women .

Major Hamblet recognized that the unclear statu s

of the women's legislation in 1946 jeopardized the success of a women's Reserve . The long and uncertain delay allowed former women Reservists to becom e

absorbed in their civilian interests and lessened th e

chance of their enlisting in a future Reserve .

She questioned the necessity of waiting until th e

legislation was actually passed before taking positiv e

action. There was reasonable doubt about the legality of an Organized Reserve but she believed that n o

such obstacle blocked the creation of a Voluntee r

Reserve . Indeed, the WAVES were, at that time, reenlisting women for full-time active duty in the Volunteer Reserve .

Pending the enactment of permissive legislation ,

Major Hamblet urged immediate enlistment of a s

many former members of the MCWR as possible i n

a volunteer status since, she reasoned :

These women already have had indoctrination and training ; and those among them who do desire could later transfe r

to an " OrganizedReserve ;" if one were activated . Meanwhile ,

they would at least constitute a roster of trained personnel ,

available for active duty if the need arose 2 0

A step in this direction was taken on 23 Decembe r

with the publication of Marine Corps Letter of Instruction 1391, authorizing the enlistment of forme r

women Reservists in the Marine Corps Reserve . This

was part of a purposeful effort to maintain contact

with the women who had served so well in World Wa r

II. The intention was to keep the women interested

and predisposed to join a volunteer or organized uni t

when legally possible . Furthermore, it supplied the

Corps with a pool of ready, trained volunteers. The

first enlistment contract received was that of Staff Sergeant Elizabeth Janet Steele, who, a few months later ,

activated and commanded Volunteer Training Uni t

3-1(WR), New York, New York . 2 1

4th Anniversary Celebration, 13 February 194 7

Keeping in touch with former WRs became a task

of giant proportions for the three women—Majo r

Hamblet, Lieutenant Hale, and Sergeant Adam . They

drew the cases of nearly all the 18,000 World War II
8 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

women Reservists and personally reviewed each on e

in order to compile an up-to-date roster with current

addresses. Ostensibly, this list was to be used in determining the geographic areas best suited for future

Organized Reserve units, but it was put to a more immediate use in planning a celebration in honor of th e

fourth anniversary of the Marine Corps Women's

Reserve?2

Selected officers in 25 cities were asked to accep t

chairmanship of these birthday parties and were provided with the names of officers and capable NCOs

in their area . They were told :

In order to afford continuity to the MCWR it is important that we have anniversary parties all over the country thi s

year and bring together again as many as possible of the former WR's, both officers and enlisted personnel . . . . Becaus e

there has been such a delay in getting the postwar progra m

underway, it is just that much more important that we do

a bang-up job on February 13th . . . . It is realized what a n

undertaking this will be, but the dividends in the form o f

the goodwill of former WR's (which we are most anxious

to have!) will be tremendous2 3

Since no funds were provided, many of these officers

and NCOs used their own money for stationery an d

postage in order to contact the veterans.

Birthday greetings were sent to individual wome n

Reservists reminding them that this was the time to

recall friendship and experiences. "Get out the

uniform—dust off the moth balls, let out the seams,

roll up the hair and gather round to rehash the Marine Corps days," they were told? '

More than 2,500 WRs attended the parties in 2 2

cities and at the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherr y

Point, North Carolina . San Francisco, where 395 wom -

en gathered under the chairmanship of First Lieu -

tenant Pearl Martin to hear the guest speaker, Colone l

Towle, was the site of the largest celebration . Another

coup was scored by Captain Mildred Dupont and th e

New York WRs when former Colonel Streeter agree d

to be the honored guest and to help cut the traditional birthday cake .

The Marine Corps Women's Reserve Post 907 ,

American Legion, in Chicago sponsored a grand event

in the Gold Room of the Congress Hotel. The committee was headed by First Lieutenant Dorothy R .

Dietz . Captain Emma H. Hendrickson (later Glowers), who was to become one of the first 20 Regula r

women Marine officers in November 1948, read congratulatory messages from Headquarters and spoke to

the group of the plans to utilize women in th e

Reserves.

The Washington, D.C. area celebration was uniqu e

in that it was attended by former WRs, inactive women Reservists, and numbers of women still on active

duty.

The fourth anniversary parties accomplished their

mission. In addition to being occasions of much fu n

and recall, they provided Headquarters with a roste r

of former WRs who were still interested in the Marine Corps and a nucleus of officers and NCOs who

were able organizers.

The Women's VTUs

Authorization for the formation of volunteer training units (VTUs) came on 9 January 1947 in Lette r

of Instruction 1397 . The objective of this program was

to develop a ". . . pool of efficient general duty, staff

and specialist personnel which, on call, can fill need s

for individuals or groups in an emergency."25. In order to form a VTU, a group of 10 Reservists, commissioned or enlisted, male or female, was required .

Women could, of course, join a unit already established by men.

The appeal was made almost entirely to patriotis m

and esprit de corps. The Marine Corps Reserve recruiting material offered membership, tradition, and prestige of the Corps, credit toward promotion in rank ,

social and athletic activities, a lapel pin, and an I .D .

card . Attendance and participation were voluntary an d

members could not be called to active duty withou t

their consent except in the event of war or nationa l

emergency . Reservists would retain the rank held o n

discharge, and only male members would be eligibl e

for periods of active duty . 2 8

There was considerable latitude allowed in plannin g

a VTU training schedule. Units could specialize in one

field, such as intelligence, communications, photography, etc., or follow a more general pattern . A general

unit might emphasize lectures on current worl d

problems, and a women's unit might spend all its time

giving clerical assistance to the male Marine Reservists .

Seattle has the distinction of being the home of th e

first women's Volunteer Training Unit—VT U

13-12(WR)—established in January 1947 and commanded by Captain Nancy M. Roberts.

In November 1947, MajJulia E. Hamblet (right) congratulates Capt Constance Risegari-Gai (left), commander of Volunteer Training Unit 1-1, Boston ,

Massachusetts during ceremonies to present awards

earned by Women Reservists during World War II.
A TIME OF UNCERTAINTY, 1946-1948 9
10 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

From the 1st Marine Corps Reserve District Head -

quarters, then located in Boston, Captain Constance

Risegari-Gai, commanding officer of VTU 1-1(WR) ,

wrote :

Dear Ex-Marine ,

Do you want to remain an ex-Marine—or would you lik e

to drop the "ext', remove the "homing pigeon", " rupture d

duck" or whatever you call it from your uniform, and agai n

be able to write USMCR after your name?

Yes, the Corps wants you back, right now, in the Volunteer Reserve, although later you may have an opportunity

to go into the Organized Reserve? '

Boston chose Marine Corps administration as it s

specialty, scheduled regular lectures, and got "fiel d

practice" by assisting the 2d Infantry Battalion ,

USMCR, with its paperwork . The Boston WRs me t

every Wednesday night on the fourth deck of the Nav y

Building-Marine Corps Reserve Armory (formerly th e

Fargo Building) to type enlistment papers, medica l

records, and routine correspondence .

Elements of that unit gave similar help on Saturday and Sunday mornings to the three Marine aviation squadrons at nearby Squantum . And, on Tuesday,

others went south to Hingham Naval Ammunitio n

Depot to lend a hand to Company B, 2d Infantry Battalion . Frequently, the women were called on for

recruiting and public relations activities as well . Lac k

of work was never a problem.

In the notice for the week of 12 November 1947 ,

Captain Risegari-Gai added, "Major Julia Hamblet ex -

pressed much pleasure and satisfaction with the wor k

of VTU 1-1. She stated that we have the largest actually working unit (there is a larger unit in New Yor k

which meets for training lectures once a month) ."2 8

The WRs of New York would, no doubt, have take n

exception to the captain's assessment of their unit .

VTU 3-1(WR), activated in February 1947, and commanded by Staff Sergeant Steele was not only the largest women's volunteer training unit, with a strength

at one time of 100 members, but it was the only all

enlisted women's VTU and it remained active until

20 August 1957—a little more than 10 years 29 By

1954, it had logged in a record of over 7,000 voluntary unpaid hours of service to the Marine Corps, doing clerical, recruiting, and typing duty for man y

Marine Reserve units including Marine Fighter Squadron 132, the 1st Infantry Battalion, the 19th Infantry Battalion, and the 14th Signal Company .3 0

Among its early members were Helen A . Brusack ,

who eventually integrated into the Regular Marine

Corps and remained until her retirement as a gun -

nery sergeant in May 1972; Agnes Hirshinger, wh o

commanded the unit from July 1949 until its deactivation ; Dorothy T. Hunt (later Stephenson), who integrated and was a member of the staff tha t

established women's recruit training at Parris Island

in 1949 ; Pearl Jackson, the first enlisted woman accepted for officer candidate training after the integration of women into the Regular Marine Corps;

and Alice McIntyre, who later integrated, became a

warrant officer, and served 20 years3 '

Second Lieutenant Julia M. Hornsby activated the

Baltimore VTU(WR) . Members of the Woman Marine Organized Reserve platoons of the post-Korea era

remembered her as the Reserve liaison officer at Parris Island who was vitally involved with their summe r

training period.

First Lieutenant Kathyrn E. Snyder established VT U

12-4 (WR) at San Francisco on 10 February 1948 . The

next year, serving on continuous active duty, she be -

came the first inspector-instructor (I&I) of the women's Reserve platoon in that city and eventually th e

I&I of the post-Korea Women Reserve Administratio n

Platoon in Detroit.

In Philadelphia, Captain Dorothy M . Knox commanded VTU 4-4 (WR), activated in September 1947 . When the Organized Reserve finally became available to women in 1949, Captain Knox and her entir e

VTU became the nucleus of Philadelphia's WR platoon. They had already lost one member to th e

Regulars—Captain Elsie Eleanor Hill . In time, Dorothy Knox integrated, served with the major women' s

commands—to include assignments as commandin g

officer of the Woman Marine Detachment at Quantico and later of the Woman Recruit Training Battalio n

at Parris Island—and retired as a colonel in 1970 .

San Diego's Volunteer Training Unit, VTU 11- 2

(WR) was activated on 26 February 1948 with Firs t

Lieutenant Ben Alice Day as commanding officer.

Lieutenant Day, among the first 20 Regular wome n

officers, later reverted to the Reserve when, as a major, she married Brigadier General John C . Munn (late r

Lieutenant General Munn, Assistant Commandant o f

the Marine Corps). The Munns retired in 1964 in th e

first husband-wife, Regular-Reserve retirement ceremo -

ny in Corps history.32

In 1977, Lieutenant Colonel Ben Alice Mun n

recalled:

. . . with respect to the interest Colonel W. R. Collin s

(later Major General, USMC; now retired) had in the group .

As the Inspector-Instructor of the Reserve unit in San Diego, he gave most generously of his time and energy to help
A TIME OF UNCERTAINTY, 1946-1948 1 1

set up a program, and to keep the meetings interesting . This

was very difficult as the question of what to do with Women Reserves, besides sitting them in front of typewriters, wa s

an unanswered question . There was no training program or

syllabus. (The question remained for a good 20 years or more !

