Multimedia Mania/abacus-multimedia-mania.iso/dp/0111/01115.txt

Text File | 1993-07-27 | 41KB | 678 lines

$Unique_ID{bob01115}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{(A) History Of The Women Marines 1946-1977
Chapter 6: Part 2}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Stremlow, Col. Mary V.}
$Affiliation{U.S. Marine Corps Reserve}
$Subject{women
marine
marines
first
corps
officer
sergeant
wms
lieutenant
woman}
$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 6: Part 2

The Armed Forces Staff College

     The Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia, opened its doors to
women officers in 1970.  Provision was made for a quota of one woman officer
of each service for the class which convened in February. Competition for
selection between men and women was thereby eliminated and apparently there
was no Marine Corps opposition to the plan to send a woman officer to this
high-level school.  Lieutenant Colonel Mary Evelyn Bane was selected to attend
this course, graduated, and was then assigned to the G-1 Division at
Headquarters Marine Corps.

     Completion of such a prestigious military school did not dispel the
notion that women colonels were not to be assigned in the normal fashion. When
Lieutenant Colonel Bane was selected for promotion, the personnel monitor
responsible for colonel assignments called her in and asked her where she
thought she should be transferred since in her words, "The thought of
disposing of a woman colonel was turning him pale."  Based upon her past
experience, and her training, she offered the opinion that the most logical
place might be Headquarters.  He did not agree and said, "That would never do.
You would have to be a branch head."  And so Colonel Bane was ordered to Camp
Pendleton where she filled an assistant chief of staff billet.

Advanced Training and Assignment of Enlisted Women Marines, 1965-1973

     Little time was lost between the Commandant's approval in mid-1965 and
the implementation of the Pepper Board's recommendations regarding advanced
training for enlisted women Marines.  On 1 January 1966 a program emphasizing
advanced technical training for women recruit graduates was published.  Its
purpose was to bring the woman Marine to an effective level of proficiency in
her MOS as soon as possible.  During the first six months of 1966, 75 percent
of the women recruit graduates went on to advanced formal schools in 17
different fields, a sharp contrast to the five recruits who received
post-recruit training in 1963.  In the Winter 1967 Woman Marine Newsletter
Colonel Bishop reported that women Marines attended a variety of military
schools at Army, Navy, and Marine Corps bases and received basic-level
instruction in such areas as administration, supply, telecommunications,
electronics, disbursing, photography, aviation operations, aerology, air
control, aviation training devices, optical instrument repair, transportation,
cooking and baking, and journalism. Others attended advanced courses such as
NCO leadership, administration chief, recruiting, air control, legal clerk and
court reporter, supply, process photography, Marine security guard, instructor
orientation, and data processing.

     During the period 1965-1973, opportunities for women Marines were greatly
expanded.  The gains were evident but not to be taken for granted. Many
long-held assignment prejudices persisted.  Women Marines sent to the Naval
Air Station, Memphis, for advanced training in aviation specialties, for
example, were nearly all channeled into aviation supply and aviation
operations, crowding these two specialties while others were far short of the
planned WM quotas.  Others, upon arrival at Memphis were reclassified into
fields such as administration, which Colonel Bishop noted as ". . .
unfortunate since they are denied advanced training and, having qualified for
aviation school, they are among the better qualified WMs . . ."  The
Commandant reacted quickly with a letter to the commanding officer of the
Marine Aviation Detachment at Memphis stating:

It is the Commandant's desire that Women Marines be assigned to a greater
range of military occupational specialties to form a more efficient
mobilization base.  In consequence, it is requested that Women Marines
assigned to your command for aviation training be assigned in the percentages
indicated . . . .

     A second example of strictly "sexist" assignments was the practice of
using attractive, intelligent women Marines in jobs that were more show than
substance.  A number of WMs served in highly visible positions as
receptionists in the Pentagon and it often happened that the most capable were
retained there for inordinate periods of time.  This worked to the
disadvantage of the individual woman Marine who, when eventually transferred,
found herself on a Marine Corps base as a staff noncommissioned officer
without adequate experience to supervise, instruct, and counsel, let alone to
drill a platoon or stand a duty watch.  In the latter part of 1966, the Marine
Corps was queried on the prospect of establishing a new billet in the office
of a Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy.  Colonel Bishop's comment was:

As desirable as these billets may be as "window dressing" for the Marine
Corps, they have long been wasteful of the most capable and best appearing
Women Marines.  The work entailed in receptionists' billets offer no challenge
to the caliber of women assigned to them. Each time a replacement is needed
unreasonable selectivity requires a long parade of nominees to be submitted
for the personal inspection of the office concerned.  It is considered that
the Marine Corps already had an undesirable monopoly on receptionist billets
in the various Navy Secretary's Offices.  It is recommended that the
invitation to establish yet another billet be declined.

