$Unique_ID{bob01119} $Pretitle{} $Title{(A) History Of The Women Marines 1946-1977 Chapter 9} $Subtitle{} $Author{Stremlow, Col. Mary V.} $Affiliation{U.S. Marine Corps Reserve} $Subject{recruit training recruits women marine drill woman battalion platoon first} $Date{1986} $Log{} Title: (A) History Of The Women Marines 1946-1977 Author: Stremlow, Col. Mary V. Affiliation: U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Date: 1986 Chapter 9 Recruit Training Enlisted women Marines begin their service at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island. The women's battalion had been known, at different times, as the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, the Woman Recruit Training Battalion, and the Woman Recruit Training Command. Boot camp has varied in length from six to 10 weeks, but certain things remain unchanged. The schedule is rigorous; the drill instructors seem bigger than life; and for the recruit, no matter what motivated her to enlist, on graduation day, being called a Marine is enough. Mission Woman recruit training has been designed ". . . to produce a basic woman Marine who is able to function effectively in garrison and instinctively practice those traits that distinguish her as a Marine." The specific objectives of recruit training were listed in 1976 as: a. Self-discipline. A state of discipline which assures respect for authority; instant willing obedience to orders and the self-reliance to maintain or improve those traits that distinguish a Marine. b. Military Skills. To teach individual proficiency in selected basic military skills. c. Physical Fitness. The ability to maintain physical fitness, endurance, and weight-distribution. d. Military Bearing. The ability to properly wear and maintain uniforms and practice personal hygiene. e. Esprit de Corps. To instill the spirit of comradeship among all Marines for each other and the Marine Corps. Fundamentally, they differ very little from the aims set by Captain Henderson and her staff in 1949. The Training Program Originally, recruits completed a six-week course consisting of basic military and administrative subjects. By 1949, when the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion was activated, Marines had become accustomed to the mature WR of World War II who entered the Corps with certain basic skills, and it was hoped - especially by the men - that this short course would produce a woman Marine ready to take her place in nearly any Marine Corps office. At first the recruits were at least 20 years old and as a rule they had some business experience. After the age limit was lowered to 18 years and the requirement of a high school diploma was dropped in 1950, a longer period of training was deemed necessary. Major Beckley, Commanding Officer, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion in 1951, asked that boot camp be lengthened to eight weeks and that: instruction in group living, character guidance, career guidance, and typing be added to the program. Her recommendation reflected the frustration felt by the women Marines who had entered the service during World War II. Confronted with a younger recruit - probably away from home for the first time, motivated more by a sense of adventure than a sense of patriotism, and unaccustomed to the discipline of even a civilian job - they worried about the qualifications of the "new breed." In a letter to Colonel Towle, Major Beckley described the problem of finding suitable assignments for women with low mental scores or who had had little career training. Conceding that the women consistently scored higher on intelligence tests than male recruits, nevertheless, she observed: Male recruits who have low GCT scores can be fitted into many types of work and prove most valuable. Women Marines are automatically restricted in performance of heavy manual duties. They fill billets involving "white collar" work where at least average ability, a neat appearance, and military bearing are requisites. The discovery in one platoon of three women who listed their civilian occupations as sheepherder, gill net fisherman, and motorcyclist strengthened her case for more careful screening and a change in recruit training. Colonel Towle endorsed the basic proposal, but because of her great interest in advanced training added: It is assumed that inclusion in the proposed revised training program of basic typing for all recruits, as outlined . . . will not be taken as indicative that every woman Marine is a potential typist or preclude assignment to the Clerk Typist School in cases where such further training is considered desirable and necessary. The new program lengthening recruit training from six to eight weeks became effective on 1 October 1952. Since that time the length of the training cycle has varied from seven to 10 weeks with three major program changes. The first was the introduction of a General Office Procedures Course in 19588 Essentially, at that time recruit training was separated into two elements: six weeks of basic military indoctrination and four weeks of administration. During the initial military indoctrination phase, the recruit underwent traditional training. She then moved her personal belongings to another barracks and, under less supervision, completed the General Office Procedures Course. The commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Barbara J. Bishop, recommended the new program in order to make the women more valuable