The Marine Corps had bowed under wartime pressure tha t

historic February 1943, and it was my impression that the

Corps was glad, or relieved, to see the last of us go off t o

inactive duty or to civilian life! )

Perhaps Colonel Collins was ahead of his time for I well

remember one lecture he gave to VTU 11-2 (WR) in whic h

he described a trip he made to Russia immediately afte r

hostilities ceased . He gave a vivid description of his observation of Russian women being used in every military job,

from sweeping snow off runways to driving tanks3 3

Women's VTUs were also formed in Indianapolis,

Indiana ; St. Louis, Missouri ; Los Angeles, California ;

Oakland, California; Chicago, Illinois; Rochester, New

York; Milwaukee, Wisconsin ; Kansas City, Missouri ;

Portland, Oregon; New Orleans, Louisiana ; Minneapolis, Minnesota ; Atlanta, Georgia ; and Washington,

D.C. The WR volunteer training units were a sourc e

of great pride to the Marine Corps. Between Marc h

and December 1947, women Reservists worked a total of 5,000 hours of voluntary service .

The immeasurable importance of these units lie s

primarily in their effectiveness in keeping hundreds

of WRs interested in their Marine Corps affiliation

during the two years it took to pass legislation allowing Regular and Organized Reserve status for women.

Many of the units later transferred 100 percent to th e

Organized Reserve . Individuals integrated into th e

Regular Marine Corps when it became possible in late

1948 and early 1949. Others, mobilized for Korea, remained to complete a 20-year career.

Plans for the Organized Reserve

Planning for the Organized Reserve, which was to

be the heart of the peacetime women's program, continued based on the expected passage of enabling

legislation. The Marine Corps was deeply committed

to this concept and Major Hamblet and her staff

worked out the details while at the same time the y

tried to maintain the interest of former women Reservists. At one time there was talk of 30 women's companies throughout the country. But, by 1947 this

figure was reduced to 15 companies at 10 officers an d

235 enlisted women each, for a total of 150 officers

and 3,525 enlisted women .3 4 Reserve companies wer e

planned for those cities with the greatest concentration of women Reservists and where interest was th e

most obvious.

During the year and a half before the law was finally passed, it was the intention of the Marine Corps

to activate a Women's Reserve company in each of th e

following cities: Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Detroit,

Michigan ; Indianapolis, Indiana ; Los Angeles, California ; New Orleans, Louisiana ; New York, New York;

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; San Francisco, California ;

Seattle, Washington; St. Louis, Missouri ; Toledo, Ohio;

and Washington, D.C.

The legislative delay was frustrating and costly . In

spite of efforts to keep the women interested, the y

drifted away and company-size units never materialized .*

Release of the WRs Delayed Agai n

In February 1947, the first hashmark, the officia l

insignia of a full four years of active duty and the tradi -

tional mark of a "salty" Marine, appeared on the uniform of Technical Sergeant Mary F. Wancheck3 5 Others

would soon sew them on . Just as the women were

settling in and beginning to feel quite at home, th e

plan for their release was again under discussion .

The Assistant Commandant and Chief of Staff,

Major General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., seemed reluctant and on 17 April 1947, he sent a short memorandum to General Thomas: "Now that the time has

come to discharge our WRs do you still want to go

through with it? We will lose many good clerks, a

number of whom are processing claims, etc" 36 The

predictable response was, "I feel that we must carry

out these discharges. Only 23 of these WR's are working on claims "3 7

Careful coordination between work sections and the

separation center was necessary to facilitate an orderly demobilization . The women were to be transferred

to Quantico in groups of 20 per working day durin g

the period from 13 June to 30 June in order to meet

the deadline . Because the medical and administrativ e

processing would take several days, it could not b e

done at Henderson Hall where WR barracks were n o

longer available. Work sections were assigned quota s

of women to be released on a regular schedule to avoi d

a last-minute overload .

Hardly had the details been arranged when on 2 2

April, Colonel John Halla, Acting Chief of the Disbursing Branch, asked to keep 28 women Reservists

*For a more thorough discussion of the women's Organized

Reserve program, see Chapter 3 .
12 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

on active duty until 31 December 1947 to work on

a backlog of claims . The Commandant approved th e

request, but, added a terse directive, " . . . see to it

that they are not deviated to any other work ." 3 8

Contrary to the Commandant's published policy

that all matters affecting the MCWR be submitted t o

the Director, MCWR, Major Hamblet was not consulted on the transaction involving the retention of

the 28 women. She called this omission to the attention of the Director, Division of Reserve and

reiterated:

The undersigned has stated her arguments against the

retention of women on active duty either as reservists or a s

members of the regular Marine Corps . It is believed tha t

all women who are not working on postwar plans for th e

MCWR should be discharged as expeditiously as possible .

It is considered particularly unadvisable to retain a grou p

as small as twenty-eight 3 e

Major Hamblet was fighting a losing battle . Not

only were there more requests to keep women on active duty but some divisions wanted to call back already released women officers with specia l

qualifications.

The case of Captain Edna Loftus Smith put the

whole matter of WR retention back into the spotlight.

She was recalled for membership on the Marine Corps

Aviation History Board . The Director of Aviatio n

wrote: "This officer is peculiarly well qualified for this

duty, more so than any officer in the Marine Corps ,

due to her wartime duties 9 0

The legality of her recall opened a Pandora's bo x

of legal considerations. How would she be paid? There

was no authorization to use Reserve funds for matter s

connected to the war already fought and the Commandant had made no mention of women in his statement to Congress relative to the 1948 Reserv e

appropriations. Beyond the question of money,

Brigadier General William T. Clement, Director, Di -

vision of Reserve, even doubted the authority to maintain WRs in the Volunteer Reserve under existing laws.

In spite of his uncertainty and due to the critical

personnel shortage, he suggested that the Commandant's policy to discharge all WRs by 30 June b e

reversed . This would eliminate the problem of recalling individual Reservists and take care of the proble m

of pay since WRs on active duty were being paid fro m

Regular Establishment funds.

Twenty-eight women were already being retained

beyond the 30 June 1947 deadline to work on claims.

"However," wrote General Clement, "claims cannot b e

settled until muster rolls are checked which justifies

the retention of the WRs in that section, and by the

same token, those on duty in the Decorations and Medals Section are working to clean up the war load ."4 '

He believed it was better to keep all WRs on activ e

duty on a voluntary basis until the passage of permanent legislation to resolve the situation . To ease the

embarassment caused by the constant shifting of date s

and policy changes it was rationalized that the 30 Jun e

1947 date was originally set with the idea that permanent legislation covering the women would have

been enacted by that time .

Following General Clement's suggestion, a wee k

later in early June, General Shepherd recommende d

the retention of WRs rather than approve a reques t

that several hundred enlisted men be transferred to

Headquarters. Since the efficiency of each woma n

Reservist was considered to be far greater than tha t

of the average enlisted man to be brought in, he feared

a marked loss in work output with the propose d

changeover.

Thus another last-minute reprieve for the wome n

at Headquarters arrived on 9 June when the fina l

demobilization deadline was changed to read, ". . .

for a period of six months after the war is declare d

over or such shorter time as meets the requirements

of the Marine Corps."4 2

General Thomas once again asked that the previously published policy be strictly adhered to and tha t

only the five officers actually working on the postwa r

program and the enlisted women kept as a result of

the latest change be allowed to remain on active duty.

He recommended that the other four women officers

still on duty (Smith not included) be released as soo n

as their work was completed and that no more women officers be recalled except to fill a possible vacancy

in the billets designated for the MCWR.* General Van -

degrift's approving signature was a bittersweet victory, for next to the word, approved, he wrote "with the

addition of one (1) WR officer for duty in the office

of the J.A.G. [Judge Advocate General]."4 3

*At the time of General Thomas' memo, there were 10 wome n

officers on active duty : Major Hamblet and Lieutenant Hale working on MCWR plans; Captain Illich working on matters related to

the women kept on active duty ; Captain Elizabeth J . Elrod and Captain Durant at the WR company ; Major Frances W. Pepper and Second Lieutenant Pauline F. Riley at the Post War Personnel

Reorganization Board ; First Lieutenant Marie K . Anderson in th e

Supply Department; and Captain Sarah M . Vardy and Captai n

Smith in the Division of Aviation .
A TIME OF UNCERTAINTY, 1946-1948 1 3

In the files of the Director of Women Marines wa s

found an undated, unsigned, brief history of the women in the Marine Corps which begins:

It is rumored that when it was announced that wome n

were going to be enlisted in the Marine Corps that the ai r

was colored with profanity in the language of every nation

as the members of the old Corps gathered to discuss thi s

earth-shaking calamity. It is entirely probable that the wailin g

and moaning which went on that day amongst the old Marines was never equalled—never, that is, until it was announced that the women Marines were going home . Then ,

with a complete reversal of attitude many of those same Marines declared that the women in their offices were essential military personnel and absolutely could not be spare d

from the office?4

Stenographers Recalle d

A severe shortage of clerk-stenographers brought

another demand for the recall of formerly active enlisted women Reservists. Few enlisted men were qualified and Civil Service was unable to fill the needs of

Headquarters, so, in October 1947, 1,500 application s

were mailed to women Reservists in the Volunteer

Reserve . It came as a great surprise and disappointment when only 56 were returned—and of the number only 28 were considered qualified . The fact is that

the letter soliciting applications was not very enticing .

The maximum tour assured was for six months—th e

women could not request earlier release and the Marine Corps could not guarantee anything more.4 5

Among the women recommended for recall were

Staff Sergeant Lotus T. Mort, who later became th e

third woman warrant officer in 1954 ; Corporal Mildre d

A. Novotny, who was among the first eight enliste d

Col Katherine A . Towle cuts cake on the 6th anniversary in February 1949 of the Marine

Corps Women's Reserve. Mrs. Ruth Cheney Streeter looks on . In the background (from

left to right) are TSgt Grace L . Benjamin, Cpl Emilie Pranckevich, TSgt Agnes T. Hirshinger, SSgt May Ann Henritze, MSgt Marie B. Benziger, and Sgt Elsie F. Futterman.
14 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

women to be sworn into the Regular Marine Corps o n

10 November 1948 ; and Technical Sergeant Helen L.

Hannah, who retired in 1975 with 32 years service a s

a Reservist. Lotus Mort recalled that she was a bit hesi -

tant when her orders arrived on Christmas Eve, bu t

on 5 January 1948, she reported for six months and

stayed for 17 years until her retirement in 1965 . The

poor response to the call for stenographers was the firs t

indication that competent women needed to be assured of more security if they were going to leave thei r

homes and good jobs. Colonel Knighton's prediction

of 1946 had come to pass .
CHAPTER 2

Women's Armed Forces Legislation : Public Law 62 5

Women's Armed Forces Legislation—Provisions of Public Law 625

Women's Armed Forces Legislatio n

Nearly three years elapsed from the end of hostilities in August 1945 until legislation giving women

regular military status was finally passed and signe d

into law by President Harry S . Truman on 12 June

1948 . The drawn-out process, marked by gains an d

reverses along the way, was the cause of much of th e

uncertainty experienced by women Marines on dut y

at Headquarters. Without the legislation there was n o

security for those women, and no one knows how man y

competent WRs, who would have preferred a career

in the Marine Corps, asked to be discharged simpl y

because they could not afford to wait .

