US Marine Corps Women's Reserve: ‘They Are Marines’: Uniforms and Equipment in World War II - Hardcover

Moran, Jim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1526710455 ISBN 13: 9781526710451

Publisher: Frontline Books, 2018

Synopsis

When the US Marine Commandant, Major General Thomas Holcomb, announced the formation of what became the US Marine Corps’ Women’s Reserve, legend has it that the portrait of the fifth Commandant, Archibald Henderson, fell off the wall and crashed to the floor – ‘in disbelief’. This branch of the US Marines was authorized by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 30 July 1942.

This law allowed for the acceptance of women into the reserve as commissioned officers and at the enlisted level, effective for the duration of the war plus six months. The purpose of the law was to release officers and men for combat and to replace them with women in shore stations. The result was that between 1943 and 1945 the women of America enlisted in their thousands to ‘Free A Man to Fight’.

This book, the first of its kind, explores in detail the role of Women Marines, or WRs as they were known at the time. It also presents a detailed study of the uniforms of the WRs supported by numerous color photographs.

This book has been written with the full support of the US Marine Corps Histories Division, the Women Marine Association and surviving WR veterans.

About this title

About the Author

Born in 1954 in Sheffield, England, JIM MORAN lives in Yorkshire with his wife and daughter. Following a grammar school education, Jim has had a forty-year-long career as a civil engineering surveyor working on major highway and airbase construction projects, both in the UK and overseas. Jim has been a student of the history of the United States Marine Corps, massing a huge collection over the past forty years. He has assisted Hollywood productions on uniform and equipment details for Flags of our Fathers, The Pacific (HBO mini-series) and Windtalkers. Jim is an associate member of the Second Marine Division Association, US Marine Raider Association, Marine Corps Association, and US Marine Corps League as well as being the 'on-board ' historian to the US Marine Corps League, Det 1088 (UK).

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

U.S. Marine Corps

Women's Reserve 'They Are Marines!' The USMCWR in World War II

By Jim Moran

Pen and Sword Books Ltd

Copyright © 2018 Jim Moran
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5267-1045-1

Contents

Dedication, 
Acknowledgements, 
Foreword by Nancy Wilt, 
Introduction, 
1. US Marine Corps Women's Reserve, 
2. Jobs and Job Assignments, 
3. Administration and Policies, 
4. Specialist Units and Decorations, 
5. Hawaii Duty, 
6. Demobilisation, 
Chronology – USMCWR, 
THE UNIFORMS, 
HEADWEAR, 
ACCESSORIES, 
APPENDIX 1. Quartermaster Photographs, 
APPENDIX 2. Jobs in Which Women Marines Were Assigned During WWII, 
APPENDIX 3. Buttons, 
APPENDIX 4. Memo to Lillian Sandy, 
APPENDIX 5. Uniforms and Accessories, MCWR – Issues and Quantities Contracted, 
APPENDIX 6. Uniforms and Accessories, MCWR – Required Items, 
APPENDIX 7. Uniforms and Accessories, MCWR – List of Specifications, 
APPENDIX 8. Uniform Regulations 1943, 
APPENDIX 9. Uniform Regulations 1945, 

CHAPTER 1

US MARINE CORPS WOMEN'S RESERVE

On 7 November 1942, just three days before the 167th birthday of the Marine Corps, the Marine Corps Commandant, Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb, gave his official approval to the formation of the Marine Corps Women's Reserve. During the next three years, more than 20,000 women would serve in the WR, releasing urgently needed male Marines for combat duty. Marine Corps Headquarters quickly went about setting up the policies and procedures needed to initiate this move, however, the official announcement was not made to the American public until three months later – 13 February 1943. The Marine Corps had tried to avoid making the announcement before the plans were fully developed, as they felt that this would not be in the best interest of the newly formed Women's Reserve.

The Marine Corps was the last of the four services to set up a women's reserve in World War II. It was widely believed that the Commandant of the Marine Corps had been against the formation of a Women's Reserve, even though the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and the Navy's Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) were being developed. Less than a year after the Women Marines had been formed, he commented, 'Like most other Marines, when the matter first came up I didn't believe women could serve any useful purpose in the Marine Corps ... Since then I've changed my mind.'

