Multimedia Mania/abacus-multimedia-mania.iso/dp/0111/01117.txt

Text File | 1993-07-27 | 24KB | 398 lines

$Unique_ID{bob01117}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{(A) History Of The Women Marines 1946-1977
Chapter 7: Part 2}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Stremlow, Col. Mary V.}
$Affiliation{U.S. Marine Corps Reserve}
$Subject{women
marine
sergeant
woman
first
headquarters
marines
officer
battalion
company}
$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 7: Part 2

Bandsmen

     Well before the final verdict was in on opening new occupational fields
to women, an old one became available once more.  Until 1973, the musical MOS
5500 was designated for wartime duty only.  Women Marine bandsmen were a rare
sight after the demobilization of Camp Lejeune's renowned MCWR band of World
War II.  In 1967, Colonel Bishop reported that Corporals Donna L. Correll and
Marjorie W. Groht had joined the Marine Corps Supply Center band at Albany and
played in ceremonies on 10 November.  These two Marines, members of the first
group of WMs to report to Albany, played the clarinet and trumpet and were
believed to be the only women performing with a Marine band at the time.  In
1969, Lance Corporal Judy A. Tiffany volunteered on apart time basis as a
cymbal player with the newly formed Drum and Bugle Team at the Marine
Barracks, Treasure Island, California.  And then, in 1971, five WMs, Corporals
Sue Redding and Nancy Wright, Lance Corporals Sue Deleskiewicz and Joan
Mahaffey, and Private First Class Martha Eveland became the first WM musical
unit since World War II when they formed the WM Drum Section of Treasure
Island's Drum and Bugle Team.

     Private Jay C. Clark was assigned the 5500 MOS in February 1973 while in
recruit training at Parris Island.  She was assigned to the post band and
later sent to Basic Music School in Little Creek, Virginia.  Upon completion
of the six-month course, she served in the bands in Hawaii and at the Recruit
Depot at San Diego, California.

     The famed U.S. Marine Band of Washington, D.C, however, remained an
all-male bastion until 1973, when, due to a critical shortage of certain
instrumentalists, the band sought and received permission to enlist women.
Elizabeth A. Eitel, an oboist and University of Montana student, became, in
April 1973, the first woman to audition and to be accepted. Before she
graduated and subsequently enlisted on 30 July, another young woman, Ruth S.
Johnson, a University of Michigan graduate, joined the band on 16 May,
becoming its first woman member.  Like all members of the band, the women were
appointed to the rank of staff sergeant and were not required to attend
recruit training.  Gunnery Sergeant Johnson, in 1977, was the Marine Band's
principal French hornist.

     At first there were several conditions imposed by the band.  The women,
for example, were to wear the male bandsmen uniforms.  Colonel Margaret A.
Brewer, Director of Women Marines, satisfied that this new opportunity was
available to women, prudently offered no opposition.  It was soon obvious that
the men's trousers were ill-fitting and difficult to tailor for the women, so
new uniforms, following the traditional pattern but proportioned for the
female figure, were designed.  Eventually long skirts were added to the
wardrobe.  The WM hat posed some problems, especially in wet weather as it
required careful blocking to keep in shape.  The band had a white vinyl model
designed and asked Colonel Brewer for her opinion.  With its gold emblem, red
cap cord, and semi-shiny fabric, she found it unattractive at first, but
agreed to a test period.  The vinyl hat not only looked fine when worn during
performances, but it solved the maintenance problem. Recognizing the
practicality of a hat that can withstand rain and snow the white vinyl was
later copied for use by women MPs.