The proposed law received little support from th e

Commandant—and for some very good reasons . The

Marine Corps had an authorized regular enlisted

strength of 100,000 and then as now, operated on a

limited budget. Understandably, neither the men no r

the women wanted to sacrifice combat billets to mak e

room for the women . General Vandegrift was heartily

in favor of women as Regular Marines provided the y

would not count against his end strength; otherwise ,

he was unalterably opposed .

A study of the position taken by the other service s

regarding the women's bill reveals that the Army an d

the Navy intended to use large numbers of wome n

in occupational fields not required in the Marine

Corps. There was a strong case made, for example, fo r

women in the medical field : nurses, Medical Corp s

WAVES, dental technicians, and laboratory technicians. Furthermore, they contended that these billet s

which were planned for the WAVES and the WAC s

would not affect overseas rotation of the men . This

was not the situation in the Marine Corps.

The senior women officers, Colonels Streeter an d

Towle and Major Hamblet, were aware of the uniqu e

problems faced by the Commandant, and they wer e

also conscious of the climate at Headquarters .* The y

recognized exactly how far the Marine Corps woul d

*Colonels Streeter and Towle, although no longer on active duty, were frequently consulted on matters relating to the postwar plan s

for the women in the Marine Corps .

be willing to go and believed that a crusade by th e

women would have had negative results. The plan fo r

a strong Women's Organized Reserve backed up by a

Volunteer Reserve was a compromise that most Marines could accept, and this was the proposal they carried to Capitol Hill .

The Honorable Carl Vinson, on 29 March 1946, introduced H.R. 5919, "To amend the Naval Reserve Ac t

of 1938, as amended, so as to establish the Women's

Reserve on a permanent basis . . . ." (79th Congress,

2d session). As the purpose clearly states, the bill was

strictly a Reserve measure and in its original form al -

lowed the Marine Corps only 50 officers and 450 enlisted women on active duty during peacetime . It wa s

referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs and hearings were held on 9 and 10 May.

In her book, Lady In The Navy, Captain Joy Han -

cock notes, "The burden of presentation before that

committee was carried largely by the members of th e

Women's Reserve who were not in a position of sufficient authority to speak with the necessary assuranc e

of Navy plans and policies"' Colonel Towle, the Commandant's representative, prepared a short statement

summarizing the plans for a Reserve organization with

an active duty strength of 32 officers and 28 enliste d

women—at the most ?

American military women enjoy a relationship of

unusual cooperation . Perhaps it stems from the shared

experience of being a minority in a previously all-mal e

world. For whatever reasons, they have made it a poin t

of honor to be mutually supportive . Accordingly, when

the time came to testify before the committee, Colonel

Towle was careful not to undermine the much stronge r

WAVE position .

After the initial hearings in the House, Admira l

Denfeld enlisted the aid of Congresswoman Margare t

Chase Smith, who had taken a public stand in favo r

of Regular status for service women . Mrs. Smith had

been cautioned by the chairman, Carl Vinson, tha t

her amendment to include Regular as well as Reserve

status would kill the whole bill3 Mrs. Smith's view was,

"The Navy either needs these women or they do

not. . ." 4

15
16 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

As a result of the efforts of Admiral Denfeld an d

Mrs. Smith, a new draft was prepared which woul d

extend the scope of existing laws governing the Regular Navy and Marine Corps to include women . For all

that, time ran out before further action was taken .

When the 79th Congress adjourned, the women 's bill

died in committee . Consequently, it would be necessary to begin fresh at the next session .

The women in the Army worked on a separate bil l

until the armed services were combined to become the

Department of Defense . At that time, the wome n

joined forces in order to present as strong a case a s

possible while allowing for the unavoidabl e

differences.

Added to the varied duties assigned to Major Hamblet when she returned to active duty in the fall of

1946 was the task of tracking the pending legislation .

Sandwiched between the planning of the postwar

Reserve, and the vain attempt to demobilize the war -

time WRs, she studied and commented on the women's bill and made occasional appearances befor e

congressional committees . She was asked verbally b y

Colonel Pate to submit, " arguments against keepin g

women on active duty in the Marine Corps either a s

reservists on continuous active duty or as members o f

the Regular establishment ." She did so in a 29 Apri l

1947 memo, ending with the statement :

If it is decided that women shall be on active duty for

an indefinite period of time, their rights should be protected by making them members of the Regular establishmen t

of the Marine Corps rather than keeping them on continuous active duty as reservists.5

By the time the Senate subcommittee hearings of

the 80th Congress began on 2 July 1947, the Navy bil l

S . 1529 and the Army bill S . 1103 were combined t o

form S. 1641 . Most observers were certain that wome n

were going to be made part of the Regular Armed

Forces. General of the Army Dwight D . Eisenhower

opened his testimony saying, "Not only do I heartil y

support the bill to integrate women into the Regular

Army and Organized Reserve Corps, but I personall y

directed that such legislation be drawn up and submitted to this Congress."6 A critical shortage of infantrymen and the need to stabilize the Women's Army

Corps prompted him to stress the urgency of actio n

to the Congress.

General Eisenhower was followed by Fleet Admira l

Chester W. Nimitz who said, "The real fact must be

acknowledged that in any future war it will be mandatory to have at our command immediately all pos -

Congresswoman Margaret Chase Smith of Maine.

sible resources. Womenpower is one of them ." It

should be noted that the Allies made good use of

women in the armed services in World War II. *

Colonel Knighton followed, reading a brief, two -

sentence Marine Corps statement: "The previous witnesses have expressed the views of the Commandant ;

the Commandant of the Marine Corps is in favor o f

the bill and trusts that it will be enacted as soon a s

possible"8

*In an interview in October 1976 in Heidelberg, Germany, Albert Speer, Hitter's weapons production chief said : "How wise yo u

were to bring your women into your military and into your labo r

force . Had we done that initially, as you did, it could have affecte d

the whole course of the war . Women would have been far superior,

for example, to our impressed labor force from occupied countries ,

which you called 'slave labor .' We would have found out, as yo u

did, that women were equally effective, and for some skills superior to males. We never did, despite our critical manpower shortag e

in the late years of the war, make use of this great potential ." (San

Diego Union, 30Nov76).
WOMEN'S ARMED FORCES LEGISLATION, PUBLIC LAW 625 1 7

The brevity and the wording of the statement cast

some doubt on the Commandant's true feelings. In

order to offset its negative effect at Headquarters ,

Colonel Knighton sent a memorandum to the Assistant Commandant, General Shepherd, along with a

file of statements given before the Senate Armed Services Committee which he said :

. . . contain almost unrefutable arguments why : it is vital that women be integrated into the Regular Establishmen t

of all services.

I informed the Senate Committee that the views expresse d

by these witnesses reflected the views of the Commandant .

As it has been rumored that the Commandant is opposed to having women in the Regular Marine Corps, it migh t

be well to circulate these statements to the heads of al l

Departments and offices.°

Colonel Knighton was perhaps the strongest voic e

heard in the Marine Corps in favor of integration of

the women. As legal aide to the Commandant, legislation was his responsibility but he seemed to go a ste p

further in an effort to convince others of the need fo r

this particular bill . He went so far as to testify at a

Senate hearing in place of Major Hamblet when he

feared that she, due to her own doubts, would not b e

convincing enough . The bill passed the Senate on 2 3

July 1947 and was sent to the House committee wher e

it sat until the adjournment of the first session, bu t

this time it would not be necessary to begin anew.

In anticipation of the enactment of the legislation ,

a board was convened in December 1947 to propos e

a program for women as Regular Marines . Keeping

in mind that every woman in the Regular Marine

Corps would be at the expense of a man, carefu l

thought was given to their most efficient utilization .

The study, therefore, provided for 65 officers and 72 8

enlisted women to be assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, both at Henderson Hall and the Marin e

Corps Institute ; offices of the directors of the Marin e

Corps Reserve Districts ; Headquarters Recruiting Divisions; Department of Pacific and Depot of Supplie s

at San Francisco ; Marine Corps Schools, Quantico ; and

to the Organized Women's Reserve Program . "

In February 1948 just before the House Armed Services Committee was scheduled to meet, Captain Ir a

H. Nunn of the Navy Judge Advocate General's offic e

wrote to the Commandant asking for his help . In view

of the considerable opposition to the bill, a stron g

presentation was deemed necessary, and plans wer e

being made for appearances by the Secretary of

Defense, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief

of Naval Personnel, and the Deputy Surgeon General. The letter read :

Advice is requested as to whether the Commandant can

appear in support of the bill . . . . It is understood tha t

the Departments of the Army and Air Force will b e

represented by Generals Eisenhower, Bradley, Spaatz, Devers, Paul, Armstrong, and Strothers ." *

The Marine Corps was represented at those crucia l

hearings by Major Hamblet, who was introduced by

Colonel Knighton.

The hearings were heated and prolonged, but th e

outcome seemed assured. To almost everyone's surprise, however, in early April, the committee reported out a measure which would have limited enlistmen t

of women in the armed services to Reserve status only.

During the debate, Margaret Chase Smith tried to get

House approval of the Senate version, but only 40

members backed her while 66 were opposed . The opponents argued that, "Regular status for women in the

military service now might result in a draft for women in another war and West Point would become a

coeducational college ." 12 The solution seemed to be

to put women in a Reserve status.

The bill, S . 1641, then went into a joint conference

by members of both the Senate and the House t o

reconsider the differences. Support came from patriotic organizations, professional and business wome n

groups, and most importantly from the ranking military men of the day. Fleet Admiral Nimitz, Chief of

Naval Operations, in backing the legislation said :

This legislation has been requested after careful study of

the overall requirements of the Navy, now and in the future. It is the considered opinion of the Navy Departmen t

and my own personal belief that the services of women are

needed . Their skills are as important to the efficient operations of the naval establishment during peacetime as they

were during the war years 1 3

The bill that emerged from the joint conference established a Women's Army Corps in the Regular Army,

authorized the enlistment and appointment of women in the Regular Navy and the Regular Marine Corps

and the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve, and the

*General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower; General Omar

N . Bradley, Chief of Staff of the Army ; General Carl T . Spaatz ,

Commanding General, Army Air Forces; General Jacob L . Devers,

Commanding General, Army Ground Forces; Lieutenant Genera l

Willard S . Paul, Director of Personnel Administration, Genera l

Staff, United States Army ; Brigadier General Harry G. Armstrong ,

U .S . Army Air Forces, Commandant of the School of Aviation Medicine ; Brigadier General Dean C . Strothers, U .S . Army Air Forces ,

Director of Military Personnel under Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel and Administration .
18 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

Regular and Reserve of the newly created Air Force i n

which the women would be known as WAFs (Wome n

in the Air Force). Ten days later, 12 June 1948, President Truman signed the long-debated Women's

Armed Services Integration Act, Public Law 625 .

Provisions of Public Law 625

Generally, P. L. 625 gave equal status to women in

uniform, but there were a number of restrictions an d

special provisions. While the law placed no limit on

the number of women who could serve in the Reserves,

it did specify that the number of women Regulars

could not exceed two percent of the nation's tota l

armed strength in the Regular Army, Navy, Air Force ,

and Marines. It provided for a gradual build-up whic h

would allow the Marine Corps a strength of 10 0

officers, 10 warrant officers, and 1,000 enlisted women by June 1950 . In fact the Marine Corps did not anticipate or want to fill the allotted quota .