General Holcomb realised, however, that when the matter of a Women's Reserve was brought for discussion as a serious possibility in World War II, the admission of Women Marines would be on a greater scale than had been previously envisaged, and would raise numerous new questions and problems, all of which would require an answer or solution.

The decision to admit women to the Marine Corps came about as the result of studies carried out by the M-1 section of the Plans and Policies Division at Marine Corps Headquarters. Although the matter had been discussed months earlier, it had been dropped due to the Commandant's feelings on the subject. When it was realised that it would release urgently needed combat personnel in large numbers, the debate was re-opened and re-studied.

On 5 October 1942, the Plans and Policies Division recommended that the Women's Reserve be established and suggested to the Commandant that it be a separate section within the Division of Reserve. The Commandant agreed and, on 12 October, wrote to the Secretary of the Navy,

In furtherance of the war effort, it was believed that as many women as possible should be used in non-combatant billets, thus releasing a greater number of the limited manpower available for essential combat duty.

He quoted Public Law 689, 77th Congress, approved on 30 July 1942, whichamended the Naval Reserve Act of 1938 by the addition of a section entitled 'Women's Reserve' and stating that it should be part of the Naval Reserve.

On 26 October, the first endorsement of the Commandant's letter by the Judge Advocate General's office approved this, stating,

The creation of a Women's Reserve, which shall be a branch of the United States Marine Corps Reserve, appears to be fully authorised by the law. The specific proposals of the Commandant of the Marine Corps as contained in the basic communication have been examined in this office and it is considered that they legally be approved.

The second endorsement came on 30 October from the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations, and was equally approving. Final authorisation for the creation of the Women's Reserve from Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, was received on 31 October, followed by that of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 7 November. Authorisation was for an initial force of 500 officers and 6,000 enlisted by 30 June 1943, increasing to a total of 1,000 officers and 18,000 enlisted by 30 June 1944.

The distribution of rank and grade was the same as for the men of the Marine Corps and based on the number of women to be enlisted: the allocation of officers was 1 Major and 35 Captains, with 35% of the total number of commissioned officers to be in the rank of First Lieutenant and the remainder to be Second Lieutenants. Determination of the highest rank held by a member of the Marine Corps Women's Reserve was based on Public Law 689, which provided for one officer with the rank of Lieutenant Commander for the Women's Reserve of the United States Naval Reserve. The counterpart in the Marine Corps would hold the rank of Major. Subsequent amendments to the law would increase the rank of the senior woman in each naval service to Captain (Navy and Coast Guard) and Colonel (Marine Corps).

The first distinct step towards establishing the Women's Reserve was made on 5 November 1942, when the Commandant wrote to commanding officers in all Marine posts and procurement districts, announcing that the Marine Corps was 'initiating steps to organise a Women's Reserve'. He directed all officers to review activities within their jurisdiction and identify the number of Women Reservists (WRs) who could replace officers and men in areas such as clerical, communications, transportation, mess and commissary, mechanical and so on. He explained that, 'within the next year the manpower shortage will be such that it will be incumbent on all concerned with the national welfare to replace men by women in all possible positions'. From the information returned from posts and stations, projections were made of the number of women who would need specialist training in fields such as Paymaster, Quartermaster and Communications, in addition to estimates of WRs who could effectively use the skills they would be bringing to the Marine Corps from civilian life. Quotas were established for recruitment of enlisted women and officers, and tentative start dates were identified for training classes.

Although the Marine Corps was only authorised for a strength of 6,500 women by 30 June 1943, the findings from this preliminary survey suggested that more than 4,000 would be needed immediately. The numbers of WRs requested by Marine Corps stations were:

Quantico, Virginia 692
Cherry Point, North Carolina 688
Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina 726
San Diego, California 650
Camp Elliott, California 981
Camp Pendleton, California 416
Parris Island, South Carolina 278
Total 4,431

A considerable amount of pre-planning was required to ensure successful recruitment, training, administration and equipping of the new Women's Reserve. One of the most important tasks, however, was the selection and appointment of a Director. The Commandant was in no doubt that the success of the Women's Reserve would depend on the calibre and capability of the woman chosen for this post, and in November he wrote to Dean Virginia C. Gildersleeve of Barnard College, Columbia University, to enlist her help. The Commandant wrote, in part:

It is my understanding that in the selection of the woman to head up the WAVES, the Navy availed itself of the advice of the Advisory Educational Council, of which you are the Chairman. If it is not too much of an imposition, the Marine Corps would be glad if your Council could undertake a similar service for it.