to a command from the minute they reported for duty and also to give them a chance to move gradually from the strict supervision of recruit training into the relative freedom enjoyed by permanent personnel. This latter aim emphasized one of the major problems encountered by graduate woman recruits. Whereas the male Marine traditionally moved from recruit training to advanced infantry training with an attendant let-up in supervision, the woman normally went directly from recruit to permanent personnel status. Oftentimes, after arrival at her new command, the period of adjustment was as difficult for the woman's first sergeant as for the woman herself. After the General Office Procedures Course was inaugurated, graduation from boot camp was not quite the same sad, emotion-packed event that it had been. A simple ceremony was held on the parade ground behind the battalion administration building, and it was followed by the move out of recruit barracks. The most noticeable changes for the new graduates were granting of base liberty from 1700 to 2400 on weekdays and 1145 to 2400 on weekends, reveille at the more civil hour of 0600, and a work day that ended at 1630. Chief Warrant Officer Ruth L. Wood, who had been a teacher before joining the Marine Corps in 1943, was head of the new administrative course which included 44 hours of typing, and classes in the Marine Corps Directive System, business English, spelling, correspondence, publications, security of military information, office etiquette, and the duties of a receptionist. On the small, hand-picked staff were Technical Sergeants Lillian J. West and Eileen P. Phelan, both former school teachers, and Technical Sergeant Grace A. Carle - later Sergeant Major of Women Marines - who had had civilian experience as an instruction. The dual training program - first boot camp and then the General Office Procedures Course - was not entirely satisfactory in that it took a considerable amount of administrative work to transfer the women from recruit to student status, and more importantly, it shortened the screening and observation time. Since only recruits could be separated by an aptitude board, the disposition of marginal and problem students became particularly difficult. Thus in 1961, Lieutenant Colonel Hill, then Commanding Officer, Woman Recruit Training Battalion, asked that the 10-week dual program be combined into a nine-week course of two phases, with the important proviso that the women remain in a recruit status and under the supervision of the recruit company staff during the entire period. The second major program change in Marine Corps woman recruit training was the introduction in 1967 of the Image Development Course, part of a larger plan to teach grooming to recruits, officer candidates, and permanent personnel. The decision to adopt this program was based on three premises: first, the improvement of the woman Marine image would enhance the prestige of the WM program in the eyes of the public and within the Marine Corp,; second, that emphasis on the feminine aspects of a servicewoman's life would counteract the unappealing impression of military service and therefore improve recruitment; and finally, that heightened self confidence and poise would reflect advantageously on the duty performance of the woman Marine. Lectures of this sort had always been a part of woman Marine training, but the new approach to teaching techniques of proper makeup, hair and nail care, wardrobe selection, posture, wig selection and care, social etiquette, wearing the uniform, and grooming practices involved a personal program to meet the individual's needs. It was designed to enhance each woman's poise and social grace. To start the effort on a sound footing, 20 women Marines, officer and enlisted, were trained at the Pan American World Airways International Stewardess College. They would serve as instructors. Beautifully decorated, professionally outfitted grooming facilities were installed at Quantico in 1967 and at Parris Island in 1970. The Image Development Course, which fluctuated from 12 to 31 hours in length was conducted in a more relaxed manner than other phases of recruit training and proved to be a popular addition to the schedule, particularly from the recruits' point of view. One of the most important parts of the course covered the proper application and reapplication of cosmetics throughout the day. The recruits were inspected as before, but in addition to the shine on the shoes, press of the uniform, and police of the barracks, they had to be concerned with their makeup. The natural look - appropriate makeup for a career women - was emphasized as the proper standard. The finale of the course was an evaluation period held several days before graduation. Selected Marines, dependents, and civilians from the depot were invited to participate at a social hour and recruits were judged on their poise, courtesy, and appearance. The guest list changed but traditionally included, among others, a senior officer and his wife, several staff noncommissioned officers - students and staff - from Recruiter's School and the Personnel Administration School, a chaplain, and a medical officer. Individual grades were not given, but obvious problems and weak areas were noted and when necessary the recruit was given additional help. The course, as may be expected, was not wholeheartedly received at all levels. Generally speaking, the women drill instructors were less