Based upon a strong recommendation from Mrs .

Streeter, the new law contained the provision that the

Director of Women Marines would be detailed to dut y

in the office of the Commandant to assist the Commandant in the administration of women's affairs.

Originally, she, like the WAVE director, would hav e

been responsible to the Personnel Department . Mrs.

Streeter, in response to a letter from General Vandegrift in August 1947, recalled her duty in the Personnel Department and the limitations under which

she worked during the war. She gave great credit to

the courtesy and cooperation of all the men at Head -

quarters with whom she worked, but she argued that

the Director would be in a better position to deal wit h

all branches, and that her cognizance over all wome n

Marines and all matters affecting them would b e

recognized if she did not come under one particular

branch17 General Vandegrift agreed and the women's

bill was amended before it came to the final vote . For

all services, the director was to be selected from among

the Regular women officers serving in the grade of

major or above (lieutenant commander for the Navy )

and would hold the temporary rank of colonel or Navy

captain.

Promotion regulations loosely paralleled those o f

male components, except that women could not hold

permanent rank above lieutenant colonel . Additionally, the number of Regular women lieutenan t

colonels could not exceed 10 percent of the numbe r

of Regular women officers on active duty—for ma -

jors, the law read 20 percent.* Inasmuch as lieutenan t

colonel was the senior grade that women officers coul d

then hold (with the exception of the Director), non -

promotion to this rank was not considered a passover .

Women officers retired from the senior ranks upo n

reaching a mandatory retirement age which was fo r

majors, 20 years or age 50, whichever came sooner ,

and for lieutenant colonel, 30 years service or age 55 ,

whichever was sooner . The law also specified that

women could not be assigned to duty in aircraft en -

gaged in combat missions nor to vessels of the Nav y

other than transport and hospital ships .

Women were entitled to the same pay, leave, allowances, and benefits as men, but with an important proviso . Husbands would not be considered

dependents unless they were in fact dependent on

their wives for their chief support, and the childre n

of servicewomen would not be considered dependents

unless their fathers were dead or they were really de -

pendent upon their mothers for their chief support.

This apparently simple exception was the cause of

much frustration and bitterness as the law was interpreted over the years . In effect, it negated many of

the service benefits normally considered routine by the

men. For example, quarters could not be assigned t o

a woman married to a civilian, nor could her husban d

shop at the post exchange or commissary store.**

The Marines especially appreciated the section of

the law dealing with the Reserves for it made possible, at last, the much-discussed Organized Women's

Reserve . Nearly two years had passed since Majo r

Hamblet had been called to active duty to frame th e

postwar women's plans which, by this time, were lai d

out in great detail and ready for implementation.

Women were now a part of the Regular Marine

Corps in spite of earlier opposition to this radical idea .

In the spring of 1946, when the legislation was firs t

introduced, no one, least of all the women themselves,

ever thought in terms of Regular status. As time went

on, however, there was increasing evidence that no real -

*The provision held up a number of promotions to field grade

rank . In 1962, Captain Grace "San" Overholser Fields stayed on activ e

duty longer than she intended after her marriage in order to kee p

up the strength figures of the Regular active duty women officers ,

thereby allowing Major Jeanette I. Sustad, a future Director of Women Marines, to be promoted to lieutenant colonel . (Grace Overholser Fields interview with HQMC) .

**For a detailed discussion of marriage, motherhood, and de -

pendent husbands, see Chapter 13 .
WOMEN'S ARMED FORCES LEGISLATION, PUBLIC LAW 625 1 9

ly effective and continuing nucleus of trained person- The passage of the Women's Armed Services Integra -

nel could be counted on in the Defense Establishment tion Act of 1948 recognized this fact and was a naturunless some permanency was assured women who al sequel to the excellent record of the women wh o

volunteered for training and assignment in peacetime . served in World War II.
20 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

Col Ruth Cheney Streeter, wartime Director of the Marine Corps Women's Reserve, be -

fore leaving her post recommended that the position be strengthened, a proposal whic h

lead ultimately to the Marine Corps amendment to Public Law 625 and placement of

the Director in the table of organization of the immediate office of the Commandant .
CHAPTER 3

Going Regular

The Transfer Program—Establishing the Office and Title, Director of Women Marines

The First Enlisted Women Marines—The Pioneers—Reindoctrination of the Officer s

Reindoctrination of Enlisted ',Ms—Designation of Women Marine s

Recruit Training Established at Parris Island—The First Black Women Marine s

Establishing the Women Officers' Training Class at Quantic o

The Transfer Program

The integration of women was now a fait accompli,

and in Colonel Towle 's view, ". . . the Marine Corps

had, with varying degrees of enthusiasm but always

in good grace, accepted the fact that women as potential `careerists' in the Marine Corps must be reckone d

with and provided for ." ' To this end, the first step was

to find a suitable Director, but the process of transfe r

from Reserve to Regular could not wait for her selection, acceptance, and arrival.

Major Hamblet, still the Director of the Marine

Corps Women's Reserve, recommended Colonel Towle

be named to that post. Although the press had announced that the services would probably retain the

current directors, and certainly she was the one most

familiar with the plans to be implemented, Majo r

Hamblet recognized that her age and rank would work

to her and ultimately to the women's disadvantage .

There would be, she was certain, a good deal of op -

position to the appointment to colonel—even on a

temporary basis—of a 33-year-old woman with onl y

five years of military experience? Colonel Towle, o n

the other hand, was happily ensconced as the Assistant Dean of Women at the Berkeley campus of th e

University of California, and she felt that Majo r

Hamblet should continue as Director.

General Clifton B. Cates, then Commandant ,

found himself in the uncomfortable and certainly unusual position of personally having to ask a woma n

to accept a Regular commission . In the summer of

1948, his aide called Colonel Towle to tell her that th e

Commandant was planning an official trip to California and wished to meet with her in San Francisco at

the Saint Francis Hotel . At the ensuing interview,

Colonel Towle was not prepared to make a definite

commitment to return, but she and General Cates discussed details of organization and particularly the position of the Director and her access to the

Commandant.3 The general agreed to consider her

recommendations and to talk them over with his ad -

visors at Headquarters. The outcome was the appointment of Colonel Katherine A . Towle as the first

Director of Women Marines.

Admittedly, she was one of the women who originally had grave doubts about the need or even desirability of having women in the military durin g

peacetime, but on thinking it over, she said, " the logic

of the whole thing did occur to me: that this was

sound. . . "4 Any uncertainties she entertained wer e

set aside once and for all when she returned t o

Washington in the fall of 1948, and she undertook

her work determined to make the women truly integrated, contributing members of the Corps.

In July, while the matter of a director was still unsettled, letters containing information about the transfer program were sent to women Reservists and former

women Reservists. The women were to be selected

based upon their qualifications to fill the 65 officer

and 728 enlisted billets. Of the 65 officers selected ,

21 would receive Regular commissions and 44 woul d

be assigned as Reservists on continuous active duty ,

presumably with the Organized Reserve companies .5

Since 18,000 enlisted women had served in World

War II, it was not anticipated that nonveterans woul d

be accepted for perhaps nine months to a year afte r

the transfer program got underway. A continuing

board would be convened at Headquarters to selec t

applicants at the rate of 75 per month until th e

planned strength was reached . After that, several

recruit classes per year would be conducted at Henderson Hall to compensate for losses due to norma l

attrition. It was estimated that no more than 20 0

recruits would be needed during the first two years .6

Former enlisted Reservists could enlist for two, three ,

or four years, and had to meet the following requirements: be 20-31 years old ; have two years of high

school or business school ; be a citizen of the United

States or its insular possessions; be married or single ;

have no children under 18 years of age regardless o f

legal custody ; have no dependents; be able to pass th e

prescribed physical examination ; and possess an honorable or under-honorable-conditions discharge. The

deadline for receipt of applications was set at 15 September 1948 ?

In the case of officers, the flow of promotions a s

well as available billets had to be considered . It was

decided that the 21 initial selections for Regular sta -

21
22 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

On 4 November 1948, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen Clifton B . Cates administers

the oath to the first three women to be sworn into the Regular Marine Corps, (left to

right) LtCol Katherine A . Towle, Maj Julia E. Hamblet, and 1stLt Mary J. Hale.

tus should be allocated to: majors and above, two;

captains, five; first lieutenants, seven; and second lieu -

tenants, seven . All officers and former officers were

sent letters similar to the ones used to solicit enlisted

candidates. The promise of security in these was a bi t

vague in that they were told, "Subject to budgetary

limitations and satisfactory performance of duty, applicants are assured at least a 3-year tour of

duty. . . ." And following the details of the projecte d

officer candidate class was written, `As these new

officers are obtained, the Reserve officers on continuous active duty will be ordered to inactive duty." 8

To be considered for transfer to the Regular Marin e

Corps, women officers had to have completed two years

of accredited college work or pass an equivalent examination; be physically qualified ; have no children

under 18 years of age ; and fit into a complicated age -

grade structure which would protect them later fro m

mandatory, involuntary retirement .

The enlisted selection board convened on 21 Sep -

tember with Colonel Lester S . Hamel as senior member. The first report, submitted on 4 October,

recommended the approval of 142 applicants and th e

tentative approval of 45 others subject to age and phys -

ical waivers.9

It became increasingly apparent and by late September it was conclusive that the number of enlisted

applicants was below expectation and the quota woul d

not be reached. The cause of the disappointing

response is a matter of speculation . First, there is n o

evidence that large numbers of women were interested in a military career. During the congressional hearings on the women's armed services legislation, the

voice of the woman veteran was not heard . Then, the

age group involved was vulnerable to marriage an d

motherhood, and while marriage itself was not a prohibiting factor to enlistment, it certainly was a deterrent. Finally, the physical standards were quit e

stringent and the age restrictions for officers were, at

the very least, difficult . The women officers of World
GOING REGULAR 2 3

War II were, by and large, older than average when

compared to men of the same rank .

A Plans and Policy Division study of 24 Septembe r

1948 recommended that the grade distribution fo r

officers be revised in light of the applications received ;

that the deadline for enlisted applications be extended to 1 January; that officer applications be forwarded to the board for consideration regardless of

ineligibility for age or physical condition ; that applications for new enlistments by nonveterans be authorized; and that recruit classes begin by 1 March 1949 .1 0

Many of the recommendations were approved . The

enlisted transfer program was extended and age and

physical waivers were granted, but the problem o f

opening up the program to nonveterans was set aside .

And, indeed, at the time it was a problem . The Marine Corps was not yet racially integrated and to ope n

enlistments meant to face " the Negro question" Furthermore, it required the hasty establishment an d

staffing of a recruit training command for women .

In spite of the liberalized reenlistment procedures ,

less than 350 applications were received and about 2 5

percent of these came from WRs on duty at Headquarters.11 Even as Colonel Towle arrived on 18 October, suggestions, plans, and recommendations fo r

the reenlistment, recruitment, and training of women Marines were being discussed and changed almost

daily. The paucity of applicants for the transfer program demanded new thinking.