General Holcomb was quick to point out that the Marine Corps did not intend to dictate the method by which candidates were chosen, whether this was decided by sub-committee or by any other means:

We are only interested in procuring the services of some woman who is qualified for a commission as Major in the Marine Corps and to assume the parallel position to Miss McAfee (Lieutenant Commander Mildred McAfee, Director of the WAVES).

Soon afterwards, Dean Gildersleeve and her committee presented a recommendation of 12 outstanding women and the Marine Corps began making discreet enquiries on their capabilities. The candidates were interviewed in person by the Director of Reserve, Colonel Littleton W. T. Waller, Jr, under whose office the Women's Reserve would be held for administrative purposes. Colonel Waller and his right-hand man, Major C. Brewster Rhoads, travelled across the country to interview prospective candidates individually, their recommendations leading eventually to the selection of Mrs Ruth Cheney Streeter, age 47, of Morristown, New Jersey.

Mrs Streeter was President of her class at Bryn Mawr College, the mother of four grown up children including two sons in the Navy and one in the Army, and was active in health and welfare work in New Jersey for over 20 years. She was a strong-willed woman who had, within the previous year, taken out both private and commercial pilot's licences and was considered to have the combination of personal and organisational abilities required of a Woman Marine Director. Mrs Streeter was commissioned a Major, USMCWR, on 29 January 1943, sworn in by Secretary of the Navy, Knox.

In regard to procurement and training, the existing facilities of the WAVES would be used as much as possible, according to a joint letter to the Secretary of the Navy from the Chief of Naval Personnel and the Commandants of the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. As the Women's Reserves of both the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard were part of the Naval establishment, the official recommendation was that members of these units be procured through the Office of Naval Officer Procurement and trained 'insofar as it is practical' in schools already set up for members of the WAVES.

In February 1943 six other women, in addition to Major Streeter and Captain Lentz, had been directly commissioned from civilian life before the official public announcement of the Women's Reserve. Lentz was commissioned to design the various uniforms for the WRs and commissioned Captain on 15 January 1943. All had been selected because their abilities and experience equipped them for key Marine Corps billets, such as recruitment and training, which had to be filled right away. They commenced duty at Marine Corps Headquarters immediately, commissioned without any formal induction and in civilian clothing. These Marines were:

Women's Reserve representative for Public Relations
– First Lieutenant E. Louise Stewart
Women's Reserve representative for Training
– Captain Charlotte D. Gower
Women's Reserve representative for Classification and Detail
– Captain Cornelia D. T. Williams
Women's Reserve representative for West Coast Activities
– Captain Lillian O'Malley Daly
Women's Reserve representative for Recruit Depot
– Captain Katherine A. Towle
Women's Reserve Assistant to the Director
– Captain Helen C. O'Neill.

Three major factors favoured the Marine Corps Women's Reserve, despite the fact that they were the last of the women's wartime services to be established. These were:

First – the Marines shared their proud name, spanning 168 years of tradition and esprit de corps. They therefore became Women Marines and did not have an abbreviation of their designation or semi-official nickname, in spite of the public media's attempts!

Second – the Women's Reserve was accepted as a full-fledged integrated part of the Marine Corps and not an auxiliary service.

Third – the men's distinctive forest green uniform was followed closely, with modifications to 'feminise' for the Women Marines. In the same way as the name Marines, this gave to the Women Marines the feeling of acceptance on an equal basis in the Marine Corps and encouraged hard work and dedication to ensure they deserved the name 'good Marines'.

In a recommendation to the Commandant one month before the announcement of the Women's Reserve was made to the public, Colonel Waller, Director of Reserve, declared:

Women Reservists of the US Marine Corps will not be specially designated as in the case of WAVES or SPARS, but will be called Marines. It is proposed that they will be uniformed in the forest green of the Marine Corps with suitable differences being made in the material and in the cut of the uniform to conform to the convenience and smart appearance of women, but sufficiently like the Marine Corps uniform to permit no possibility of doubt as to the branch of the service to which the Women Reservists are attached.