     By July 1977, the Marine Band counted in its ranks the following 10 women
musicians:

     Gunnery Sergeant Gail A. Bowlin  .  .  .  .       flute
     Gunnery Sergeant Elizabeth A. Eitel .  .  .        oboe
     Staff Sergeant Elnora Teopaco Figueroa .  .      violin
     Staff Sergeant Michelle Foley .  .  .  .  .        oboe
     Gunnery Sergeant Carol Hayes  .  .  .  .  .       viola
     Gunnery Sergeant Ruth S. Johnson .  .  .  . French horn
     Staff Sergeant Denna S. Purdie.  .  .  .  .       cello
     Staff Sergeant Linda D. Stolarchyk  .  .  .       cello
     Staff Sergeant Vickie J. Yanics  .  .  .  .      violin
     Staff Sergeant Dyane Wright.  .  .  .  .  .     bassoon

Women Marines in the Fleet Marine Force

     The Snell Committee recommended that a pilot program be established to
assign women to stateside division, wing, or force service regiment
headquarters in noncombat rear echelon billets such as disbursing, data
systems, administration, etc.  General Cushman, Commandant of the Marine
Corps, approved the concept on 14 November 1973.  In February 1974, a message
was sent to FMF commanders notifying them of a yet-to-be published change in
policy which would permit the assignment of women to FMF billets involving
service support, aviation support, or communication occupational specialties
that would not require them to deploy with the assault echelon of the command
if a contingency arose.  The legal restrictions that women not be assigned
duty in aircraft that are engaged in combat missions nor on vessels of the
Navy other than hospital ships and transports were included.

     The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and the 1st Marine Division were designated
as the commands to participate in a six-month pilot program, and they were
provided information on the grade and MOSs of the women selected for FMF
assignments.  The message stated, "These Marines will be joined on the rolls
of, and administered by, the headquarters indicated.  Their duties will be
consistent with the requirement of the billet to which assigned."  This simple
statement, referring to Marines without the usual modifier, women, bespoke an
important change in attitude.  As an adjunct to the pilot program, all FMF
commanders were asked to identify billets within their headquarters considered
suitable for women Marines.

     Originally, 13 women were selected to take part in the experiment: seven
to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and six to the 1st Marine Division. Actually,
nine WMs, four officers and five enlisted women, were assigned to the wing.
They were:

     First Lieutenant Maralee J. Johnson
     First Lieutenant Dian S. George
     Second Lieutenant Vicki B. Taylor
     Second Lieutenant Margaret A. Humphrey
     Gunnery Sergeant Sharyl E. Sheftz
     Sergeant Charlene K. Wiese
     Corporal Pamela S. Scott Corporal Eva J. Lugo
     Lance Corporal Marsha A. Douglas

     In an interview published in the Windsock, the Cherry Point newspaper, in
July 1974, Corporal Scott said, "At first I heard there might be some problems
because men didn't want women in the Wing, but everyone here has been helpful,
and I haven't had any problem at all."  Sergeant Wiese, accounting analyst
with the comptroller section, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing said, "There was a lot
of apprehension between myself and the Marine I was working with, but it's
gone now and things are great."  Others commented on the changes brought by
being administratively attached to the wing rather than Woman Marine
Detachment 2, a small unit where everyone knew everyone else.

     The six women assigned to the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton were
Captain Karyl L. Moesel, First Lieutenant Maria T. Hernandez, Second
Lieutenant Mary S. Burns, Gunnery Sergeant Esther F. Peters, Sergeant Judith
A. Alexander, and Sergeant Lynn J. Powell.

     At the end of the six-month experimental period, in November 1974, the
Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division, Brigadier General William L.
McCulloch, reported that, ". . . the WMs have managed to assimilate necessary
knowledge of FMF peculiar systems to allow them to be assets to their
respective sections" and, he continued:

It is this command's interpretation . . . that WMs assigned to FMF commands
are deployable to advanced areas as long as they are not deployed with assault
echelon . . . and are, therefore, not necessarily bound to rear echelon . . .
billets . . . .  This command enthusiastically supports assignments of WMs to
CONUS FMF commands and foresees no insurmountable problems associated with
program.  Assignment of WMs would provide source of talent and critical skills
and would ease skill shortages within the First MARDIV.