     Overall, the plusses outweighed the minuses in the training and
assignment of enlisted women in the years following the Pepper Board.  In
1972, Colonel Sustad as Director of Women Marines, reported to Congress that
women could serve in 23 occupational fields; service in two of them, motor
transport and band, was restricted to time of war.  Women Marines were, in
1972, as a matter of law and of Marine Corps policy, prohibited from the
following 12 fields: infantry; field artillery; utilities; construction
equipment and shore party; tank and amphibian tractor; ammunition and
explosive ordnance disposal; supply services; nuclear, biological, and
chemical warfare; military police and corrections; electronics maintenance;
aviation ordnance; and air delivery.  Colonel Sustad went on to explain that:

Marine Corps policy on the utilization of women permits wide flexibility and
interchangeability with male Marines.  While 100 percent workability of this
policy cannot be attained because of such factors as billeting, physical
limitations, rotation base, or combat capability, it is recognized that
basically a Woman Marine is qualified to serve in any location or in any
billet if she possesses an appropriate and required skill.

At the time of her statement before Congress, enlisted women were actually
assigned in 21 occupational fields with 34 percent in administration, 12
percent in supply, and 5 percent in operational communications, the three
fields of greatest WM concentration.

New Woman Marine Units, Stateside

     Coupled with new job opportunities came new geographic assignments.  In
Director of Women Marines Study 1-64, Colonel Bishop recommended the opening
of woman Marine companies at bases with a mobilization requirement for women
Marines, specifically, the Marine Corps Supply Centers at Barstow and Albany.
The Pepper Board reaffirmed the idea and expanded it to include the Air
Station at Kaneohe, Hawaii.  Additionally, it recommended that women staff
noncommissioned officers be assigned to Marine Corps Base, Twentynine Palms;
Marine Corps Air Stations at Yuma and Beaufort; the Marine Corps Air
Facilities at New River and Santa Ana; and, finally, it proposed that WM
sergeants and above, be assigned to appropriate billets with the support and
administrative sections of the various Marine barracks overseas.

Marine Corps Supply Center Barstow

     On 13 January 1966, Prospector, the Barstow post newspaper, announced the
arrival of the first woman Marine to report for duty at the Supply Center
since 1946.  Captain Vea J. Smith was named supply operations officer in
Services Division.  She became the expert in residence in the planning for a
company of 100 women Marines due to be established when billeting arrangements
were completed.  The following month, First Lieutenant Wanda Raye Silvey
assumed duties as disbursing officer in the Comptroller Division.

     Gunnery Sergeants Virginia Almonte and Lea E. Woodworth arrived in June
1966, both assigned to the Center's Adjutant officer, First Lieutenant Rebecca
M. Kraft, slated to be the first WM company commander at Barstow joined them a
year later on 25 June 1967.

     And so, the first WM Company in the 25-year history of the Supply Center
was activated on 1 July 1967.  It was also the first new WM unit to be
established in 13 years and brought to 11 the number of major Marine Corps
commands with women's organizations.  The first contingent of WMs, Lance
Corporals Suzanne Bryant, Sheryl L. Moore, and Christina M. Christopher,
arrived on 17 July and were greeted by First Lieutenant Kraft and the company
first sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant Woodworth.  Building 182 had been completely
renovated and outfitted with new furniture.

     The company at Barstow was short-lived, being deactivated in August 1971
and designated as a platoon of Headquarters Company, Headquarters and Service
Battalion.  The senior WM on board was thereafter assigned additional duty as
woman Marine advisor on the commanding general's special staff.  From 1967 to
1971, seven officers served as WM company commanders at Barstow: First
Lieutenant Rebecca M. Kraft, Captain Joan M. Hammond, First Lieutenant Diane
L. Hamel, Captain Alice K. Kurashige, First Lieutenant Geraldine E. Peeler,
Captain Vanda K. Brame, and First Lieutenant Linda J. Lenhart.