enthusiastic than the recruits and the command. Primarily they objected to the requirement for DIs to wear makeup while on duty. According to Sergeant Major Judge, who was first sergeant of Recruit Company, and Master Sergeant Bridget V. Connolly, who as a staff sergeant was a DI during the initial stages of the program, there was some muttering in the ranks. First Sergeant Judge, who had never before worn eye makeup, told the commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ruth J. O'Holleran, that if her family could see her they would call her a "hussy." In Staff Sergeant Connolly's view, it was an added burden on the drill instructor who had to be up, dressed, and in the recruit barracks before 0500 to be expected to appear in full makeup. It also meant, of course, that she could not freshen up quickly during the day. Despite these difficulties, there was general agreement that the Image Development Course improved the appearance aid poise of women Marines and achieved its intended goals. The third major change in woman's recruit training involved the forming period and occurred in 1968. In order to give drill instructors time off to rest themselves physically and to prepare themselves mentally to make the transition from working with a graduate platoon to another platoon of new recruits, the initial processing was put in the hands of other members of the permanent personnel unit. This team welcomed the new arrivals and supervised the multitude of details incidental to preparing recruits for training. Only on the first scheduled training day did the DI meet her recruits. As they have for years, the majority of recruits arrived during the night. Under the new procedures, they were offered a snack, and shown to their already made-up bunk. Overhead lights were kept off to avoid disturbing other sleeping recruits. The latecomers were allowed to sleep to the very last minute in the morning, getting up only in time to eat before the mess hall secured. While it had been proven that recruits react more quickly and assimilate instructions better when they are less tired and less frightened, old ways die hard, and veteran DIs believed that something was lost in the way of initial discipline. The forming period, while still a difficult adjustment for civilians, was planned to instill a positive attitude toward Marine Corps training at the onset. Arrival at Parris Island These forming period procedures of 1968 bear little resemblance to those remembered by women Marines who attended boot camp from 1949 to 1968. In 1949, recruits arriving by train were met by the DIs at Port Royal, South Carolina. In later years, the terminal point of a rail trip was Yemessee, about 26 miles from Parris Island. Unfortunately, the most lasting impression for many of these women arriving from northern states was the segregation of "white" from "colored" on the train south of Baltimore and at the station at Yemessee. Major Joan M. Collins remembered that in 1953, on the way to boot camp, a Puerto Rican recruit, Sunny Ramos, was separated from her group and asked to sit in a compartment by herself. The women protested, but the conductor told them not to make any trouble. Women arriving by train were usually taken by bus along with male recruits to the recruit depot. If a male DI was on hand at the station he normally succeeded in scaring the life out of the women, even if he totally ignored them and directed all his attention at the men. Lieutenant Colonel Gail M. Reals remembered that she and one other woman were the only females on board a bus driven by a civilian who amused himself all the way from Yemessee to Parris Island asking the young women why they had done such a foolish thing and personally guaranteeing that they would regret it. As a rule, the bus delivered the male recruits first and at each stop the women witnessed the traditional brusque ceremony of the DI greeting his recruits for the first time so that by the time they arrived at the women's battalion, they feared the worst. The "worst" for the women recruits meant rush and pressure. Most recruits, tired and apprehensive, arrived after midnight, made up their bunks, dropped into bed, and then awoke at 0500 with the lights blazing and the duty NCO shouting, "Hit the deck." For several days they were kept busy with administrative tasks such as endorsing orders, filling out forms, and writing their autobiography. They received shots, a PX issue, and an initial clothing issue - normally utilities and exercise suits. Time was spent sewing name tags in their clothes, hemming the utility slacks, and learning how to give a Marine Corps shine to their oxfords. Until black shoes were adopted in 1964, groups of recruits were taken outdoors to dye the issue brown a darker cordovan shade. For many women Marines, the first "chewing out" was brought on by spilling shoe dye on one of the new uniforms. Women Marines who were impressed by the "sharp" appearance of the recruiter in her attractive dress blue uniforms were invariably let down when, during forming, they received their clothing issue. A hold-over from World War II that remained in the system until 1960 was the exercise suit of tan seersucker - a one-piece bloomer outfit with a matching buttoned front skirt appropriately nicknamed "the peanut suit." The World War II bib overalls, white T-shirt, and long-sleeve jacket made up the utility uniform until the mid-50's, but the most unpopular items, by far, were