     The Commanding General, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Major General Ralph H.
Spanjet, in his assessment of the pilot program, noted that the nine WMs were
rapidly assimilated into the wing staff, and no problems were observed in
military courtesy, appearance, or bearing.  The physical fitness testing had
been conducted by the senior woman officer without difficulty and with notable
success.  He continued that the small number involved precluded any effect on
deployment and during field exercises, the women Marines had a positive effect
on the headquarters by remaining in garrison and continuing the daily
administrative routine.  Finally, he submitted:

The pilot program of assigning Women Marines to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing has
thus far been successful in terms of orientation, capability, and performance.
Realizing the practicality of assigning Woman Marines to CONUS Fleet Marine
Force Commands, it is felt that the program should be continued.

     The commanding general of FMFPac, on the subject of women in ConUS FMF
commands, wrote: "This headquarters regards utilization of women Marines in
FMF commands both feasible and desirable providing such assignment does not
adversely affect combat readiness . . . . " And he offered the recommendation
that:

. . . Marine Corps education and training programs be modified to:

1.  Increase emphasis on FMF-related instruction and training for women
Marines, to include extension school courses and, if possible additional
quotas to intermediate and high level schools.

2.  Incorporate into Human Relations and leadership training consideration of
the role of women Marines in the FME.

     As part of the pilot program, the commanders of the division, aircraft
wings, force troops, and force service regiments identified rear echelon
billets totaling 75 officer and 450 enlisted that could be filled by women
without requiring them to deploy with the assault echelon.  The billets
included supply, disbursing, communications, intelligence, administration,
data systems, and legal specialties.  When new MOSs were opened to women by
the 1975 decision, even more FMF billets were considered suitable for women
Marines.

     Women in the 1st Marine Division were featured in an article published in
the Los Angeles Times in September 1976.  Among those mentioned were Second
Lieutenant Michelle D. Venne, combat engineer officer, who was the first woman
officer to attend Combat Engineer School and finished first in her class;
Lance Corporal Victoria Carrillo, a plumber and water supplyman who, at the
time, was the only woman water purification expert in the Marine Corps; Second
Lieutenant Carol Sue Lamb, the only female motor transport officer in the FME
who was serving as assistant division motor transport officer and later served
as a division supply group platoon commander; Corporal Cynthia Robinson, an
electrician, who performed duties such as pole line construction and the
stringing of power lines; Second Lieutenant Laura A. Hull, headquarters
battalion adjutant; and Lance Corporal Kimberly Greene, only woman coxswain in
the Marine Corps.  Lance Corporal Greene, who grew up on Narragansett Bay in
Rhode Island, practiced her seamanship in the Corps by handling a 58-foot
landing craft which could carry up to 40 combat-loaded Marines for an assault
on an enemy beach.

     There were at the time, 42 women in the 1st Marine Division, and their
commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Robert D. White, confessed that while
the obvious problems such as restroom facilities and billeting were
nettlesome, they were not difficult.  The women Marines lived in motel-like
BEQs with their male colleagues, since it was thought that segregated barracks
would run counter to unit integrity.

     The men found that women tend to keep their quarters better policed, but
Colonel White soon learned that:

. . . there is a greater sense of urgency from the women when equipment,
such as washing machines, fails.  The women seem to be more conscious of how
they look in uniform . . . and when it comes to wearing sidearms which might
make a hippy woman look hippier, an option of uniform is allowed. They can
wear either skirts or utility outfits.

     Anticipated problems resulting from men and women living in the same
barracks did not materialize as the division men seemed to take a protective
attitude toward the WMs.  Barracks and office language was noticeably
improved, but the feminine presence apparently caused little resentment on
that score, since Lieutenant Colonel White was quoted as saying, "The division
is more fun with the girls."