Marine Corps Supply Center, Albany

     Similar activity was taking place at Albany, Georgia.  Private First
Class Donna L. Albert, on 4 February 1966, was the first WM to report to that
post for duty.  Her assignment, making a departure from the custom of only
stationing lower ranked women at locations with a WM unit was permitted
because she was able to maintain a household with her husband, Private First
Class Dennis M. Albert.

     Second Lieutenant Emma G. Ramsey, formerly enlisted, arrived on 29 July
1966, the first WM officer to serve at the center.  She was followed shortly
thereafter by Master Sergeant Rita M. Walsh, making a total of three.

     Second Lieutenant Ramsey, officer in charge of the manpower utilization
unit, found herself undertaking the additional duty of commanding officer of
the WM company then being formed.  Working with Master Sergeant Walsh, she
began the task of planning and preparing for a full-strength company.
Barracks were remodeled, administrative support was arranged, and directives
were drafted.

     Apart from Second Lieutenant Ramsey and Master Sergeant Walsh, the
initial company members arriving in August 1967 were: Master Sergeant Bernice
P. Querry, the new first sergeant; Corporals Margaret G. Wegener and Barbara
A. Zimmer; Lance Corporals Doris H. Pallant, Carrie M. Saxon, Marjorie W.
Groht, Donna L. Correll, Cheryl L. Larison, Robin M. Holloway, Virginia
Gonzales, Cathy L. Pierce, Barbara L. Bradek, and Rosemary Lamont; Privates
First Class Kathleen A. Kisczik, Daryl R. Cessna, Linda A. Dewaele, and
Gertrude Martin.  Captain Sara R. Beauchamp arrived in September and was named
the new commanding officer.

     At the formal activation ceremonies on 13 September 1967, Sergeant Major
of the Woman Marines Ouida W. Craddock unveiled a cornerstone plaque on the
Woman Marine Barracks.  Colonel Bishop and Captain Beauchamp assisted Albany's
mayor, the Honorable James V. Davis, with the ribbon-cutting at Barracks 7103.
But, like the company at Barstow, the WM Company, Albany, enjoyed but a brief
existence.  It was deactivated on 1 November 1972 and the women became a
platoon of Service Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion.

Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe

     The Pepper Board had recommended reactivation of a WM unit at the Marine
Corps Air Station at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.  Approval was initially deferred
mainly because WM strength could not support establishment of this unit as
well as new units at Barstow and Albany.  Under the new policy permitting the
assignment of women on an individual basis to commands where no WM unit or
housing existed, two officers, Captain Manuela Hernandez and First Lieutenant
Diane Leppaluoto were ordered to Kaneohe early in 1966.  By the end of the
year, the decision was made to activate a company of 100 enlisted women and
two officers.  Alterations began on a barracks and the company was formed in
December 1967.

Women Marines Overseas

     In July 1966 a decision was made to assign women Marines to the western
Pacific area.  The purpose was twofold: to free as many male Marines as
possible for duty with committed Fleet Marine Force units and to provide WMs
with additional career incentives.  Plans were made to send women to Camp
Butler on Okinawa; the Marine Corps Air Station at Iwakuni, Japan; and
Headquarters, United States Military Assistance Command at Saigon, Vietnam.
Each command was queried on the number of billets suitable for WMs and
billeting space available.

     Women were asked to volunteer for the 13-month tour and had to be
recommended by their commanding officers.  Those with less than 13 months to
serve were required to extend or reenlist to cover the tour length.
Opportunities for enlisted women, private through gunnery sergeant, were
greatest for those in administration, logistics, operational communications,
telecommunications maintenance, supply, disbursing, data processing,
informational services, photography, weather service, air traffic control, and
aviation operations.  Officers, warrant through major, were eligible for
assignment to the Far East and were especially needed in administration,
communications, supply, disbursing, and legal services.  WMs were ordered to
the Pacific area in increments to avoid a 100 percent turnover at the end of
13 months.

Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni

     There was very little resistance to the idea of assigning WMs to Vietnam.
The enthusiasm on Okinawa was somewhat less.  There was outright opposition to
the proposal at the Marine Corps Air Station at Iwakuni, Japan.  The
Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, Lieutenant General Victor H.
Krulak, had doubts about the plan based on the inadequacy of appropriate
on-base recreational facilities and a lack of suitable off-base liberty areas.
Colonel Bishop, when asked by the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Leonard
F. Chapman, Jr., to comment on the subject, wrote:

Verbal and written objections expressed to dare concerning the assignment of
enlisted women to Iwakuni imply either that the prime consideration is the
women's enjoyment of their tour or that their presence constitutes a serious
threat to the good order and discipline of their masculine associates.