the heavy cotton lisle hose worn by WMs in training until 1968, and the very practical oxfords. These shoes, with their two-inch Cuban heels were, for obvious reasons, known as "grandmas." In the 1950's a more modern, lower heeled oxford was adopted for drill and certain types of work, and until the old supply stocks ran out, each recruit was issued one pair of "grandmas" and was then taken by bus to Mickey's Bootery in the nearby city of Beaufort to purchase the newer shoe - which WMs naturally called "Mickeys." The basics of military courtesy were instilled during the forming period. In order to give practice in saluting, recruits were required to be covered at all times when outdoors. For a number of years, recruits who had not yet been issued a uniform cap were instructed to wear a civilian hat or scarf even if only going to the clothes line behind the barracks, and so it was not uncommon to see a WM dressed in a peanut suit, hair neatly covered by a flowered scarf, rendering the hand salute. The Daily Routine Traditionally, women recruits bounded from their bunks at 0500, ate breakfast, policed the barracks, and prepared for morning inspection. The daily inspections by the drill instructors varied - that is, personnel, barracks, locker box, or clothing rack - but always included general grooming. Classes were scheduled until the noon meal and again from 1300 to 1700. Evenings were devoted to studying, laundry, shoe shining, and letter writing. Recruits also could be found practicing salutes in front of a mirror or perfecting movements in close order drill alone or in small groups. They were assigned to the duty roster and took turns at standing the watch from the end of the class day until reveille. Classes were held until noon on Saturday. Liberty, for many years, was granted sparingly, and then only to recruits visited by close family members. In the 19705, as a result of a study of the woman Marine program, a look at the basic training of the other services, and in order to ease the transition from recruit status to the environment of the first duty station, limited liberty hours were extended to all. Women recruits were authorized depot liberty Sundays and holidays from 1000-1500; Saturdays and Sundays prior to graduation 1330-1930; and Thursday and Friday of final week 1800-2000. On one night the routine differed from all the rest - field night. The evening before important inspections (which graduated weekly from the junior drill instructor through all levels of the command up to the battalion commander) was spent in furious activity scrubbing and shining every inch of the barracks and neatly arranging locker boxes and clothing racks to conform to regulations. A clean white towel folded lengthwise in even thirds and a clean white wash cloth folded evenly in half and centered over the towel were displayed at the end of each bunk. In the squadbay, bunks and locker boxes were lined up exactly, and in the laundry, irons were arranged as precisely as Marines in formation. In preparing for inspections, the recruit learned a lesson of lasting value; she learned the importance of team work, because the platoon passed or failed as a unit. Inspecting drill instructors and officers had their individual methods of showing displeasure, but few were more effective then the technique of tearing up poorly made bunks and gathering all the gear left "adrift" and displaying it in the center of the squadbay. The outdoor equivalent of "field night" is the "garden party." New recruits who found garden party on the schedule were often genuinely disappointed to find rakes, clippers, and lawn mowers where they expected barbecue grills and hot dogs. It was one of the mischievous pleasures of the DI to shout, "Put on your peanut suits, ladies; we're going to have a garden party." Over the years, only the uniform changed; the garden party still translated into clipping and trimming. For all of the nonstop activity of a recruit's day, it ended on a serene and peaceful note. A custom traced to the early 1950's was the singing of "The Lord's Prayer" at taps. Colonel Hamblet, when she was Director of Women Marines, visited Parris Island and later wrote: . . . having heard of a custom that had developed in the Woman Recruit Company, I returned to hear taps. The bugle notes sounded: Day is done Gone the sun From the lakes From the hills From the sky All is well Safely rest God is nigh One by one lights in the barracks went out. At other Marine bases a hush would then fall. But here as the last note of the bugle faded in the distance, came not silence but the sound of voices in song. They started softly in the Senior Platoon area on the second deck (floor) of the barracks, were picked up by another platoon topside, then by the recruits on the first deck. The song swelled in volume as each group joined in, filling the darkened barracks and spilling over into the street outside. From their bunks the women recruits were singing "The Lord's Prayer". They sang spontaneously, their young voices, untrained and unrehearsed, blended in reverence. They were not required to sing. They did so because they chose to. It had become their tradition, a new group learning by listening to the others. Recruit Regulations The recruit regulations published in 1949 scarcely changed over the years. There was a proper, established procedure for nearly every activity; deviations from the norm, no matter how minor, were not acceptable. A recruit