Women in the Marines

[Navy6064]

Women Marines became a permanent part of the regular Marine Corps on 12 June 1948 when Congress passed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act (Public Law 625), but they had already proved themselves in two world wars.

During World War I, Opha Mae Johnson was the first of 305 women to be accepted for duty in the Marine Corps Reserve on 12 August 1918. Most women filled clerical billets at Headquarters, Marine Corps to release male Marines qualified for active field service to fight in France. Other women filled jobs at recruiting stations throughout the United States. On 30 July 1919, after the war was over, orders were issued for separation of all women from the Corps.

Twenty-five years later, women were back to "free a man to fight." The Marine Corps Women's Reserve was established in February 1943. Before World War II ended, a total of 23,145 officer and enlisted women reservists served in the Corps. Unlike their predecessors, women Marines in World War II performed over 200 military assignments. In addition to clerical work, their numbers included parachute riggers, mechanics, radio operators, map makers, motor transport support, and welders. By June 1944, women reservists made up 85 percent of the enlisted personnel on duty at Headquarters, Marine Corps and almost two-thirds of the personnel manning all major posts and stations in the United States and Hawaii. Following the surrender of Japan, demobilization of the Women's Reserve proceeded rapidly, but a number of them returned to service as regulars under the 1948 Act.

In August 1950, for the first time in history, the Women Reserves were mobilized for the Korean War where the number of women Marines on active duty reached a peak strength of 2,787. Like the women of two previous wars, they stepped into stateside jobs and freed male Marines for combat duty. Women continued to serve in an expanding range of billets and by the height of the Vietnam War, there were about 2,700 women Marines on active duty serving both stateside and overseas. During this period, the Marine Corps also began opening up career-type formal training programs to women officers and advanced technical training to enlisted women. By 1975, the Corps approved the assignment of women to all occupational fields except infantry, artillery, armor and pilot/air crew. Approximately 1,000 women Marines were deployed to Southwest Asia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990-1991.



On the surface, Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, may not seem much different than other colleges throughout the U.S., but dive into its archives and you will find a unique bond that ties the school with Marine Corps women's history.

It was at Mount Holyoke College that the first group of 75 women trained to become Marine Corps commissioned officers March 13, 1943. Since the Marine Corps had no training facilities at the time to accommodate the women they used the college, according to a USMC news release in the Mount Holyoke War Archives.

The training program was designed with the prime objective of converting civilians into responsible military personnel in the shortest time possible. As with male Marines before them, the single most effective training factor was close-order drill. It was through drill that women learned the value of teamwork, military precision, instantaneous response to command, discipline and order, and also the intangibles of the traditional Marine Esprit de Corps, according to the Mount Holyoke War Archives.

Colonel Ernestine Stowell, USMC retired, was a senior at Mount Holyoke at the time and recalls what a thrill it was to watch the Marines train at the school. "I was a student and I observed them. I was right there watching all the time. These officers were sharp! The women were very smart and sharp."

Although the women were looking sharp in training, the program was so new that they did not have uniforms during the first weeks of training, said Col. Barbara J. Bishop, director of women Marines and officer candidate at Mount Holyoke College 1943. "It was very early and we were all in civilian clothes."

The beginning stages of the training were also reflected in the women's ranks. During the first month all the women were ranked as "privates" and taught by enlisted Marines, according to Bishop. It wasn't until the second month that the women were ranked cadets and taught by Marine Corps commissioned officers. "It was all a little peculiar," said Bishop.

Despite the program being new to the Marine Corps, the training followed similar lines as it does today. The women were taught Marine Corps history, customs and courtesies, and drilled as much as possible, said Bishop. "We all loved to drill. We liked it so much that we wanted to drill after hours," said Bishop.

The recruiting slogan for women at the time was, "Free a Marine to Fight," and certain aspects of the training reflected that. The training incorporated administrative tasks for women to manage while the majority of males were off fighting in World War II. "They had classes and learned exactly how to do work and paperwork that needed to be done," said Stowell. "It was just a training ground, so by the time they went to Camp Lejeune they would be able to function as Marines."

The first class of Marine Corps women officers were commissioned on May 11, 1943 and officially became part of the Marine Corps Women's Reserve Program. At the time there was no active duty spaces for women to fill. Following their commission, most officers were then reassigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C., to serve as company officers, said Bishop.

"They were accepted as a full-fledged part of the Corps - not an auxiliary in any sense," according to the Mount Holyoke War Archives. "The Marines shared their own proud name, making the women Reserves the only service who did not answer to an alphabetical designation or quasi-official nickname."

Two other classes of Marine Corps women officers trained at Mount Holyoke College before the program was relocated to Camp Lejeune. The final class finished training June 29, 1943.