     The women unanimously endorsed FMF assignments for WMs. Lance Corporal
Debora Pederson, a correspondence clerk in the headquarters battalion
adjutant's office, said, ". . . at Pendleton, we are treated as Marines, not
specified as women Marines."  First Lieutenant Venne found senior officers
dubious when she was assigned as a division engineer, responsible for
equipment used in bridge building, grading roads, and other construction
projects associated with combat.  But the skepticism was because she was a
lieutenant and not because she was a woman.

     In July 1977, there were 610 women Marines serving in the FMF 96 officers
and 514 enlisted women.  The policy to assign them only to stateside
organizations was still in effect, but individual exceptions had been made
where FMF commanders overseas had specifically asked for women Marines.

Women in Command

     The Marine Corps Manual, from 1948 until 1973, laid down the rule that
women could command only those units that were predominantly female.  At least
one exception was made when Captain Jeanne Fleming was assigned as the
commanding officer of Company B, Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Schools,
Quantico, from July 1956 until September 1958.  The company consisted of all
officer students at Quantico, less those attending The Basic School. Her
duties were primarily administrative, but it was quite unusual, nevertheless,
for men to report in and find a woman commanding officer.  One of them was
Major Albert W. Snell, later to head the Ad Hoc Committee in 1973.

     After approving the Snell Committee recommendation that women be
permitted to command units other than woman Marine companies, General Cushman
announced the new policy at a press conference in southern California in
December 1973.  He added, as a side comment, that, indeed, Camp Pendleton was
soon to make such an assignment.  According to the woman destined to become
the Marine Corps' first woman commander of a nearly all male battalion,
Colonel Mary E. Bane, the general's pronouncement was news to the command at
Camp Pendleton.  The press picked up on the Commandant's statement immediately
and all other topics of his news conference were forgotten.

     Colonel Bane, who had been filling a colonel's billet as an assistant
chief of staff for personnel services, was informed by the Assistant Chief of
Staff (Manpower), "You have been selected to sacrifice, Evie."  The day
following the Commandant's announcement, the commanding general, Brigadier
General Robert L. Nichols, named Colonel Bane to be Commanding Officer,
Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton,
California.  The furor was astonishing.  In less than 24 hours, she had to
change her telephone to an unlisted number.  She had spent a sleepless night
answering calls from the media, women's liberation organizations, cranks, and
friends.  In a short time she received over 300 letters, both congratulatory
and abusive.  There were requests for autographed photographs and an
80-year-old retired Navy chief petty officer wrote to General Earl E.
Anderson, Assistant Commandant, and asked for a set of Colonel Bane's first
lieutenant bars.  Mail came from Germany, Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines,
and from such diverse sources as the American Nazi Party and the National
Organization of Women.  In fact, the letters continued to arrive two years
after she left the command.

     Headquarters and Service Battalion was a unit of 1,700 Marines, including
a woman Marine company.  Colonel Bane's immediate staff the executive officer,
Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Topping, and the battalion sergeant major, were
all very supportive.  She, herself felt unprepared for the billet and resented
being assigned because of sex rather than qualifications.  In due time the
commotion subsided, and business at the battalion went on as usual.  Eleven
months later, Brigadier General Paul Graham assumed command of Marine Corps
Base, Camp Pendleton, and reassigned Colonel Bane for, in her words, ". . .
precisely the same reason for which I was assigned - because I was a woman."
He just did not want a woman as the commanding officer of a headquarters
battalion.  In fact, he did not want a woman in a colonel's billet and Colonel
Bane, who had held the responsible position of an assistant chief of staff and
had been a battalion commander for 11 months, was reassigned as the base human
affairs officer, a major's billet.

     When Captain Kathleen V. Abbott Ables took command of Supply Company,
Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Base, Twentynine Palms,
California, on 7 March 1975, there was none of the hoopla that accompanied
Colonel Bane's appointment.  It was, just the same, an historic event, a woman
in command of a predominantly male company.  Looking back, Major Ables was not
certain what prompted the battalion commander to assign a woman to the job.
The billet was open, and she was the next senior captain in the battalion. She
wrote, "The prevailing attitude was that it was my job as a captain, and that
I could and would handle it professionally."