immediately learned that she did not rise before reveille nor sit on, rest on, or get into her bunk before taps. Bulletin boards were to be read several times daily and she initialed every roster on which her name appeared. She moved quickly, but did not run in the passageways; came to attention whenever someone other than a recruit entered the squadbay; and called "gangway" while backing up to the bulkhead when someone other than a recruit approached. Only clean clothing, with all buttons buttoned, zippers zipped, and buckles buckled could be displayed. The one exception was a pair of untied oxfords and the unbuttoned raincoat to facilitate a hasty exit in case of fire. Unauthorized personal items were stowed in the luggage room. Keys, clothing, cosmetics, shoe polish, or notebooks left lying about were deposited in the "lucky box" and could be claimed only after the hapless recruit admitted her carelessness to her DI. Mail call was the highlight of a recruit's day unless she received contraband items from well meaning family and friends. Packages were opened in front of witnesses and any food, candy, or gum was returned to the sender, thrown away, or donated to the Red Cross. Smoking was limited to designated areas at specified times; drinking beer or hard liquor was taboo; borrowing, lending, or giving clothing away was forbidden; and hair was rolled only at prescribed times. Neat, clean, and orderly was the rule. Laundry bags were washed, bleached, starched, and ironed frequently. Singing in the laundry was encouraged, but talking was prohibited. That these seemingly irksome regulations remained virtually unchanged for so long a time testified to their effectiveness in teaching discipline, respect for authority, and the value of teamwork. The Drill Instructor These recruits are entrusted to my care. I will train them to the best of my ability. I will develop them into smartly disciplined, physically fit, basically trained Marines, thoroughly indoctrinated in love of Corps and Country. I will demand of them, and demonstrated by my own example, the highest standards of personal conduct, morality and professional skill. The Drill Instructors Pledge The drill instructor was the key to recruit training and was directly responsible for the training, physical fitness, discipline, welfare, and morale of her recruits and her junior drill instructors. The assignment was considered by many enlisted WMs to be the most exhausting, frustrating, yet satisfying job in the Marine Corps. Her role and responsibility resembled that of the DI, but her training and the evolution of her title moved along a different path. Until 1976, with one short-lived exception, women did not attend Drill Instructor School and those involved in recruit training were officially called platoon sergeants or platoon leaders. WMs, themselves, unofficially consistently used the mere familiar term of DI. Competent, mature, willing noncommissioned officers in excellent physical condition and with impeccable military records were essential to the conduct of recruit training. Due primarily to the small number of women Marines and proportionally fewer NCOs, and a reluctance to release women from their primary occupational specialty for periods of two years - normal tour length for a DI - there persisted a shortage of women DIs. Colonel Barbara J. Bishop, when she was Director of Women Marines, 1964-1969, tried in vain to come to a mutually acceptable arrangement with the assignment branch at Headquarters whereby they would notify her of the impending transfer of senior enlisted WMs. Then, if DIs were needed at Parris Island, Colonel Bishop proposed to fill those vacancies on a priority basis. Her plan met with opposition and for many years much of the burden of training was carried by a group of NCOs who served two and in some cases three tours of duty at the Woman Recruit Training Battalion. The policy had normally been to assign a staff noncommissioned officer as the senior, with sergeants or corporals as junior DIs, but, it was not uncommon in the early 1950's to have lower rated women in these jobs. The process of selection from 1949 until 1976 was to order NCOs to the women's recruit battalion for screening by a medical doctor, psychiatrist, the battalion commander, the recruit company commander, and perhaps a battalion screening board. Having satisfactorily moved through this chain, a prospective DI began on-the-job training and was in a probationary status for the period of one training cycle. Only then did she receive the coveted MOS 8511. With assignment of women to Drill Instructor School beginning in January 1976, certain procedures changed. The formal course was in itself a screening process, eliminating the need for battalion involvement; the successful graduates were immediately assigned the drill instructor's MOS; and they were not considered to be in a probationary status. Furthermore, Headquarters regularly sent two or three women to each scheduled class, taking the Director of Women Marines out of the assignment business, and assuring a steady and more satisfactory flow of DIs into recruit training. Whether or not women should attend the formal school was heatedly debated for a number of years. Lieutenant Colonel Elsie Hill, twice commanding officer of the recruit battalion, believed that the school would give uniformity to the training and arranged for five WMs to enroll at DI school in October 1955. The women, Sergeant Ida