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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Sgt. Maj. Eleanor Judge, first female base sergeant major here, passed away Feb. 24 at the age of 84.
Judge served as the sergeant major here from March 1980 to August 1980.
Judge’s 31 years of service to the Corps started June 2, 1949, when she enlisted in the Boston Reserve Unit when she was 20 years old.
After one year of reserve duty, Judge was given active-duty orders to the Women Marines of 2nd Infantry Battalion of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. She served there for three years while performing her daily duties as an administrations clerk.
“We had an inkling of what was going to happen. The news was out in the paper about Korea. All of a sudden, I got a notice in the mail and it said, well, what I like to tell people it said, is you are cordially invited to report for active duty,” said Judge during an interview for “First female base sergeant major still an influence today,” Sept. 17, 2004. “So off I tootled to the Fargo Building (to report) and we boarded a troop train on Aug. 14, and off we went to Camp Lejeune.”
Judge was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Naples, Italy, during her three decades of service. Three of those years were spent in Pittsburgh, Pa., as a recruiter.
Judge also helped to mold female recruits into Marines during three separate tours to the drill fields of Parris Island, S.C.
Judge’s Marine Corps career came to a close after serving as both Camp Pendleton’s and the Marine Corps’ first female base sergeant major. At the time of her retirement, Judge was the third senior sergeant major corps-wide.
“I enjoyed (my career) and it was a time well spent for my life,” Judge said during an interview for “Retired Marine paves way for Leathernecks everywhere,” Feb. 5, 2009.
Funeral services were held at the Marine Memorial Chapel here and at Eternal Hills Cemetery and Mortuary March 2.
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2013 19:02 |
| Story ID: | 103028 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 394 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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