Today, the women Marines still hold a special place within the walls of Mount Holyoke. Two plaques are posted inside the college in memory of an important part of Marine Corps history. The first plaque reads, "This Mark of Commendation is awarded to Mount Holyoke College for effective cooperation in training naval personnel during World War II." The second plaque reads, "Officers and Midshipmen of the Women's Reserve of the United States Navy attended services in this Chapel from November 1942 to May 1944. This plaque and the contribution to the Scholarship Fund express the appreciation of the Women's Reserve for the friendship of Mount Holyoke College."



Milestones for women officers include: Colonel Margaret A. Brewer was appointed to a general officer's billet with the rank of brigadier general becoming the first woman general officer in the history of the Corps (1978); Colonel Gail M. Reals became the first woman selected by a board of general officers to be advanced to brigadier general (1985); Brigadier General Carol A. Mutter assumed command of the 3d Force Service Support Group, Okinawa, becoming the first woman to command a Fleet Marine Force unit at the flag level (1992); 2d Lieutenant Sarah Deal became the first woman Marine selected for Naval aviation training (1993); Brigadier General Mutter became the first woman major general in the Marine Corps and the senior woman on active duty in the armed services (1994); Lieutenant General Mutter became the first woman Marine and the second woman in the history of the armed services to wear three stars (1996.)



Today, 768 women account for 4.3 percent of all Marine officers and 8,051 women make up 5.1 percent of the active duty enlisted force in the Marine Corps. These numbers continue to grow as do opportunities to serve. Ninety-three percent of all occupational fields and 62 percent of all positions are now open to women. Like their distinguished predecessors, women in the Marine Corps today continue to serve proudly and capably in whatever capacity their country and Corps requires.

[Hoss68]

WM's were made a permanant feature on June 12, 1968... I was born exactly 20 years later...

I LOVE the irony~

[USMCRET6391]

In the early 70s WMs were integrated into the Airwing in relatively large numbers because of the restriction on them being assigned Combat MOS's, there was some resistance to this of course, but they did an outstanding job for the most part and in the Avionics MOS's made better techs than a lot of the Males they worked with.

[Grimmy]

I never had any issue with women in the Corps. I generally found WM's to be as motivated about their service as men. Personally, I feel WM's are an asset.

[Hoss68]

Originally Posted by Grimmy

I never had any issue with women in the Corps. I generally found WM's to be as motivated about their service as men. Personally, I feel WM's are an asset.

Unfortunately, there we differ.

I met and knew too many shitbird WM's who probably never should have made it through boot camp...

Remember~ I am a chauvinist.

[Grimmy]

Well Hoss, I'll bow to your wisdom on the subject lol. You obviously had more "exposure" to WMs. I'm not now, nor have I ever been a "ladies man". Most of what I observed was from a rather discreet distance.

I do remember that having WMs around motivated me to pay a bit better attention to my personal hygene tho, so...y'all aint ALL bad lol.

[USMCRET6391]

Grimmy, did they keep all the WM's one barracks when you were in?

[Grimmy]

Not really, but for most of my service I was Infantry and WMs werent assigned to grunt regiments at any level or job.

I'd see one from time to time in the XP...just enough to know they weren't myth lol.

While I was assigned to Div HQ and Squadron HQ jobs, there were WM's around but, unfortunately for me, I wasnt a very social person in them days. Most of my energies centered on getting drunk and in a fight....and hiding the fact that I was still fall down drunk during the first half of each working day.

[ASUMarine]

I personally respect any WM because she has earned the title just as every other marine. However, in my limited encounters with WM's they have left much to be desired. I meat one badass squared away WM GySgt but thats it. Of the Sgt's, LCpl's, and PFC's that I've met they really haven't represented their gender in a very positve manner. My last encounter was having one drop out of a mile and a half run. A group run at that.

[USMCRET6391]

Originally Posted by ASUMarine

My last encounter was having one drop out of a mile and a half run. A group run at that.

I dont suppose that's a whole lot worse than an 18 year old male who has to go DEP until he can do 3 pull ups to get into boot camp. Being a shitbird or out shape is not gender specific, ...........funny that when we had WMS in a Sqd they were generally the ones who came out as Marine of The Month with regularity.

[Hoss68]

There were few places where it seemed there were enough WM's to warrant their own barracks. MP school we had them, a quonset hut on Courtney (plus some in the high rise, I was there), but never saw it on Lejeune. TG! Too many woman around drives me nuts!

It was few and far between when I saw, worked with or met a WM who wasn't a POS. Sleeping with anything that moved for whatever reason. Cheating on their "boyfriend" (but it don't count), fat, lazy, no real knowledge of their MOS...

[Bunny]

There are always “not-so-squared-away” Marines, in either gender. Then there are the rest that kick major ass, usually the senior enlisted. And then there are the ones who OWN your ass, the USMC DI, Oo-rah!