     The company first sergeant, Gayle R. Heitman, made it known to the NCOs
and SNCOs that he had worked with Captain Ables before and their expressed
fears were unfounded.  Only the company clerk, a sergeant, had real difficulty
accepting a woman commanding officer, and he went to the battalion commander
several times, in vain, to ask for a transfer.

     In the beginning, as might be expected, inspections were the cause of
some concern.  Personnel inspections had been held without weapons at Supply
Company so that when Captain Ables arrived on the scene she merely had to
learn the details of male uniform regulations and personal appearance
standards.  As for quarters inspections, it was not difficult to respect the
privacy of Marine shift workers who were apt to be sleeping or relaxing in the
barracks during the day since the battalion was billeted in motel-style rooms
rather than in open squadbays.  First Sergeant Heitman would knock and if
there was no answer, he would unlock the door and go in.  If the room was
empty, Captain Ables followed him in to inspect.  The procedure was reversed
in the women's BEQ.  Male Marines learned something about a woman's idea of a
clean barracks.  In a 1977 letter, Major Ables wrote:

BEQ inspections caused some heartburn in the company for about a month after I
became commanding officer.  With two of us inspecting, a large number of
previously undetected discrepancies were found.  One morning, we arrived at
one room to find one of the occupants leaning over a table with a cloth in his
hand.  I made some comment about making the final touchup, and he replied,
"Yes, ma'am.  We hear you're a real stickler on dust."

     Nonjudicial punishment is always unpleasant but with a woman commanding
officer could be awkward as well, depending upon the nature of the offense.
One case involved language that neither the accused nor the witnesses wanted
to use in front of a lady.  A relatively simple solution was found: the
offending statement was written out and all parties read and signed it.

     Five months after taking over Supply Company, Captain Ables was assigned
as commanding officer of her second and larger nearly all-male company,
Headquarters Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, which consisted of
about 330 men and 40 women.  Again, the first sergeant, Gene A. Lafond, was a
key to a successful tout.  Integrated battalions and companies such as this
one gave rise to some interesting adjustments, notably in the area of physical
training.  In this instance, the battalion organized a competitive seven-mile
conditioning hike.  The course included a climb over hills behind the main
camp, but because the WMs did not have adequate boots for the cross-country
portion, a seven-mile road march was planned for them to be lead by Captain
Ables.  The battalion commander had arranged to take her company himself.  The
women's platoons from each company were combined to form a single WM unit and
scheduled to hike on the day before Captain Ables' Headquarters Company.

     Having finished her portion of training, Captain Ables was challenged by
her husband, Major Charles K. Ables, to lead her own company the next day. She
admitted that it was a struggle to run-walk to keep from straggling.  It
happened that she was not only not the last to complete the course, but she
helped to push a Marine over the finish line, and Headquarters Company won the
competition.  Afterwards, it was decided that company hikes would be conducted
with men and women participating together, maintaining unit integrity.

     An interesting aspect of Captain Ables' experience as a commanding
officer is the fact that her husband was a member of her command, no doubt a
unique situation in Marine Corps history.

     In addition to the command tours of Colonel Bane and Captain Ables, other
assignments evidenced some change in philosophy and policy.  In 1974,
Lieutenant Colonel Annie M. Trowsdale was assigned as executive officer of
Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, and
Sergeant Major Eleanor L. Judge was named sergeant major of Headquarters and
Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point.  Gunnery
Sergeant Frances Gonzales, in 1975, became the first sergeant of Casual
Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San
Diego.

1973-1977 Summary

     The Snell Committee report, approved in November 1973, challenged the
Marine Corps to take a new look at its use of womanpower, and the zero draft
situation for military services demanded it.  Combined with the women's
movement, changing attitudes in American society, and successful recruiting in
terms of quality as well as numbers, these factors added up to a role of
increased importance to be played by women in the Marine Corps.