     She advocated the weighing of adequate liberty facilities against the
chance for the women to make meaningful contributions to Marine Corps
personnel needs under conditions of minor personal hardship, and continued,
"This response was not beyond their capabilities in the past."  Taking up the
matter of the female presence, she added:

Presumably, the local command has been able to maintain sufficient
disciplinary control over the masculine element to avoid undue unpleasantness
for Navy Nurses, dependents of the other services, and civilian school
teachers aboard the base.

The most telling argument against the assignment of women to Iwakuni is not
their ability to adjust to unusual or difficult circumstances but the negative
attitude expressed at all levels of command in WestPac toward their presence
at Iwakuni.  This attitude is hardly conducive to their welcome reception and
normal uneventful adjustment.

     Colonel Bishop and the Sergeant Major of Women Marines, First Sergeant
Evelyn E. Albert, made a trip to WestPac to confer with the commands and to
inspect the available barracks.  At Iwakuni all the briefings were designed to
discourage the plan.  In response to a question on the controversy, the former
director wrote in a letter to the History and Museums Division in 1977:

Controversial is an understatement of the assignment of women to the Far East
- particularly to Japan.  Okinawa was no great problem - nor Vietnam, but the
CO of the Air Station in Japan was unbelievable in his efforts to prevent this
"catastrophe." (He made my trip interesting tho by having me dragged through
an assortment of bars and what not as an indoctrination to the horrors of the
Far East.  I still have a fan presented to me by an aging proprietress of one
of those establishments to show she bore no ill will to the women.)

     Captain Marilyn E. Wallace became the first woman Marine to serve in the
Far East, reporting to the Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni on 15 October
1966.  Assigned as station disbursing officer, she was billeted in a BOQ
housing Navy nurses.  Five months later, on 23 March 1967, the arrival of the
first enlisted women Marines raised the air station distaff strength to seven.
The WMs, Gunnery Sergeant Frances J. Fisher, Staff Sergeants Carmen Adams and
Mary L. McLain, and Sergeants Elva M. Pounders, Patricia Malnar, and Donna K.
Duncan were accompanied on the last leg of their journey from Okinawa to Japan
by Major Jane L. Wallis, senior WM in the Far East.

     At Iwakuni, Colonel William M. Lundin, station commanding officer;
Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Taylor, station executive officer; Sergeant Major
J. F. Moore, station sergeant major; and First Sergeant K. L. Ford of
Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron were on hand to greet the women Marines
and to take them to lunch.  They were taken on a tour of the station ending
with a welcome aboard gathering where they met the officers for whom they
would work.  Staff Sergeant Adams wrote to the Director of Woman Marines,
"These Marines over here just can't seem to do enough for us."  The WMs
received thorough briefings on customs, laws, and Japanese religions.
Interviews were arranged with the Japanese press explaining the work of the
women Marines to dispel any notions that they were taking jobs away from
Japanese women.

     The welcome accorded the WMs at Iwakuni in 1967, in the wake of the
bitter opposition voiced at the prospect of their assignment, was not unlike
the reception given the first Regulars in 1948.  Once the decision was final
and the presence of women Marines was a fait accompli, Marines, with few
exceptions, accepted the situation with good grace.

Marine Corps Air Station, Futema, Okinawa

     Within days of Captain Wallace's arrival at Iwakuni in October 1966,
First Lieutenant Anne S. Tallman and nine enlisted WMs reported to Travis Air
Force Base, California, for transportation to Okinawa.  Arriving at Kadena Air
Force Base not far from Futema on Saturday, 22 October, they were greeted by
Major John D. Way, administrative officer; Captain George A. Kinser, personnel
officer; and Sergeant Major John W. Arnby, the facility sergeant major.
Included in the first group were Sergeant Carol A. Kindig; Corporals Joan A.
Carey, San Crosby, Patricia Hurlburt, Elizabeth Turner, and Ronelle Wuerch;
and Lance Corporals Maryann Burger, Suzanne Davis, and Diana Savage.  First
Lieutenant Tallman took up the duties of informational officer and the
enlisted women were assigned to operations, disbursing, supply, weather
service, and communications.