J. Reinemond and Corporals Marion M. Moran, Edith M. Reeves, Dorothy Rzepny, and Lillian Hagener underwent the prescribed course with only one concession; they did not carry a rifle during the drill sessions. According to Lieutenant Colonel Hill, the women did well at school and as battalion commander, she was satisfied with their subsequent performance as DIs, but Headquarters was evidently uneasy about a loss of femininity and the WM image and put an end to the idea. The issue lay dormant for 21 years, but in January 1976, once again, five WMs entered DI school: Sergeants Mary E. Gibbs and Jeanette M. Plourde and Corporals Victoria Goodrich, Veda R. James, and Erlene A. Thomas. WMs continued to attend the course and were involved in all academic studies, training, and drill except individual combat training and the complete marksmanship program. They were not required to qualify with the M-16 service rifle or the .45 caliber pistol, but they fired them for familiarization. At graduation, the women graduates, in place of the traditional DI hat, were presented with scarlet epaulets, worn by WM DIs since 1970. The DI was in direct control of the recruits in her platoon and shouldered the greatest responsibility in their training. For many years, the senior drill instructor was required to be with her platoon at all times during the first three weeks of training. In the late 1960's, this requisite was eased somewhat and her presence was necessary at key times like clothing issue and inspections and at all periods of instruction where the recruits' health or physical well being was involved, such as physical fitness and swimming classes. More routine events could be supervised by the junior drill instructors. In reality, the recruit was seldom out of view of her DIs. One of the team was in the squadbay before reveille and again after lights out. While her charges slept, the DI examined the next day's schedule, made notes about the number of required uniform changes, checked transportation arrangements, filled out evaluation forms, and wrestled with administration matters and personal problems of her recruits. Like the recruit, she had to launder and iron several uniforms and shine her shoes. For the DI the day began at 0430 and ended well after midnight. With rare exceptions, she was a Marine totally committed to her task and accepted the fact that for two years, she would have very little life of her own. A DI of the early 1950's, Corporal Constance A. Shafer, wrote of her tout, "A grueling pace, but it had its own reward. At least one of the 4 platoons I had made Honor Platoon, and the satisfaction of seeing my hard work come to fruition made up for the loss of sleep." Master Sergeant Bridget Connolly and Lieutenant Colonel Gail Reals, two of Corporal Shafer's recruits, were still on active duty in 1977. Recruit Evaluation and Awards The evaluation and awards program was meant to screen recruits for graduation as basic women Marines and to recognize outstanding performance. The criteria used to judge the women was much the same as it was in 1949, but a more sophisticated system of awards evolved. Individually, recruits were graded in three main areas: academic, performance, and attitude. The first was the easiest to document as it was a numerical value based on the results of objective examinations. Performance and attitude marks are by nature subjective and so were derived from a composite of the entire staffs contact with the recruit, with emphasis on inspection results, drill aptitude, physical fitness, weight control, image development, and leadership ability. In one way or another, the guidon, a flag with the platoon's designation carried by the platoon guide, had long been associated with the platoon's performance. New platoons normally had been identified by a bare guidon staff. After successful completion of specified inspection or milestone, pennants were added with appropriate ceremony. The gold guidon marked the junior platoon or series, and for some time had to be earned by passing the junior DI's inspection. The scarlet guidon had nearly always been awarded by the senior DI after a satisfactory formal inspection, which in 1977 was scheduled for the third week in training. Traditionally, poor platoon performance was noted by the command to furl the guidon, the ultimate sign of the DI's displeasure. Colorful streamers, symbols of excellence, were added to the WM guidon staff for the first time in March 1968, when First Lieutenant Vera M. Jones, then Recruit Company commanding officer, presented three streamers to Platoon 1-A for achievement in swimming, drill, and physical fitness. Streamers in 1977 were presented in recognition of exceptional platoon performance in the areas shown in the chart elsewhere on this page. The Marine Corps emblem, most visible outward symbol of a Marine, had normally been given as an award rather than an unearned right to be taken for granted. Sometime in the 1950's the practice of issuing emblems along with the uniforms was stopped and the recruit had to pass the Recruit Company commander's inspection before she received the highly prized "globe and anchor." The emblem ceremony, beginning in 1966, had become a part of the graduation day events. At a company formation early in the morning, each graduate held her emblems in her gloved hand and the company commander and DIs personally affixed them to her uniform. The American Spirit Honor Medal, highest available