The officer transfer program, for its part, move d

relatively smoothly requiring only a few changes i n

rank distribution. On 26 October the names of th e

21 Regular officers selectees were announced . The list

included 1 colonel, 2 majors, 7 captains, and 11 first

lieutenants. Not counting Colonel Towle, who had recently reported aboard, only Major Hamblet and Lieu -

tenant Hale were on active duty at the time of

selection . The initial list of women recommended fo r

Regular commissions named :

Colonel Katherine A. Towle

Major Julia E. Hamblet

Major Pauline E . Perate

Captain Pauline B. Beckley

Captain Barbara J. Bisho p

Captain Margaret M . Henderso n

Captain Emma H . Hendrickso n

Captain Elsie E. Hill

Captain Helen J. McGra w

Captain Nancy M . Roberts

First Lieutenant Kathleen J. Arne y

First Lieutenant Eunyce L. Brink

First Lieutenant Ben Alice Day

First Lieutenant Frances A . Denb o

First Lieutenant Mary J. Fishe r

First Lieutenant Jeanne Flemin g

First Lieutenant Mary J. Hal e

First Lieutenant Margaret S . Ordemann

First Lieutenant Pauline F. Riley

First Lieutenant Margaret L . Stevenso n

First Lieutenant Jeanette I . Sustad1 2

The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Genera l

Cates, administered the oath to the first women t o

become Regular Marines, Lieutenant Colonel Towle ,

Major Hamblet, and Lieutenant Hale, in his office o n

4 November 1948 . On the previous day, Colonel Towl e

had been discharged as a colonel from the Marin e

Corps Reserve . Upon accepting a Regular commission ,

she was appointed a permanent lieutenant colonel ,

and then, assuming the position of director, she wa s

promoted to the temporary rank of colonel once again .

Establishing the Office and Title,

Director of Women Marines

In an analysis of the wartime Marine Corps Women's Reserve written in 1945, the authors, very diplomatically, but very clearly, pointed out the handica p

under which Colonel Streeter worked—as an advisor

with no real authority of her own . The report explained:

. . . the first real problem confronting the Marine Corp s

was what to do with the Director, MCWR . There really did

not seem to be much place for her . Certainly she could not

"direct" anything without cutting squarely across all official channels and chains of command, and creating divided responsibility at all points .

Luckily, Colonel Streeter had great good sense, and a wonderful knack for getting along with people, for it was through

the medium of friendly relations with department heads an d

commanding officers that she eventually gained their confidence so that . . . suggestions could be made to them with

some hope of success. 13 .

Colonel Streeter rightfully concluded that the middle of a war was no time to quibble over administrative

and organizational details, but before leaving the Marine Corps, she respectfully made the recommendation that, ". . . a new study be made by the Divisio n

of Plans and Policies embodying the experience of thi s

war as to the best possible use which can be made of

a Director, MCWR, in case of another war," and "Tha t

her position be strengthened if this can be properl y

done within the structure of the Marine Corps" 14 .

Colonel Streeter was ultimately responsible for th e

Marine Corps amendment to P. L. 625 which place d

the Director in the table of organization of the im-
24 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

mediate office of the Commandant . While serving as

Director of the MCWR between September 1946 an d

November 1948, Major Hamblet continually strived

to maintain some degree of control over all matters

that affected the women . When Colonel Towle wa s

asked to return as the first Regular Director, the clarification of this one issue was a factor in her acceptance .

Clearly, to the most senior women officers, the position of the Director of Women Marines was a matte r

of concern. This position was defined in a study o f

20 October 1948 which stated :

In establishing the office and title of the senior woma n

Marine, consideration is given to the following :

(a) An important aspect is the field of public relations ,

involving contacts outside of the Marine Corps. To insure

maximum prestige and effectiveness in these duties, it i s

necessary that the senior woman Marine hold a title whic h

indicates a position of importance in the Marine Corps .

(b) This officer must have cognizance of all matters pertaining to women Marines, Regular and Reserve, even thoug h

such matters are handled by the appropriate Headquarters

agency in the same manner as for other Marines . Assigning

actual administration and control of women Marines to existing agencies precludes establishment of a separate divi -

sion or department to carry out such functions. Under thes e

circumstances, the senior woman Marine could best exercise cognizance over matters in her sphere if she were established as an assistant to the Commandant for woman Marin e

matters. In this capacity she could initiate action on matters affecting women Marines or make recommendations o n

policies and procedures concerning them but prepared b y

other agencies.1 5

The recommendations were approved and the senio r

woman Marine was called the Director of Women Marines. Due directly to the efforts of Colonels Streete r

and Towle and Major Hamblet between 1945 and

1948, the Director of Women Marines enjoyed a some -

what autonomous role, able to attend the Commandant's staff meetings in her own right, and able t o

bring to the Commandant or to a division head any

conflict which she felt merited his attention .

The First Enlisted Women Marines

The enlisted WRs stationed at Headquarters lost n o

time in applying for Regular status, and, by November, Colonel Towle was most anxious that the 210 al -

ready selected women be sworn in as soon as possibl e

On 10 November 1948, the Commandant, Gen Clifton B. Cates, administers the enlistment oath to the first eight women sworn into the Regular Marine Corps, (left to right)

MSgt Elsie J. Miller, TSgt Bertha L. Peters, SSgt Betty J. Preston, SSgt Margaret A . Goings, Sgt Mildred A . Novotny, TSgt Mary F. Wancheck, SSgt Anna Peregrim, and SSgt

Mary E. Roche. Col Katherine A. Towle, Director of Women Marines, is at far right.
GOING REGULAR 2 5

in order to generate some favorable publicity and interest. On the 173rd anniversary of the Marine Corps,

10 November 1948, the first eight women, all WRs

on duty at Headquarters Marine Corps, were given the

oath of enlistment by the Commandant . Seven of

those women, Master Sergeant Elsie J . Miller, Technical Sergeants Bertha L. Peters and Mary E. Wancheck ,

and Staff Sergeants Margaret A. Goings, Anna Pere -

grim, Betty J. Preston, and Mary E. Roche, had been

on continuous active duty since their enlistment for

wartime service . The eighth, Sergeant Mildred A.

Novotny, had responded to the call for stenographer s

made in late 1947 . The eight new women Marines were

enlisted at the same rank that they held in th e

Reserve .' '

A WR at Headquarters during that period, retired

First Sergeant Esther D . Waclawski, remembered tha t

she had already spent two days in Separation Company when the transfer program was announced . She

and her friend, Technical Sergeant Petrina "Pete" C.

Nigro, rushed to the recruiting station on Pennsylvani a

Avenue to "join the Marines." Although on active duty,

these women had to follow the same procedures as

former WRs all over the country." Upon acceptance ,

they were issued the usual travel orders with the senio r

woman put in charge . Typical of the travel orders of

the time was a set dated 17 November 1948 and addressed to Master Sergeant Alice Julia Connolly, which

read:

Having been enlisted this date in the USMC-W, you will ,

when directed, take charge of the below named women an d

proceed this date to Headquarters Battalion, Headquarter s

U.S . Marine Corps, Washington, D.C., where upon your arrival you and the women in your charge will report to th e

Commanding Officer thereat for duty.

Technical Sergeant Marion Olson Barnes

Technical Sergeant Anna Marie Scherma n

Staff Sergeant June Virginia Andle r

Staff Sergeant Rose Mary Barne s

Staff Sergeant Wilma Greifenstei n

Staff Sergeant Jeanette Marie Johnso n

Staff Sergeant Vera Eleanor Piipp o

Sergeant Ruby Alwilda Evans

Sergeant Bertha Janice Schult z

As no transportation is involved none is furnished) ,

Since it is safe to assume that a group of senio r

NCOs is not likely to get lost on the way to the battalion to which they are already attached, the orders

must have been issued because "it is always done that

way.

The Pioneers

The original band of women in the Regular Marin e

Corps, now to be known as WMs, must have been a n

adventuresome lot. They had little idea of what was

in store for them, either in the way of assignments,

length of service, or acceptance by the men of the Marine Corps. Colonel Margaret M. Henderson, later to

be a Director of Women Marines, recalled that she applied more or less to see if she could make it. Lieu -

tenant Colonel Elsie Eleanor Hill submitted her

application with the thought in mind that she woul d

probably be stationed at home, in Philadelphia, wher e

she had spent her entire wartime tour.'' The InspectorInstructor of the Reserve unit there told her of th e

plans for an organized platoon in the "City of Brotherly Love "

Lieutenant Colonel Emma Hope Hendrickso n

Clowers, reminiscing about her feelings when she wa s

sworn into the Regular Marine Corps on 3 Decembe r

1948, said :

I think most women officers in the first group who came

back as regular officers wondered how we would be received by the career Marines. . . . We knew there had been n o

lack of enthusiasm on the part of the men for the many thousands of us who enlisted during WW II to lend a hand an d

"FREE A MAN TO FIGHT"—our WW II motto . But that

was quite a different situation from one in which we wer e

returning as career officers and would inevitably be in competition with them in varying degrees . It therefore was wit h

much pleasure and surprise that, through the efforts of a

male officer and his men, I was made to feel that they wer e

happy and proud to welcome me back in the Marine Corp s

as a regular officer . At that time I was completing som e

studies at the University of Southern California and was ordered to report to the CO, MB, NB, [Commanding Officer ,

Marine Barracks, Naval Base] Long Beach to be sworn int o

the Regular Marine Corps. The CO (Lieutenant Colonel

Charles T. Hodges] put on a formal parade, with all his me n

in dress blues and held the swearing in ceremony on th e

parade grounds, followed by a reception in my honor . Pictures and a write-up appeared in two of the L .A . papers

and in the USC paper. I think this first experience as a regular

officer not only made me feel that I was again a part of the

Marine Corps but also served to erase my doubts as to acceptance as a regular officer. 2 0

Reindoctrination of the Officers

In view of the long period of inactive service fo r

most of the returning women—over two years fo r

some—Colonel Towle planned a short reindoctrination course to be held at Henderson Hall . The one -

time class of 17 of the new officers was scheduled fo r

13 to 17 December under the direction of Captain Il-
26 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

lich . Then one of these officers was to be selected t o

conduct similar training classes for the enlisted women to begin in January . 2 1

Reindoctrination for the officers included classes i n

administration, naval law, military customs and courtesies, leadership, recruiting, and a discussion of the rol e

of women in the Regular services . There was a myriad

of administrative details to attend to and then there

was the matter of "close order drill."

In her wisdom, Colonel Towle asked for an indoor

hall where the officers could drill unobserved, and s o

the Post Theater at Henderson Hall became their drill

field. But the colonel underestimated the drawin g

power of the sight of women officers in a military formation trying to recapture the marching precision of

their "candidate days." Enlisted men crowded in th e

doorways and enlisted women filled the projectio n

booth to watch the group in which, retired First Sergeant Betty Schultz remembered, "Each officer had

a step of her own." 22 To make matters worse, the floor

was slippery and the women were self-conscious of their

too short, and in some cases too tight uniforms in fron t

of the onlookers and in particular in front of the hand -

some drill instructor, First Lieutenant William H .

Lanagan, Jr., later to be a brigadier general .

Most of those women had never expected to return

to the Marine Corps and were lucky if they had eve n

one uniform as a souvenir of their days in the Corps .

After the war, skirt lengths dropped drastically with

the arrival of the fashion called "The New Look . "

Lengthening skirts became a major preoccupation .