     The women Marines were attached to Headquarters and Headquarters
Squadron.  The senior WM officer functioned as the WM liaison to the
commanding officer of the Marine Corps Air Facility.  When more officers
arrived, the senior woman officer became, as an additional duty, the officer
in charge of the WMs.  She reported to the commanding officer of the squardon
and helped him with duty assignments, inspections, and matters related to the
distaff Marines.  The officers and staff noncommissioned officers (due to a
lack of adequate space) lived in BOQ 217.  The enlisted women lived in a small
barracks, ideally situated behind the post exchange, and next to the swimming
pool, theater, and gymnasium.

Marine Corps Base, Camp Butler, Okinawa

     The renovation of a barracks at Camp Smedley D. Butler delayed the
arrival of WMs for a few months.  The first aboard were Major Jane L. Wallis
and Second Lieutenant Doris M. Keeler, reporting in on 10 December 1966. Major
Wallis, assistant base adjutant, was in addition officer in charge of the
women Marines.  Second Lieutenant Keeler, formerly enlisted, was assigned as
communications officer.

     On Monday, 16 January 1967, a contingent of 18 enlisted WMs arrived on
Okinawa for assignment to Camp Butler and Futema.  On hand to meet the
arrivals were Brigadier General Ronald R. Van Stockum, Commanding General,
FMFPac (Forward); Colonel Robert B. Laing, Sr., Futema Marine Corps Air
Facility commander; Colonel James A. Gallo, Jr., Camp Butler executive
officer; and Major Wallis, the senior woman Marine on the island.  The 9th
Marine Amphibious Brigade Band from Camp Hansen serenaded the women during the
welcoming ceremony.  The first enlisted women to be assigned at Camp Butler
were Staff Sergeant Helen A. Dowd; Corporals Kathleen Wright, Sharon Lynn
Bowe, Suzanne T. Guyman, Susan W. Blair, and Mary J. Andlott; and Lance
Corporals Linda C. (nee Jaquet) Beck, Virginia Emaline Baker, and Brenda Ray
Brown.

     At work in the adjutant's office, Major Wallis saw much of the
correspondence dealing with the opposition of the command toward the
assignment of WMs to Okinawa.  Yet, the welcome the women received was
characteristically cordial.  Major Wallis believes the Marines were sincere as
they performed small acts of courtesy and consideration beyond the routine.
As an example, at the time it was unofficially accepted that the men of each
unit had their own table at the Noncommissioned Officers Club, leaving the
women SNCOs with literally no place to sit except the bar.  When Master
Sergeant Sarali N. Thornton arrived, men from several of the units invited her
to join their group whenever she came to the club.  The WMs further found that
once on the job, they soon became indispensable.  Their work sections did not
easily release women on Saturdays or Mondays, making weekend liberty trips
difficult.  It was a bittersweet compliment.

     Women Marines on Okinawa had a uniform problem since they wore the
two-piece summer cord dress all year and it was often quite cold.  The
raincoat did not provide a satisfactory answer as it was too hot and sticky in
the humid weather.  Major Wallis and Second Lieutenant Keeler designed a
green, V-necked cardigan sweater that fit under the lapels of the uniform. The
small standard green buttons normally worn on the epaulets of the summer
uniform were used on the non-regulation sweater.  It cost about $15 to have
one custom made, and Colonel Bishop gave permission to wear it on Okinawa
only.

     WMs stationed at Camp Butler and Futema joined together to celebrate
Christmas in Japan in 1967.  Major Wallis and one enlisted woman flew to Camp
Fuji to check the facilities.  The question was, "Could 17 women live in one
hootch (quonset hut) with only one shower?"  They decided they certainly could
manage for 72 hours.  Marines moved out, doubled up, and turned over their
hootch to the WMs.  The medical dispensary was made into quarters for the
women officers and staff noncommissioned officers.  In all, 25 WMs spent the
holidays at the Camp Fuji Range Company.  Time was spent climbing the slopes
of Mt. Fuji, skiing, and ice skating, but the highlight of the trip was a
Christmas Eve party at the Seibi Yamanaka Orphanage.  The Marines, men and
women, arrived laden with pots of spaghetti and meatballs, orange soda,
chocolate cake, and gaily wrapped presents for the 51 orphan boys.  After the
party the group returned to Camp Fuji to carol and to decorate the trees in
the mess hall and the clubs.  Late in the afternoon of Christmas Day, the
Marines enjoyed a family-style traditional Christmas dinner.