individual distinction, was given to the recruit who displayed, to a high degree, outstanding leadership qualities best expressing "The American Spirit" of honor, initiative, and loyalty and who set an example in conduct and performance of duty. The award, consisting of a medal and certificate, was made available by the Citizens Committee of the Army, Navy, and Air Force through the Department of Defense. A recruit who won the American Spirit Honor Medal was automatically designated the Honor Graduate or Outstanding Recruit and additionally received the Leatherneck Award and the Dress Blue Uniform Award. Private Mary E. Gillespie, in October 1950, was the first woman Marine to be awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal. The uncommon excellence associated with this medal was underscored by the fact that several years could pass without a recommended recipient. The Honor Graduate, known in the past as the Outstanding Recruit of the platoon, was the woman who had demonstrated the desirable attributes of a Marine to a degree not displayed by any other member of the platoon. The certificate accompanying this award noted not only her academic accomplishment, but leadership ability, integrity, honor, and loyalty. For many years Leatherneck magazine awarded a complete dress blue uniform with all accessories to the outstanding male recruit of each platoon. In 1962, the WM DIs, feeling that their recruits were slighted, looked into the matter, and since that time, women have been included in this tradition. Private First Class Sonia Nelson, Platoon 15-A, meritoriously promoted at graduation in December 1962, was the first Honor Graduate to receive the Leatherneck Dress Blue Uniform award. Leatherneck magazine, in 1972, changed the Honor Graduate award to a wristwatch and the Dress Blue Uniform Award was thereafter presented by the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Families and friends were encouraged to attend the graduation exercises - an event marked by pride, happiness, and tears. Recruits laughed and cried as they reminisced about their boot camp days, and said farewell to platoon mates; they sang joyously; and they stepped off smartly as they marched together for the last time. Graduation, for the most part, included some sort of outdoor review or drill exhibition. For a brief time, 1960-1963, the ceremony was held in a classroom. On 25 September 1963, however, Platoon 11-A began a new tradition by holding its final review on the parade field behind building 914 in the old WM area. WM Complex By 1977, where the yellow-stuccoed barracks, home of the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion and the Women Recruit Training Battalion, once stood, only open fields were found. Two buildings remained. No. 900, formerly the mess hall, later a craft shop, and No. 903, which housed the senior series of WM recruits. The junior series was billeted in the WM complex, built within view of the old area. Suggestions had been made to rehabilitate and air-condition the World War II barracks, but the public works officer found that the cost would exceed 50 percent of the replacement value of the buildings. Consequently, at a meeting on 27 July 1967 the Depot Development Board directed that an entire new complex for WMs be programmed at Parris Island. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on 26 January 1973 and construction was begun. For two years the women Marines watched patiently across the field. Finally on 8 February 1975, they made the big move. The new complex, completely self-contained, was designed to house Parris Island's permanent women personnel as well as the women recruits. In actuality, increases in strength of WMs resulted in the retention of the old barracks for recruits. By the time the complex was opened, plans were already underway for an addition. Among the facilities included in the WM complex were a fully equipped gymnasium, headquarters areas for the battalion and recruit company, a dining facility, storage areas, a conference room, four classrooms, a laundromat, clothing issue area, sickbay, tennis courts, volleyball court, and television and telephones on each level of the three-story barracks. The structure was built in a square, leaving a central courtyard area open with the flagpole in front of the battalion headquarters. Permanent personnel enjoyed a patio with a fountain, rooms of one to three occupants, and new, motel-like furnishings. Beds replaced metal bunks, closets replaced lockers, and the women were allowed to decorate their rooms with colorful bed spreads, rugs, flowers, photographs, and other personal touches. Recruits in 1977 still lived in austere, albeit more modern and comfortable, squadbays. Command Reorganized The Woman Recruit Training Battalion became the Woman Recruit Training Command on 28 May 1976 when Headquarters Company was disestablished. Consistent with Marine Corps-wide policy at the time, personnel assigned to Headquarters Company were administratively transferred to the command under which their work section fell, but remained billeted in the WM complex. Thus reorganization efforts completed a full cycle. In February 1949 the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, under Captain Henderson, consisted of one company of 50 recruits and the 15 WMs to train them. In May 1976 Woman Recruit Training Command, once again embodied only a recruit company, but of 300 recruits and 32 WMs to train them.