"We were very interested in looking each other ove r

to see how we managed to put together a uniform, "

recalled Colonel Henderson . Like the other tall women, her only recourse had been to insert a piece o f

fabric just below the skirt waistband. This meant, of

course, that she could never remove her jacket . 2 3

They had the opportunity to order new uniform s

from the tailor during the week of reindoctrination ,

but there was no solution to the problem of th e

fashionable longer skirts hanging several inches belo w

the short overcoats. Major General William P. T. Hill ,

the Quartermaster General, insisted upon depleting

the wartime supply of uniforms before ordering new

ones but later he relented and bought longer skirts

which, of course, did not match the five-year-ol d

jackets 2 4

It is likely, believing that they had seen the last o f

the women, that the Marines sold WR uniforms to surplus dealers after the war. Although no documents

have been found to prove it, the evidence is convincing. When P.L. 625 was finally signed by President

Truman, a surplus dealer came to Headquarters and

offered to sell WR uniforms to Lieutenant Hale . There

is a well-known story of a former woman Reservist

shopping in a Pittsburgh department store and finding all the elevator operators dressed in Marine uniforms complete with the distinctive buttons. But

perhaps the worst incident of all is the one told b y

Colonel Hamblet. Among the novelties for sale by a

concessionaire at the circus was a woman Marine uniform hat. There was but one displayed and she bought

it2 5

Next to the uniform problem, the officers in that

first group were confronted by the postwar Washing -

ton housing shortage . Although some expected to be

permanently stationed in the area, others knew that

their stay was temporary . Tired of paying exorbitant

rates in a downtown hotel, about 10 of them rented

several unfurnished apartments in Shirlington (Arlington, Virginia), a few miles from Marine Corps Head -

quarters. Captain Hill, the OIC (Officer in Charge )

of the enlisted reindoctrination program, was able to

borrow cots, dressers, and mess tables from Head -

quarters Battalion, Henderson Hall, and thus allo w

the women to set up "squadbays " in the empty apartments. A card table and chairs were loaned by newl y

arrived Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, when his secretary, June Hendrickson, joined the group . 26

Reindoctrination of Enlisted WW/Ms

Beginning in January 1949, Captain Hill supervised a series of enlisted reindoctrination classes and ha d

an office at Henderson Hall . The women had to b e

issued uniforms, reclassified, and given refresher classe s

in military subjects. As with the officers, much tim e

was spent on administrative matters such as allotments,

savings bond purchases, issuance of new identificatio n

cards and tags (dog tags), photographs, and physicals.

The WMs attended the five-day class in groups of 1 5

and were billeted in the former dispensary during th e

course .

Twenty-seven women Reservists living on the wes t

coast were selected for transfer to Regular status and

Captain Illich went to the Headquarters of the Department of Pacific in San Francisco in late January to con -

duct their training on the spot. In a letter to the

commanding general, Major General Leroy P. Hunt,

Colonel Towle explained the reindoctrination cours e

and made assurances that Captain Illich could handle it with a minimum of effort on the part of the
GOING REGULAR 2 7

general's staff. She also told him of her intention to

assign First Lieutenant Margaret Stevenson to th e

Department of Pacific . Tactfully, she wrote :

As you probably know, it was always the policy in th e

MCWR to have at least one woman officer detailed to dut y

at a post or station where enlisted women were serving, wh o

in addition to her regular assignment, could have general

supervision over their welfare, appearance, etc . and to who m

they could go for advice and information if they wanted to.

I believe such a policy is sound and highly desirable for man y

reasons.

Lieutenant Stevenson has had Quartermaster training, but

can, I feel certain, do almost any kind of administrative work .

She had an excellent record as a Reserve officer, is most conscientious and sincere, and very pleased with her assignment .

I am sure you too will be pleased to have such a competent

woman officer as our first "regular" representative in you r

Headquarters. Since she comes from California, she is a s

amazed as she is pleased that the Marine Corps is sendin g

her back there for duty.

Forgive this long letter, but I thought this informatio n

might be of interest and assistance to you in your consideration of plans for the coming invasion of Wome n

Marines27

While the Director of Women Marines personall y

selected women officers with specific billets in mind ,

she was totally aware that assignment is a command

prerogative and that she had no authority once th e

woman reported to her duty station . Colonel Towle ,

in her gracious way, developed the peacetime women's organization in a spirit of cooperation rather than

competition with the male Marines. After the initial

doubts and outright opposition to the integration of

women, it came as a pleasant surprise when the me n

not only tolerated the female presence but went ou t

of their way to help them get established.

Designation of Women Marines

A Marine Corps Memorandum, dated 16 November 1948, directed that women entering the Regular

Marine Corps be referred to as "Women Marines, "

with "USMC-W" as the short title or reporting form .

The identification of Reservists would be "USMCRW. "28 Colonel Towle took great exception to the "W"

and the proper designation of women Marines became

one of her first priorities. She suggested an alternative in a memorandum which stated :

It is believed the apparent inconsistencies can be resolved if the "W" as indicator of a woman Marine were use d

with the service number rather than as a component designator. For example : Second Lieutenant Jane Doe, USM C

(W050123) (0105) or for a reservist, Sergeant Jane Doe,

USMCR (W755123) (0143). This is clear and concise, and

would be used in every instance in official correspondence,

orders, records, and publications where the service numbe r

is customarily indicated . It would also be evidence, whic h

the Director of Women Marines considers important for th e

morale and prestige of the women, that women are an integral part of the Marine Corps or the Marine Corps Reserve ,

and not relegated to a specially constituted women's component as USMC-W and USMCR-W imply.29

Her plan met with some opposition . While one staff

comment noted the naval tradition to identify non -

combatant components; for example, Captain Joe Doe

(MC), another suggested the idea could be carried t o

the extreme and cooks would be designated Corporal

Joe Doe, USMC-C . Written, staffed, and rewritten ,

the recommendation was finally approved on 1 7

March 1950 and thereafter the "W" was placed be -

fore the serial number of women Marines. 3 o

In the same vein, Colonel Towle preferred the wor d

"women" to "female," and in her comments on a pro -

posed order regarding officer promotion examination,

she wrote :

The use of "female" instead of "women" in referring to

the distaff side of the Marine Corps was gone into quit e

thoroughly when the new Marine Corps Manual was writ -

ten . It was finally agreed upon that "women" would be th e

accepted terminology even when used as an adjective, e .g . ,

"Women Marines," "women officer," etc . The usage follows that established in Public Law 625, " Women 's Arme d

Services Integration Act of 1948 ." From a purist's point of

view "female" may be correct when used as a counterpar t

of male, but from a woman's point of view it is very objectionable . I would appreciate, therefore, having reference to

"female" deleted and "women" substituted . . . .

This sounds a little like " the battle of the sexes. " It won ' t

be unless we are called "females"1 a 1

Recruit Training Established at Parris Islan d

The idea that only 200 new recruits would require

basic training during the first two years was soon aban -

doned. On 29 November 1948, even before the transfer program was completed, Colonel Towle was

investigating the possibility of conducting woma n

recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina . Be -

cause the majority of women Marines would have to

be recruited from among civilians, and because of th e

numbers involved, Henderson Hall was no longer considered suitable. Not only was it too small, but it wa s

not considered the type of Marine Corps post whos e

mission and atmosphere would help instill the desire d

espirit de corps and pride which distinguish Marin e

recruits . To strengthen her case, Colonel Towle pointed out the convenience of having several appropriat e

specialist schools at Parris Island since training beyond
28 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

Capt Margaret M. Henderson (right) reads the order activating the 3d Recruit Trainin g

Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, in Feburary 1949 .

basic military indoctrination would be essential if th e

WMs hoped to attain the mobilization objective of

being a skilled group ready for expansion in case o f

war.32 Happily, Major General Alfred H. Noble, Commanding General, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, gave his unqualified support to the idea .

Captain Margaret M . Henderson was selected to

head up recruit training . With no more writte n

guidance than a piece of paper on which was type d

the general training plan, she and several members

of her staff went to work at a long table outside Colonel Towle's office on the first floor of Marine Corp s

Headquarters33 Lieutenant Colonel Mary Hale, who

as a lieutenant was assigned as training officer to th e

embryo command, believed that, "Margaret Henderson was the perfect choice" to establish recruit training. She had had extensive teaching experience in

civilian schools and was OIC of the Marine Corps Institute Business School during the war.34

In early January, Captain Henderson accompanie d

Colonel Towle to Parris Island to inspect the available

facilities and to discuss the proposed training schedule . The women were assigned Building 902 in the

same area used by World War II WRs. They would

share the mess hall, Building 900, and the administration/gymnasium facilities, building 914, with other

activities, primarily the Recruit Depot's Instruction

Company.

Captain Henderson arrived at Parris Island for duty on 25 January with Lieutenant Arney who was o n

temporary duty to set up the WM uniform shop . By

the end of the month Lieutenants Hale, Fisher, an d

Sustad reported and by mid-February the enliste d

women were on the island, and all were attached to

Headquarters Company, H&S Battalion . The roster included:

Captain Margaret M . Henderson, Commanding Officer .

First Lieutenant Jeanette I . Sustad, Executive Officer.

First Lieutenant Mary J . Hale, Training Officer ; Security Office r

First Lieutenant Mary J. Fisher, Police & Property Officer; Spe -

cial Services Officer.

First Lieutenant Kathleen J . Arney, Temporary duty connecte d

with WM uniform matters.

Master Sergeant Elsie J. Miller, Sergeant Major .

Technical Sergeant Bertha L . Peters, Chief Clerk .

Technical Sergeant Barbara A . Ames, Special Services NCO.

Staff Sergeant June V. Andler, Pay Clerk .
GOING REGULAR 2 9

Staff Sergeant Dorothy T. Hunt, Instructor.

Staff Sergeant Dorothy E . Sullivan, Platoon Sergeant.

Sergeant Margaret K. Leier, Instructor.

Sergeant Marie A . Proulx, Correspondence Clerk .

Sergeant Ruth Ryan, Police Sergeant.

Sergeant Bertha J. Schultz, Platoon Sergeant .

Sergeant Agnes C. Thomas, Duty NCO.

Sergeant Ardella M . Wheeler, Quartermaster Clerk .

Sergeant Mary E . Zabriskie, Platoon Sergeant.

Corporal Rosa V. Harrington, Instructor.

Corporal Grace M . Karl, Instructor 3 3

Although set up like a battalion and so designated, the 3d Recruit Training Battalion, the unit in n o

way resembled a battalion in size . A visiting Army

general saw the "battalion" led by a captain and

remarked, "Now I've seen everything! " The organizational plan was deliberate, however, and was based on

General Noble's desire that the senior woman Marin e

on the depot, Captain Henderson, have disciplinar y

control over all women Marines at Parris Island . Captain Henderson was designated his advisor on mat -

ters concerning WMs and as such was a member of

his special staff.3 6

The six-week training schedule for women recruits

was organized into eight periods daily Monda y

through Friday and four periods on Saturday for a total of 264 hours. The objectives were stated as:

1) To give basic Marine Corps indoctrination to women

who have no previous experience .

2) To give the women information on the part the Marine Corps played in our national history and its place i n

the current National Military Establishment .

3) To classify each individual to fill an available billet ac -

cording to her abilities.