     February 1968 marked the 25th anniversary of the women Marines and Major
Wallis' tour was extended to complete plans for a special celebration.  It was
planned to have WMs from all WestPac commands attend, and a search was made to
find as many former WMs as possible from among the dependents.  At the last
moment, the WMs from Vietnam could not leave the country due to the Tet
offensive of 1968.  Women Marines from Camp Butler, Futema, and Iwakuni
gathered at Kadena's Airmen's Open Mess along with their guests.  The
traditional cake was cut by Major General John G. Bouker, who presented the
first piece to Master Sergeant Thornton, oldest WM at the party, and the
second to Lance Corporal Maureen McGauren, the youngest.

Women Marines in Vietnam

     Companion to greater opportunity is greater responsibility and for women
in the Marine Corps in the 1960's that meant service in the war-torn Republic
of Vietnam.  The announcement was made and plans were set in 1967 for one
officer and nine enlisted women to fill desk billets with the Military
Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), based in Saigon.  Generally, they were to
work with the Marine Corps Personnel Section on the staff of the Commander,
Naval Forces, Vietnam.  The section provided administrative support to Marines
assigned as far north as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Later, another officer
billet was added and Lieutenant Colonels Ruth J. O'Holleran and Ruth F.
Reinholz eventually served as historians with the Military History Branch,
Secretary Joint Staff, MACV.

     Care was taken to select mature, stable WMs who could be expected to
adapt to strange surroundings and cope in an emergency.  Interested women
Marines were asked to volunteer by notifying their commanding officer or by
indicating their desire to serve in Vietnam on their fitness reports.  There
was no shortage of volunteers, but not all met the criteria.  Then there was a
number of women who would willingly accept, but not volunteer for orders to a
combat zone.  Theoretically, all WMs who served in Vietnam were volunteers in
that nearly all had expressed their willingness to go and none objected.  When
Master Sergeant Bridget V. Connolly was asked what made her volunteer for duty
in Saigon, she laughed and said, "Who volunteered?  I received my orders in
the guard mail."  She became a legitimate volunteer when her initial tour
ended and she extended for an additional six months.

     The first woman Marine to report to Vietnam for duty was Master Sergeant
Barbara J. Dulinsky, who arrived on 18 March 1967.  After an 18-hour flight,
she landed at dusk at Bien Hoa, about 30 miles north of Saigon.  Travel was
restricted after dark on the unsecure roads, so she was billeted overnight at
the airfield.  The next morning she was taken by bus and armed escort to
Koeppler Compound in Saigon and there her tour began with a security lecture.
The briefing was not concerned with security of classified material as one
might expect, but with security in day-to-day living in Vietnam, such as
recognizing booby traps, and checking cabs upon entering to ensure there was a
handle inside.  Arrival procedures were similar for most WMs.

     At first, the enlisted women were quartered in the Ambassador Hotel, and
later they moved to the Plaza, a hotel-dormitory, two to a room.  Women of
other services and several hundred men called the Plaza home.  By spring 1968,
the enlisted women were moved to the Billings Bachelor Enlisted Quarters
(BEQ), located near MACV Headquarters and Tan Son Nhut Airbase.

     Generally, the women officers were billeted in Le Qui Don, a hotel-like
Bachelor Officers Quarters (BOQ).  Company grade officers were usually
assigned two to a room; WMs and WAVES billeted together.  Like the Plaza and
Billings BEQ, Le Qui Don Hotel was air conditioned, but electricity was a
sometime thing.

     There were no eating facilities in either the Billings BEQ or the Le Qui
Don BOQ.  Most of the women cooked in their room on hot plates or with
electric skillets.  When the power was out, they managed with charcoal-grilled
meals served by candlelight.

     There were no laundry facilities, but for about $15 a month, each woman
hired a maid who cleaned her room, and washed and pressed her uniforms.
Before leaving the United States the women Marines were cautioned to bring an
ample supply of nylons, sturdy cotton lingerie, and summer uniforms.  Not only
were these items scarce in the post exchange that catered to male troops, but
the maids were unduly hard on them.  Lieutenant Colonel Elaine E. Filkins
(later Davies) spoke of looking out her window to see the maid laundering her
nylon stockings and lingerie in a creek by pounding them with rocks.  The
garments that survived were a mass of torn, short elastic threads.  Girdles
and bras were short-lived "in the combat zone."

