Cpl. Martha Wilchinski, 1918. Ordely to USN Cdr W.S.Anderson, USS Arizona, North River NY.	USMCWR at typewriter 1943. Sgt Helen L. Shurtleff. She "Freed A Man To Fight"
WR's at work maintaining a Marine B-25 aircraft at Cherry Point NC March, 1945.	USMCWR Color Guard 28 Sep 1945 MCAS Cherry Point, NC.

On 7 Nov. 1942, the Commandant gave official approval for the formation of the Marine Corps Woman's Reserve. During the next three years, as many as 20,000 women served in the Corps. Said General Vandegrift, the Woman Reserves could "Feel responsible for putting the 6th Marine Division in the field; for without the women filling jobs throughout the Marine Corps, there would not have been sufficient men available to form that Division."		Woman Marines, mid 1960's. The Woman Marines became part of the official active duty establishment with the enlistment of the first eight women, all who had served as USMCWR's, on Nov. 10 1948. By 29 Nov. 1948, Parris Island had been designated as the location of Woman recruit training with the establishment of the Third Recruit Training Battalion, commanded by Capt. Margaret M. Henderson.
8,498 women currently serve on active duty in an ever widening number of jobs in the Corps of today. They provide the same service that America has come to expect from her Marines for over 200 years. All woman Marines undergo Recruit training at Parris Island SC., and with few exceptions, are held to the same training requirements and standards as men. Of interesting note, the Corps has never integrated the initial training of men and women, and it is looked at today as the model for which women in all branches of the Armed Forces will be trained in the future. Probably the most succinct quote which applies to these Marines came from Commandant Thomas Holcomb in the early years of W.W. II. It remains even more valid though today. "There's hardly any work at our Marine stations that women can't do as well as men...they're real Marines, They don't have a nickname, and they don't need one. They get their basic training in a Marine atmosphere, at a Marine post. They inherit the traditions of the Marines. They are Marines."

USMCWR Uniforms 1944.

A Woman Marine recruit of today on the rifle range.

When females first were brought into the service, different names were created for them; WACS, etc. although initially "Women" preceded, female Marines have always and hopefully will always be Marines.

The Marine Corps is the first service to have a female general.

Since 1918, women have answered the call to serve proudly in the United States Marines and the role of women in the Marines has evolved and expanded. All Women Marines can look forward to the future proudly, while never forgetting the women who made this future possible.

In 1918, the Secretary of Navy allowed women to enroll for clerical duty in the Marine Corps. Officially, Opha Mae Johnson is credited as the first woman Marine. Johnson enrolled for service on August 13, 1918; during that year some 300 women first entered the Marine Corps to take over stateside clerical duties from battle-ready Marines who were needed overseas. The Marine Corps Women's Reserve was established in February 1943. June 12th, 1948, Congress passed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act and made women a permanent part of the regular Marine Corps.

In 1950, the Women Reserves were mobilized for the Korean War and 2,787 women served proudly. By the height of the Vietnam War, there were about 2,700 women Marines served both stateside and overseas. By 1975, the Corps approved the assignment of women to all occupational fields except infantry, artillery, armor and pilot/air crew. Over 1,000 women Marines were deployed in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990-1991.

The Corps lost its first Woman Marine in combat in Afganistan, when a C-130 wm crew member died in an aircraft mishap.

Private Minnie Spotted-Wolf of Heart Butte, Montana, enlisted in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve in July 1943. She was the first female American Indian to enroll in the Corps. Minnie had worked on her father's ranch doing such chores as cutting fence posts, driving a two- ton truck, and breaking horses. Her comment on Marine boot camp "Hard but not too hard."