4) To develop in each individual a sense of responsibility, an understanding of the importance of teamwork, an d

a desire for self-improvement and advancement in the Marine Corps. 3 7

With those objectives in mind, the 20 women wen t

to work preparing the barracks and classroom ; writing lesson plans, recruit regulations, and battalion orders; making out training schedules and coordinating

Future Director of Women Marines, 1 stLtJeanette I. Sustad (standing second from left) ,

ifphotographed with the original staff of the 3d Recruit Training Battalion, Parris Island.
30 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

Platoon sergeants SSgt Dorothy E. Sullivan (left) and Sgt Betty J. Schultz (right) with

the first platoon to undergo training at the 3d Recruit Training Battalion, Parris Island.

their plans with all the depot facilities that supported recruit training . The barracks needed little renovation, but they had to be scrubbed and shined t o

meet the standards of distaff Marines. Sergeant Ryan

ordered bunks, locker boxes, linen, and supplies and

her job was made easier by the depot supply peopl e

who saved their best for the 3d Battalion. Sergeants

Schultz and Sullivan arranged squadbays. Several of

the enlisted women had some college background, an d

they went to work writing lesson plans. Lieutenan t

Hale, a self-described "pack rat," made good use o f

orders and schedules she had saved from her wartim e

tour at the WR school at Camp Lejeune, and the Marines of Instruction Company under the command of

Major Gerald T. Armitage helped in all facets of the

preparation3 8

The enlisted staff—all ranks from master sergeant

to corporal—was billeted on the lower deck of Building 902. Recruits would eventually occupy an upper

squadbay. In addition to everything else, the wome n

prepared themselves for this important assignment by

practicing close order drill in an empty upper squad -

bay. They had no other training, and they were as ap -

prehensive about meeting the recruits as the recruits

were about meeting them 3 s

The drill instructors were selected from among male

Marines with experience on the drill field . Staff Sergeant Jack W. Draughon had been a D .I . for two years

when Lieutenant Colonel Herman Nickerson, Jr. ,

asked him if he would be interested in the job wit h

the 3d Battalion . After a careful screening by Captain Henderson, Staff Sergeant Draughon, Sergeant

Payton L. Lee, and Corporal Paul D. Lute were assigne d

as the drill instructors. Sergeant Draughon remembered very clearly his first interview with Captain Hen -

derson. It was strange in those days to sit across fro m

a Marine captain answering, "Yes, ma'am" and "No,

ma'am." Leaving her office, he met Lieutenant Colone l

Nickerson and Colonel Russell N. Jordahl in the passageway and Colonel Jordahl said, "So you're goin g

to be the D. I. for the women Marines?" to which

Draughon answered "Yes, ma'am ." The story quickl y

made the rounds and Marine artist Norval E . Packwood immortalized the incident in a "Leatherneck"

cartoon 4°

The male drill instructors taught close order drill,
GOING REGULAR 3 1

first aid, chemical warfare, and classes on general orders. At first they had to endure some goodnatured

harassment when they took the recruits outside th e

battalion area, and Marines taunted them with, "Hey

Sarge, your slip is showing ." To avoid snickers and kidding, Sergeant Draughon often got the platoon going and then stepped up on the sidewalk and walke d

as if alone, but with one eye on his recruits4 '

While the staff was still readying itself at Parris Island, the Marine Corps formally announced on 1 3

January 1949 that enlistment was open to nonveterans .

General requirements were somewhat stricter tha n

those for WRs who transferred from Reserve to Regular in that recruits had to be single, had to be high

school graduates, and had to be approved by a board ,

convened quarterly, at Headquarters Marine Corps.

Private Connie J. Lovil of Locksburg, Arkansas, was th e

first woman Marine recruit to arrive—reporting in o n

the day the battalion was formed, 23 February.42 Re -

tired First Sergeant Betty Schultz remembers bein g

"scared as all heck," when going to Port Royal to mee t

the first contingent of recruits. She and Sergeant Dot -

tie Sullivan were the platoon sergeants of Platoon 1 A

which began training on 2 March, donned its uniforms

for the first time on the 11th, and graduated on Tuesday, 12 April43

Colonel Towle came down from Headquarters as the

guest of General Noble and together they attende d

the ceremonies which included an outdoor inspection ,

marching to the accompaniment of the Parris Islan d

Drum and Bugle Corps, and the traditional speeches

in the classroom. Of the 30 graduating recruits, 15 remained to attend Personnel Administration Schoo l

and the rest were sent directly to Headauarters fo r

duty.44

The First Black Women Marine s

It is rumored that several black women "passed" a s

white and served in the MCWR, but, officially, the

first black women Marines enlisted during the summer of 1949 and joined the 3d Recruit Training Battalion on 10 September. Platoon 7 therefore is believed

to be one of the first racially integrated Marine Corp s

units since, at the time, black male Marines were

segregated and trained separately.4 5

The press had often questioned Colonel Towle o n

the Marine Corps policy regarding black women, an d

she answered that they would be recruited the sam e

as whites. During the congressional hearings, after th e

war, Representative Adam Clayton Powell of New York

had made quite an issue of the fact that no black women had served in the MCWR. It was a serious matter

complicated by the southern tradition of segregation .

The number of black women Marines was sure to b e

too few to allow for any type of separate facilities an d

no one was quite certain how white women, unaccustomed to mixing with blacks, would react to an integrated barracks situation .

Colonel Towle called Captain Henderson and tol d

her that she would not send one black woman, by herself, to Parris Island—this out of consideration for the

woman. Captain Henderson and Lieutenants Susta d

and Hale discussed what they foresaw as potentia l

problems, and they decided to assign bunks to the in -

coming platoon geographically rather tha n

alphabetically—northern recruits at one end of th e

squadbay and southern recruits at the other. They told

no one of the plan, including the platoon sergeants,

and according to First Sergeant Schultz, they wer e

completely unaware that the precaution had bee n

taken."

A more frivolous concern was the beauty shop . The

white hairdressers from Beaufort did not know how

to do the black women's hair, and it is doubtful tha t

they would have been willing to do it in any case . Both

Captain Henderson from Texas and Lieutenant Hal e

from Georgia knew that the recruits would need special preparations and equipment but neither was quite

certain what they were . They enlisted the help of th e

black maid who worked in the Women Officers' Quart -

ers to buy the necessary supplies4' When she had com -

pleted all arrangements, Captain Henderson called i n

the staff and gave a stern warning that if anyone treated these recruits differently from the others, the y

would answer to her.

Ann Estelle Lamb of New York City, whose enlistment contract was signed by Major Louis H . Wilson,

Jr., a future Commandant of the Marine Corps, an d

Annie E. Graham of Detroit arrived on the same day ,

and from all accounts their boot training was uneventful .48 Although both women were from northern cities they undoubtedly understood the time and th e

place, and they did not complain, for example, abou t

fixing their own hair, after hours in Lieutenant Hale' s

office .

No one connected with recruit training at the tim e

remembers any unpleasantness and, in fact, Colone l

Henderson now believes that the separation of th e

southerners from the blacks was unnecessary. She does

recall, however, that the curiosity of the entire depo t

was piqued and that all eyes were on Platoon 7 . Wherever they went, Marines, including the commanding general, were at the window to stare .49
32 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

Occasionally, recruits attended football games i n

Savannah, drawing lots for tickets. As chance woul d

have it, Privates Lamb and Graham were among th e

lucky recruits one weekend and everyone took a dee p

breath as blacks and whites left together on their wa y

to the segregated stadium . Again all went well so *

Private Lamb remained at Parris Island to atten d

the Personnel Administration School where she

finished first in a class of 61 . Now a student rathe r

*See Henry I. Shaw, Jr., and Ralph W. Donnelly, Blacks in th e

Marine Corps (Washington : History and Museums Division, HQMC ,

1975), p. 56 for a discussion of General Noble's attitude toward s

integration while he was the Commanding General, Marine Corp s

Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S .C.

than a recruit, she went on liberty, but it was some -

what inconvenient outside of the depot . Many years

later, Colonel Henderson met a women who had bee n

in charge of the USO at Beaufort during the period,

and the woman told her of an incident concerning a

WM who called to make reservations for roller skating, but she said that there would be a Negro wit h

the group and if she was not welcome, none of the m

would comes '

The third black woman Marine, enlisted in Chicago in 1950, was Annie L. Grimes, destined to become

a warrant officer in 1968 and the first black woman

officer to retire after a full 20-year career.52 From th e

beginning, black and white women Marines traine d

and lived together. Accounts differ as to whether th e

Pvt Annie L. Grimes, the third black woman to join the Marine Corps and destined to

become the first black woman officer, with her recruit platoon at Parris Island, in 1950 .
GOING REGULAR 3 3

blacks were subjected to discrimination, but there i s

general agreement among active duty and former

WMs that any discrimination or harassment directe d

at the black women was always a case of individua l

personalities and never a case of organizational bias. *

Establishing the Women Officers'

Training Class at Quantico

After the initial selection under the so-called transfer program, the only source of women officers was

through the commissioning of second lieutenants wh o

successfully completed the Women Officers' Trainin g

Class . The class, which vaguely resembled the mal e

Platoon Leaders Course, was conducted at the Marin e

Corps Schools at Quantico. WOTC, as it was known ,

was the responsibility of the Commandant of the Marine Corps Schools and fell under the operational control of the Education Center and the administrative

control of Headquarters Battalion.

The class, held only in the summer, was divide d

into two six-week periods : the first a junior course ;

and the second a senior course . College graduates an d

seniors would attend both sessions, juniors would at -

tend only the junior course, and qualified enliste d

women were scheduled only for the senior course . Suc -

cessful candidates who held a bachelor's degree and

who were at least 21 years old would be commissioned

second lieutenants in the Marine Corps Reserve . Only

seven honor graduates would be offered Regular commissions and these would then attend an additional

eight-week Women Officers' Basic Indoctrinatio n

Course (WOIC) to be held at the Basic School . The

*1I find it hard, in 1980, to look back on those days. But it was

a fact of life during the years 1949 and 1950 . My friends today ar e

just friends, whether white or black. But I was just as guilty as anyone in the change process. I can recall that at MCAS, Cherry Point ,

I was very much concerned about the acceptance and/or treatmen t

of my Negro enlisted women, who arrived in 1950 to become a part

of WMD-2 . It all worked out—thanks to the wisdom of Sgt Majo r

Alice J. Connolly and T. Sgt Katherine O'Keefe—two superb human beings.

When I learned that two Negro women would be reporting to

my command, I was concerned . But I consulted my trusty Sgt Major Alice J. Connolly, and together we decided on a course of action . They would be billeted in an area with T. Sgt O'Keefe, a devout

Christian woman, and if there were any problems, they would b e

referred to the Commanding Officer. How antiquated this decision now seems to be! But in retrospect, it was important that w e

placed the two Negro women in areas where there would be minimal

or no rejection—and, of course it worked . We had no problems."

Col Helen A . Wilson comments on draft manuscript, dtd 1Jan80 .

Reservists could request assignment to continuous active duty, but most would return home in an inactive status.

