Army & Navy – Leathernecks

The Marine-straight women in green walked even more proudly last week. Their commander, efficient Ruth Cheney Streeter, had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. There was another reason.

Streeter’s Marines had hit their January enlistment goal on Thanksgiving Day: 12,023 women, including 515 officers. Their authorized total: 18,000 enlisted personnel and 1,000 officers by July1, 1944. More than half the women of the Corps are already on duty in 125 different jobs once held by strapping riflemen, whom they released for men’s work in the war.

Some of the Marines’ women moved directly into office and administration work.

But most were headed for field jobs, mainly in aviation. They serve on ground crews, work as aerographers and photo graphic technicians, gunnery and flying-instrument trainers, operate control tow ers, pack parachutes, drive trucks. Quaint est note of all: women buglers have released the famous Marine “field musics” for combat trumpeting.