The first official announcement of the Women's Reserve to the general public was made on 13 February 1943 and Navy procurement offices throughout the country that had been made responsible for enlistment were swamped with women who wanted to be Marines. In Washington, DC, over 100 applications were filed duringthe first two days after enlistment opened, causing one recruiting officer to complain that the overload of applicants was causing his office staff to 'get behind in their work'.

Applications were received from a wide range of women, from Mrs Otho L. Rogers of Washington, DC, and Mrs Henry T. Elrod of Coronado, California, both widows of Marine Majors recently killed in combat, to schoolgirls, office workers, grandmothers and college students. Enthusiasm was so high that some women tried to enlist on the Saturday when the initial announcement was made, even though enlistments did not officially open until the following Monday. Indeed, records show that some of them succeeded. With the exception of the few officers direct-commissioned before the public announcement, the distinction of being the first World War II Woman Marine went to Lucille E. McClarren of Nemacolin, Pennsylvania, who enlisted in Washington, DC, on 13 February.

Eligibility requirements both for enlisted and officers were that they hold United States citizenship, not be married to a Marine, and must be either single or, if married, have no children under 18. They must be at least 60 inches in height and not less than 95 pounds in weight, and have good teeth and vision. For enlisted (also called general service) the age requirement was 20 to 35 inclusive and candidates must have had at least two years of high school. In regard to officer candidates, the entry requirements were initially the same as WAVES and SPARS, i.e. between 20 and 49 years of age and either a college graduate or having a combination of two years' college and two years' work experience.

From the start, the Marine Corps struggled to cope with the number of volunteers and readily accepted the offer from the Navy Department to second some WAVES officers currently in training to assist with the recruitment process. Several WAVES volunteered and the Marine Corps chose 19, one for each of their procurement offices across the country. These WAVES were sworn in as Marines and transferred immediately to the job of recruiting Women Marines. However, they still wore their WAVES uniforms since the Marine Corps uniforms were not yet available.

WR pay and rank

Through the busy early months, the traditional improvisation characteristic to the Marine Corps was needed and in some of the larger cities Marine officers requested permission from Headquarters to enlist civilian women to help with the growing mountain of paperwork. Many of the requests were WR pay and rank granted and the women commenced duty immediately, receiving their formal indoctrination as Women Marines at a later date.

For the purpose of procurement, the country was divided into four major districts, and candidates for both officer and recruit (boot) training were enlisted by naval procurement offices in each of these districts. Newly enlisted women were on 'inactive duty' pending the processing of their applications by Marine Corps Headquarters. They were then notified to which training class they had been assigned. Designations were either Class VI(a) officer or Class VI(b) enlisted. Male categories of the Reserve were:

Class I – Fleet Marine Corps Reserve
Class II – Organised Marine Corps Reserve
Class III – Volunteer Marine Corps Reserve
Class IV – Limited Service Marine Corps Reserve
Class V – Specialist Volunteer Marine Corps Reserve

Applicants had to provide a physical statement from their own physician, complete and return the application to the recruiting station, take an aptitude test and a complete physical, and have a personal interview with the officer in charge. A statement of the woman's capabilities and value to the service would then be prepared by him, and the final decision on whether to accept a candidate was made by Headquarters Marine Corps. If the candidate was considered to be well qualified, a waiver for lack of a particular physical or educational item could be applied.

The Marine Corps Reserve Reviewing Board were very selective, rejecting around 25% of applications from procurement offices for officer candidate class. Commenting on the first month of the new women's service, Colonel Waller stated:

The women of the country have responded in just the manner we expected ... Thousands of women have volunteered to serve in the Women's Reserve and from them we have already selected more than 1,000 for the enlisted ranks and over 100 as officers.

The targeted maximum number to be enrolled up to 1 July was 6,000 enlisted and 500 officers.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from U.S. Marine Corps by Jim Moran. Copyright © 2018 Jim Moran. Excerpted by permission of Pen and Sword Books Ltd.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Frontline Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1526710455
• ISBN 13: 9781526710451
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 208