The making of Marines The 80-year history of Women Marines at Parris Island

By Chief Warrant Officer

MCRD PARRIS ISLAND

Women have worked and trained at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island since 1943. For the past 80 years, the Marine Corps has used the depot and recruit training as the foundation to define the roles and responsibilities for servicewomen.

As the Marine Corps prepares for 21 century warfare, the roles of women in uniform have become indistinguishable from men— and so has their training.

Women in World War I

In 1917, the United States ultimately decided to join the Allied Powers and fight in World War I. Men from across the nation swiftly volunteered for military duty. High casualties in Europe led to a shortage of battle-ready Marines to serve at the war front in France.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps at the time, Maj. Gen. George Barnett, requested a study to determine how many jobs within the Marine Corps could be performed by women. The estimates concluded about 40 percent of jobs within the Marine Corps at the time could be performed by women.

As a result, in August of 1918 the Department of the Navy approved the Marine Corps’ request to allow women to enroll as reservists for clerical services. Opha May Johnson, who was already working at the Marine Corps’ headquarters through the civil service program, became the first woman Marine reservist on August 12, 1918.

Over the next year, 305 women would be enlisted into the Marine Corps Reserves with many serving as clerks at the service headquarters in Washington D.C., at recruiting stations across the country, and at the Marine Corps Publicity Bureau.

Following the armistice to end World War I, the Commandant issued an order on August 11, 1919, to move all women Marines to inactive status. Although women served as Marines for only a brief time during the war, their service would pave the way for women during World War II.

Training Women during World War II

On December 7, 1941, the bombing

U.S.

of Pearl Harbor propelled the U.S. into World War II. Two years later, there was again a shortage of combat troops to support the needs of the Marine Corps. In response, the service began enlisting women and established the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve in 1943. That year, more than 19,000 women would join the Marine Corps.

For their training, women attended a six-week bootcamp at Hadnot Point aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Col. Ruth Streeter, who had been selected to lead the Women’s Reserve, insisted women should be trained like men and learn hand-tohand combat, weapons systems, and than 600 women were on duty at Parris Island.

Many of the jobs filled by women aboard the base included clerical work, where they served at the commanding general’s building, the paymaster’s office, and in the recruit depot headquarters. However, as the war continued and women proved themselves capable of performing military jobs, women would be assigned as mechanics, drivers, and even welders.

Of the women assigned to Parris Island, more than 200 women worked at Marine Corps Air Station Page Field as part of the Aviation Women’s Squadron II. These women close order drill. The female recruits would ultimately be taught by 18 male drill instructors from Parris Island.

Following boot camp, women would be assigned an occupational specialty. Society at the time considered only certain jobs suitable for women and in the Marine Corps only 30 job fields were initially opened to women with many revolving around administrative work in offices, classrooms, hospitals, and libraries.

Parris Island was one of the seven bases on the East Coast where women could be stationed. By 1944, more served as air traffic controllers, guiding takeoffs and landings, and reading weather and flight data.

Due to the high number of women assigned to Parris Island, the base constructed 13 buildings in 1944 to support the Women Reserves which included barracks, office spaces, a chow hall, a recreational building. These facilities were separate from the male facilities to provide areas of privacy and modesty for women Marines.

Throughout the war, more than SEE MARINES PAGE B2

Marines from page B1

1,000 women would be stationed at Parris Island and women would be assigned to 225 job specialties in 16 of the 21 functional fields of the Marine Corps. However, the Women Reserves would be demobilized in 1945 with all women at Parris Island being discharged by the following year.

Establishing the Women Marines and recruit training

At the end of World War II, women’s role in the military was seen as temporary.

However, military leaders, most notably Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, saw the benefit of women having permanent roles within the military should the U.S. need to mobilize for war in the future.

In 1948, the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act was signed by President Harry S. Truman, which provided for a separate women’s corps within each branch of the military.

The Marine Corps’ goal initially was to enlist 830 women in the regular Marine Corps from members and former members of the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. However due to a low number of applications, the Marine Corps opened enlistment to non-veteran women to meet their enlistment goal.

To train the enlisted women, the Marine Corps established 3rd Battalion at Parris Island and recruit training for women aboard the base began March 1, 1949.

Approximately 150 women would arrive every three-and-a-half weeks for boot camp, which consisted of a total of 264 hours of training. At the time, women and men received relatively the same training except women received additional hygiene courses and did not have combat training.

Male drill instructors taught the women close order drill, first aid, chemical warfare, and general military subjects. In addition, women would witness mortar instruction on the range to become familiar with the sound of gunfire.

The 1950s and 1960s

The beginning of the Korean War conflict in 1950, increased the need for women to replace men for combat billets. The Marine Corps, along with the other