Each session was limited to about 50 candidates wh o

were at least 18 years old ; single ; citizens of the United States; and college graduates, or in the case of undergraduates, regularly enrolled in an accredite d

school and pursuing a course leading to a degree . Enlisted women and former WRs who were colleg e

graduates or who could pass a college educational

equivalency examination were encouraged to apply . 53

Publicity for the program began in April 1949 bu t

there were no pamphlets, posters, mailing lists, o r

other procurement aids . The recruiters' teams for the

Platoon Leaders Course brought mimeographed in -

formation sheets to the coeduational schools they visited, but it was very late in the season for a class

beginning in June. The first woman officer procurement officer was, in effect, Colonel Towle herself, wh o

made a three-week tour in May of women's colleges

in the northeast and southeast to acquaint the colleges

and the students with the program5 4

Captain Hill was selected to head the WOTC staff

of four officers and six enlisted women, all temporaril y

assigned to Quantico and attached to the Schools

Company, Headquarters Battalion . Captain Hill an d

Lieutenant Eunyce L . Brink left Headquarters on 20

April for the five-month tour . Colonel Towle wrote

long, explanatory letters to Captain Nita Bob Warne r

and Lieutenant Doris V. Kleberger, both Reservists ,

and asked them to join the staff. In her letter to Lieu -

tenant Kleberger she wrote :

While on active duty your base pay would be that of a

first lieutenant . In case you have forgotten, $200 .00 is a first

lieutenant's pay. You would also, of course, be entitled to

any longevity which you have earned . For every three year s

this is a 5 per cent increase . By this time, you must be ver y

close to the second pay period, or 6 years. You would also

draw the customary $21 .00 a month subsistence . As yo u

would be in Government quarters at Quantico you woul d

not draw quarters allowance .

Naturally, I have no way of knowing whether you are i n

a position to consider this proposition, or even whether yo u

are interested . I can only hope for both, as I know you woul d

help immeasurably in this important venture . I also think

it could give you not only satisfaction in a job well don e

but afford you a rather pleasant and profitable occupatio n

for the next few months. I would not, however, want to interfere with any future plans you may have made, or to hav e

you sacrifice the permanency of a civilian occupation for temporary duty with the Marine Corps . Whether there woul d

be opportunity for you to continue in a Reserve billet after

this summer job is finished is something I cannot predict
34 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

ColJoseph C. Burger, commander of The Basic School, awards regular commissions t o

members of the first Woman Officer Training Class, 1949 : Virginia M. Johnson, Essie

M. Lucas, Anna F. Champlin, Eleanor M. Bach, Doris V. Kleberger, Betty J. Preston.

right now. For a limited time there might be, but I don' t

want to hold that out as an inducement s

At the time, both Captain Warner and Lieutenan t

Kleberger were graduate students at the University o f

California, Berkeley, and were personally known to

Colonel Towle. Luckily for the woman Marine program, a number of competent WRs and former WRs

were in school during that period and could affor d

to take a chance on a temporary assignment . Lieutenant Brink, a Regular officer, was temporaril y

detached from her duties as administrative assistan t

to the Director of Women Marines in order to be platoon leader. The staff was completed by Technical Sergeant Janet R. Paterson, Technical Sergeant "A" Fern

Schirmer, Staff Sergeant Mary S . Cookson, Sergeant

Rosalie C. Evans, Corporal Helen C . Cathcart, and

Corporal Anna M. Delaney.56 Most of the instruction

was done by male officers from the staffs of the Basi c

School, Junior School (later Amphibious Warfar e

School), and Senior School (later Command and Staff

College). Colonel James T. Wilbur and his staff at th e

Education Center worked very closely with Captai n

Hill in developing a syllabus, schedules, and lesso n

plans'

The women were quartered in the old WR area overlooking the Potomac. The candidates and the enlisted staff were assigned to Barracks 3076 which was use d

as a dependents' school during the winter . The NCOs,

on the lower deck, had a lounge and private rooms —

the candidates were billeted in squad rooms on th e

Capt Elsie E. Hill, officer-in-charge, conducts Saturday morning personnel inspection of the first Woman Officer Training Class, Quantico, Virginia in 1949.
GOING REGULAR 35
36 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

second deck. The four women officers lived nearby i n

Married Officers' Quarters, Building 3078, which was

an apartment building converted from a barracks. It

was unheard of at the time for women officers to liv e

in bachelor officers' quarters, so they were given a

three-bedroom apartment in the quarters reserved fo r

married lieutenant colonels and colonels. Few colonels

wanted to live in the building, yet there was some

healthy grumbling about giving junior women Marines a field grade apartment 5 8

In spite of the late start and the lack of recruitin g

material, 180 completed applications were received ,

and 67 candidates from 35 colleges began the junio r

course on 10 June 1949 . They were welcomed by th e

Commandant of the Marine Corps Schools, Major

General Shepherd, who told them he personally fel t

there was a "definite place for women Marines durin g

peace, as there was during war," and he encourage d

them to try for the Regular commissions5 9 Genera l

Shepherd had already given convincing evidence of

his positive view toward women in the Marine Corps

with his efforts to keep WRs on duty after World War

II. In recalling the period, Lieutenant Colonel Hill

stated emphatically that the women could not hav e

managed the officer training on such short notic e

without the "marvelous support" of the male Marine s

at Quantico, especially General Shepherd. He took a n

active interest in their training, often appearing during a drill period, where as a perfect southern gentle -

man he always removed his hat when speaking to a

woman Marine—no matter what her rank B o

The first WOTC graduation exercises were held o n

9 September 1949 in the auditorium of the Amphibious Warfare School, Junior Course . Thirty-four

candidates were recommended for commissions: 18

immediately and 16 pending the receipt of a bachelors'

degree. A quota of seven Regular commissions was al -

lowed . Those to be appointed Regular officers were :

Eleanor M . Bach

Essie M. Lucas (former WR ; later Dowler)

Joan Morrissey

Betty J. Preston (among the first enlisted WRs sworn into th e

Regular Marine Corps on 10 November 1948 )

Anna F. Champli n

Virginia M . Johnson (later Sherman) 8 1

The seventh and last one was given to Lieutenan t

Kleberger, who was in competition with the candidates

in her platoon . In a 1977 letter to the History an d

Museums Division, Lieutenant Colonel Kleberge r

wrote:

While serving on the staff, my interest in remaining i n

the Marine Corps became very intense . I discovered that I

met all " requirements for commissioning" (including age

. . . less than 27 on 1 July of the year of commissioning )

with the exception of the requirement that I be a graduate

of WOTC. I requested commissioning in accordance wit h

existing regulations, requesting that "graduation from

WOTC" be waived in that I was a platoon leader and certainly possessed the required training . Additionally, in view

of my six years in the Marine Corps Reserve, I requested appointment to the rank of first lieutenant (a request that was

not granted).6 2

This case was repeated in 1950 when Lieutenant

Elaine T. Carville, then on continuous active duty ,

asked to be transferred to the Regular Marine Corps .

Since there were so few vacancies and they were viewed as recruiting incentives, the Procurement Branc h

opposed the idea of giving Regular appointments to

former WR officers. Having approved Lieutenant Kleberge r's case just a year earlier, Colonel Towle felt that

Lieutenant Carville should have the same opportunity to compete for a regular commission. Her comments

included:

Unfortunately, there is nothing that I can find to preven t

former WR officers from applying for regular commission s

providing they meet all requirements, including that of age .

When the directive concerning the " transfer" program was

written this loophole was apparently not considered . Actually because of the age requirement I doubt if we will hav e

many, if any, more such requests; most of the MCWR officers

are already too old even with service adjusted age . Carvill e

herself just got under the wire .

Since the WOTC had been set up as the sole means of

procuring regular women officers, I would not approve o f

Carville not being required to take some training . It migh t

be possible to assign her as a platoon commander as we di d

Kleberger last summer, which could excuse her from attending the WOTC, or her present duties as Assistant InspectorInstructor of an organized reserve platoon might be considered equivalent training . Certainly, however, she shoul d

be required to attend the two months of additional indoctrination if selected for a regular commission as second lieu -

tenant. . . .

Fortunately, Lieutenant Carville is, I understand from various sources, a capable officer, and if selected would probably be a credit to the Marine Corps. But if her request is

approved she should be given to understand :

(1)That she will compete with WOTC graduates on a n

equal basis, with no prior assurance of selection .

(2) That she can in no event receive a regular commission higher than second lieutenant.

(3) That she would have to complete such basic indoctrination as the Marine Corps prescribes e 3

These women, Doris Kleberger and Elaine Carville ,

both retired lieutenant colonels, were the only former WRs who had to take a demotion upon transfer to
GOING REGULAR 3 7

the Regular Marine Corps. Captain Warner, the assistant OIC that summer at Quantico, did not meet th e

age requirements for transfer and remained a Reservist. During the Korean War, another integration pro -

gram opened, and she was able to integrate withou t

losing any rank.

A problem surfaced in 1953 when Lieutenants Kleberger and Carville found:

. . . that we were subject to separation from the Marin e

Corps under P.L . 625 because of the loophole in the law tha t

neither the Marine Corps nor either of us considered whe n

accepting commissions as second lieutenants with date o f

rank of 1949 and 1950, respectively . Basically, this provide d

for the separation of officers who had completed seven year s

of active commissioned service, regular and reserve, and who

had not been selected for the rank of Captain . JAG rule d

that we could not eliminate our reserve active time and ther e

was no way we could become eligible for Captain before

reaching that seven years of active commissioned service . This

eventually required seeking relief from the Board of Correction of Naval Records and subsequent reassignment o f

date of rank to provide eligibility for the rank of Captai n

before mandatory separation B4

In addition to the Regular commissions awarded t o

members of the first class, Reserve commissions wer e

given to: Sara J. Anderson, Nedra C. Calender, Catherine L. Frazier, Pearl A . Jackson, Mildred D. Morrow,

Mary E. O'Donnel, Emily C. Ogburn, Shirley A. Pritzker, Margaret C. Roberts, Barbara J. Stephenson, Phyllis L. Jones, and Marie L. Henry.85 Among the 1 6

undergraduates who returned to school, but late r

served on active duty were Barbara B. Kasdorf, Joan

P. O'Neil, Natalie Noble, and Mary Sue Mock .

The seven "Regulars" were assigned to the Basi c

School and began the Woman Officers' Indoctrination

Capt Elsie E. Hill, officer-in-charge, leads candidates of the first Woman Officer Candidate Class as they parade on Barnett Avenue, Quantico, Virginia, summer 1949.
38 A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN MARINES, 1946-197 7

Course on 23 September, but an administrative de -

tail delayed their commissioning until the end of th e

month. During the intervening week, WOIC consisted of one Reserve first lieutenant and six Reserve

sergeants—one of whom, Joan Morrissey, was underage and had to complete the entire course as an en -

listed woman 88

Captain Hill, assigned to the S-3 of the Basic School ,

and now the only woman staff officer left at Quantico, accompanied the students on a trip to Parris Is -

land which was planned to acquaint the new officers

with recruit training and to give them the opportunit y

to drill enlisted troops. In the fall of 1949, there wer e

no enlisted women—except Sergeant Morrissey —

stationed at Quantico, and it was awkward, if not impossible, to conduct any type of close order drill wit h

a formation of seven women87

Upon graduation, 18 November, the lieutenants

were transferred and Captain Hill was reassigned t o

the Testing and Educational Unit, thereby becoming

the first postwar woman Marine to be permanently sta -

tioned at Quantico.68