Women Marines celebrate a century of service

Photo By Frances Seybold | Aubrey of Orchard Park, New York, was visiting the museum with her family for the first time. She was amazed at the weight of a flak jacket. (Photo by Angela McCrary)  

QUANTICO, VA, UNITED STATES

03.10.2018

Story by Valerie OBerry 

Marine Corps Base Quantico

Johnson was the first official woman to enlist in the Marine Corps as a reservist. She let nothing stand in her way of enlisting in the Marines, including her age she was 39 years old when she took the oath of military service to join the Marine Corps on Aug. 13, 1918. She enlisted in order to help fulfill the Marines’ slogan to recruit women, which was,“ Free Up a Marine to Fight” in WWI. She worked as a clerk at Headquarters Marine Corps. She was the first of 305 women to be selected to serve in the Marine Corps. After the Great War ended all women in the Marine Corps were released from service on July 30, 1919. They returned during WWII in February 1943. By the end of the war, in 1945, there were 820 officers and 17,640 enlisted female Marines. Although most female Marines served as clerks, they also were able to work as parachute riggers, mechanics, radio operators and welders, to name a few Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs). However, they were never assigned to combat zones, serving only in the United States and no further west than Hawaii.
In 1948 women were integrated into the regular Marines and for the first time were able to serve without having to be just in the reserves. By the time war broke out again in Korea in 1950 women Marines were not only serving in the continental United States, but also overseas. This was also true of the Vietnam War and the wars in the Middle East. The Marine Corps has continued to evolve and today, through direction by the Department of Defense, women are now allowed to serve in all MOSs, including combat jobs. Last year the first female infantry officer graduated from the Infantry Officer Course aboard Quantico.
Congratulations women Marines on reaching the milestone of a century of service.

• Date Taken: 03.10.2018
• Date Posted: 03.23.2018 12:27
• Story ID: 270419
• Location: QUANTICO, VA, US