     Nylon hosiery was a luxury.  Women of some services were even excused
from wearing them when in uniform, a privilege not extended to women Marines.
Vietnamese women were fascinated by the sheer stockings and Lieutenant Colonel
Vera M. Jones told of walking down the streets of Saigon and being startled by
the touch of a Vietnamese woman feeling her stockings

     The women were advised to arrive with four to six pairs of dress pumps
for uniform wear because the streets were hard on shoes and repair service was
unsatisfactory.  In the "Information on Saigon" booklet provided each woman
before leaving the United States was written, ". . . bring a dozen sets of
heel lifts . . . .  Heels can easily be extracted with a pair of pliers and
new ones inserted with little difficulty."

     For the most part the WMs worked in Saigon, but on occasion duty took
them outside the city.  In January 1969, Captain Filkins, in a letter to the
Director of Women Marines, wrote:

In early December, Corporal Spaatz and I traveled to Da Nang with nearly 100
SRB/OQRs [service record books/officer qualification records] to conduct an
audit of the service records of the men stationed in the north.  The Army I
Corps had been most kind in aiding us in our efforts to provide administrative
assistance to our widely scattered men.  Corporal Spaatz is a fine
representative for the WMs with her professional handling of the audit.  It
was obvious that the men enjoyed the unfamiliar click of the female high
heeled shoes.  The weather was on our side so we were able to wear the dress
with pumps the entire visit.

     When the weather was unusually wet or when the city was under attack, the
women wore utilities and oxfords.  In addition the Army issued field uniforms
and combat boots to any woman required to wear them for duty.

     The Tet offensive of January-February 1968, a largescale enemy attack
that disrupted the city, brought some changes to the lives of WMs in Saigon.
At the time enlisted women were still quartered at the Plaza which received
automatic weapons fire.  Bus service to many of the BOQs and BEQs was cut off,
confining the women to their quarters.

     Captain Jones was unable to leave the Le Qui Don for a day and a half
before bus service, with armed escorts, resumed.  Excerpts of a letter from
Captain Jones to Colonel Bishop told something of the situation:

3 February 1968.  It's hard to believe that a war is going on around me.  I
sit here calmly typing this letter and yet can get up, walk to a window, and
watch the helicopters making machine gun and rocket strikes in the area of the
golf course which is about three blocks away.  At night, I lie in bed and
listen to the mortar rounds going off.  The streets, which are normally
crowded with traffic, are virtually bare . . . .  MSgt Dulinsky, Cpl Hensley,
and Cpl Wilson finally got into work this afternoon.  Cpls Hensley and Wilson
plan to spend the night.

     Excerpts from a letter from Master Sergeant Dulinsky elaborated:

9 February 1968.  We are still on a 24-hour curfew, with all hands in
utilities . . . .  MACV personnel (women included) were bussed down to
Koeppler compound and issued 3 pair of jungle fatigues and a pair of jungle
boots.

Right now, most of us don't look the picture of "The New Image."  Whew!
Hardly!  I can't determine at night, if I'm pooped from the work day or from
carrying around these anvils tied to my feet called combat boots.

Our Young-uns (and me too inside) were scared; but you'd have been proud of
them.  They turned to in the mess, cashiering, washing dishes, serving and
clearing tables.

     Although the Tet offensive kept the women from attending the celebration
of the silver anniversary of the women Marines in Okinawa, they were not
without a celebration.  Thanks to a WAVE and male Marines, they had a cake in
the office and the traditional cake-cutting ceremony.

     The command expected each person to work 60 productive hours a week. Time
off was precious, and recreational facilities were limited.  Bowling was a
popular sport, and old American television shows were broadcast a few hours
each evening.  The city was often under curfew with the Americans back in
their quarters by 2000 or 2200.  Movies were available several nights a week
in some of the BEQs and BOQs.  A number of the women kept busy during their
off-duty hours by working at the Armed Forces Television Station, helping at
various orphanages, and visiting Vietnamese families.  Captain Jones, the only
woman Marine who attended Vietnamese language school, taught English to a
class of Vietnamese policemen.

     Captain Filkins, interested in an orphanage for blind girls, solicited
soap, clothing, linens, toys, and supplies from the women Marine companies at
home.  In her letter she wrote, "They are rather confined in their small, dark
world of the orphanage so they seem quite thrilled when visitors come to see
them . . .  Many of these children are lucky if they are picked up and held
for a few minutes each week."

     One woman Marine in particular, Staff Sergeant Ermelinda Salazar (later
Esquibel), who touched the lives of Vietnamese orphans, was nominated for the
1970 Unsung Heroine Award sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary,
and was immortalized in a painting by Marine artist Cliff Young.  During her
15 months in Saigon, Staff Sergeant Salazar essentially took over a MACV civic
action project involving the St. Vincent de Paul orphanage.

