U.S. Marine Corps Women’s Reserve

 

The Smallest Sorority in the Biggest Fraternity

Male members of the U.S. Marine Corps referred to the new female recruits as BAMS (Broad- Assed Marines). But to Marine Corps Commandant Maj. Gen. Thomas Holcomb, they were Marines, even though they fell prey to foul language and harassment from some members of the corps. According to Holcomb, they had passed a tough basic training, and had “inherited the traditions of Marines; they don't have a nickname and they don’t need one.” Established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 30, 1942, the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve freed up men at shore stations for combat duty.
Women had served in the Marine Corps Reserves before this: A few months before the end of WW I, the first woman joined this organization on August 13, 1918. Known, as “Marinettes,” hundreds of women had relieved male marines from clerical billets at Marine Corps Headquarters, enabling them to fight in France. The women, who could still not vote in elections, exemplified great skill and patriotism. Nonetheless, they were viewed as a novelty and discharged after WW I.
After its inception, more than 20,000 joined the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, which quickly mobilized to perform more than 200 military assignments. They soon distinguished themselves at the operational bases. On the first anniversary of their admittance, President Roosevelt wrote about them: “You have quickly and efficiently taken over scores of different kinds of duties that not long ago were considered strictly masculine assignments, and in doing so, you have freed a large number of well trained, battle ready men of the corps for action.”   
PFC Edith Macias recalled, “The men did not look down or frown upon us, actually they were glad to have us. We were given a job to do and we did it. We were definitely not considered decorative rather than practical, but were treated as professionals.” She also noted that male drill instructors, who mostly opposed the women, were as ruthless toward them as they were to the men. “They showed us no mercy and taught us the same way as they did male recruits.”    

By June 1944, female reservists made up 85 percent of enlisted personnel at Marine Corps Headquarters and almost two-thirds of the staff at all major U.S. and Hawaiian posts. They worked as parachute riggers, mechanics, radio operators, mapmakers, aviation mechanics, and welders.
Many of the female marines were regarded as prize catches for the men on base. According to Corporal Louise Hedtler, “Any fellow was proud to take out a female Marine Reserve.”
By 1945, female marines had released men to fight in sufficient numbers to allow the Corps to field the 6th Marine Division, made up primarily of veteran marines in time for the invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945. The battle of Okinawa put U.S. forces within touching distance of mainland Japan and was one of the last great conflicts of the war. Days later, American nuclear strikes on Nagasaki and Hiroshima marked the end of the war.
After the war the women received the full benefits that were legislated for their male counterparts, including the coveted burial at Arlington National Cemetery, insurance packages, compensation, and a bonus of $60 upon discharge. In 1948, the women received permanent status in the Corps under the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948.

Today, women make up about 8 percent of all active enlisted marines, and 7.5 per cent of active officers, which means the Corps has the lowest ratio of women of any branch of the U.S. military.
Attributable to an unknown marine in World War II is the following quotation: “The U.S. Marine Corps Women’s Reserve was “the smallest sorority in the biggest fraternity in the world.”