     In a letter dated 10 September 1969, to Gunnery Sergeant Helen A. Dowd,
she told of her work with the children:

I don't remember if I mentioned to you that I had been working with the
orphanage supported by MACV.  It is not a big one - only 75 children ages from
a few weeks old to about 11 or 12 years of age. They are precious and quite
lively . . . .  This whole orphanage is taken care of by two Catholic sisters
. . . .  One of them is rather advanced in age (about in her 60's) and the
other is quite young and active.  Still and all, Gunny, these two souls work
themselves to death . . . . The two sisters are Vietnamese who speak no
English at all.  And me?  I know a limited number of broken phrases and words
in Vietnamese.

Since I've been working at the orphanage, I've had to overcome much
repugnance.  There's a lot of sickness and disease here in Vietnam . . . .  So
when I say the orphanage it doesn't have the same connotation that it does
back in the states where the children are well fed . . . and healthy for at
least they have medical facilities and medicines available.  These children
have nothing!  If the WM company is wondering about any projects for Christmas
here is something you can think about.  Anything and everything is needed.

     Determined that these children would have a party, Staff Sergeant Salazar
personally contacted Marine units for contributions, arranged a site and bus
transportation, enlisted interested people to help, and wrapped individual
gifts for each child.  Her interest continued after the holidays and in spite
of 11-hour workdays, six days a week, she was able to influence other Marines
to follow her lead in working at the orphanage. Nominating her for the Unsung
Heroine Award, her commanding officer wrote:"Her unusual and untiring efforts
to assist these otherwise forgotten children reflect great credit upon herself
the United States Marine Corps, this command, and the United States."

     Staff Sergeant Salazar was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal
for meritorious achievement in the performance of her duties during the period
10 October 1969 to 10 January 1970 while serving with the Military History
Branch, Secretary Joint Staff, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam.  In
addition, the Republic of Vietnam awarded her the Vietnamese Service Medal for
her work with the orphans.

     Women Marines in Vietnam normally numbered eight or 10 enlisted women and
one or two officers at any one time for a total of about 28 enlisted women and
eight officers between 1967 and 1973.  Their letters and interviews reveal
their apprehension before arriving in Saigon, their satisfaction with their
tour, and their increased sense of being a Marine.

Women Marines in Marine Security Guard Battalion

     Traditionally, women Marines had not been assigned to the Marine Security
Guard Battalion, commonly referred to as embassy duty.  The primary mission of
an embassy Marine is to safeguard classified material vital to the United
States' interests and to protect American lives and property abroad.  In 1967
the first two women officers joined the Marine Security Guard Battalion, not
as guards, but as personnel officers.  First Lieutenant Charlene M. Summers
(later Itchkawich) served with Company C, Manila, Philippines, and Warrant
Officer Mary E. Pease was assigned to Company D, Panama Canal Zone.  The
following year, Captain Gail M. Reals reported to Company B, Beirut, Lebanon.

Women Marines Overseas - Summary

     Opportunities for women Marines to serve outside the continental United
States had been extremely limited from World War II to 1966.  Billets
available in Europe never accommodated more than nine or 10 women, officers
and enlisted.  Until October 1966, Hawaii was the only location in the Pacific
at which WMs could serve.  On 30 June 1966, 3.7 percent, or 63 women Marines,
56 in Hawaii and seven at foreign locations, were serving outside the
continental limits.

     The location of the billets and the numerical requirements change from
time to time but the policy of expanded overseas assignments for women in the
Marine Corps made during the years 1966-1972, following the recommendations of
the Pepper Board, has persisted.

     These years saw remarkable changes made in the utilization, training, and
assignment of women Marines and marked success in recruiting, officer
procurement, and retention efforts.  The Pepper Board reported its findings
and recommendations to improve the effectiveness of women Marines in 1965 at a
time when the war in Vietnam demanded maximum effort and performance of each
Marine.  Many questioned the price tag that would accompany implementation of
the study group's recommendations; others recognized the costliness of
inadequately trained and disillusioned Marines.  Largely due to the leadership
and untiring efforts of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Greene;
the chairman of the Woman Marine Program Study Group, Lieutenant General
Pepper; and the Director of Women Marines, Colonel Bishop, notable progress
was made and the status of women placed on a firmer footing than any time
previously in the history of the Corps.