Ewa Plain Battlefield: August 2019

FREE A MARINE TO FIGHT:

MCAS Ewa Women Marines in World War II

By MCAS Ewa historian John Bond

World War II changed for all time the notion of proper women's work. In the US Armed Forces as in civilian life, necessity caused the rules to be rewritten and while an effort was made to fit the women into jobs related to their former occupations, there was, by wartime necessity, openness to new ideas. -Colonel Mary V Stremlow, USMCR (Ret)

This particular MCAS Ewa history chapter like so much of MCAS Ewa history, is largely unknown, especially in Hawaii. This is an important part of the WW-II story in the Pacific that should be remembered. This was the advancement of women into the Marine Corps and the first military women trained into combat arms, serving on the forward Pacific War airbase of MCAS Ewa.

MCAS Ewa Front Gate 1945 and Geiger Road Today As Part Of HCDA Kalaeloa

US Marine Corps B-25J Training At MCAS Ewa 1944

National Register site 1944 MCAS Ewa Ramp Added For Larger Aircraft

The Ewa Marine women had their own base compound by the main front gate on Geiger Road. This location area today is the east side of HCDA Kalaeloa where the roadway also turns into the Navy Barbers Point Golf Course. Unfortunately the Women Marine compound was entirely dismantled and the area cleared by the late 1960's so that there are only the WW-II photos that remain.

Aviation Women's Reserve Squadron 12, Compound,

Marine Corps Air Station Ewa

During WW-II this northeast corner of MCAS Ewa was also the threshold of the main runway where fighter planes, bombers and transports took off or landed, depending on the wind direction. Most of the time the trade winds would mean that planes were at full throttle for takeoffs passing directly over the women Marine compound, day and night.

Creation of the Marine Corps Women Reserve (MCWR)

It was a long battle to get women into the Marine Corps. The other military branches had already brought women into the military, especially the nurse corps, and in fact Army women nurses were captured and held as POW by the Japanese after the invasion of the Philippines in early 1942. Marine aviation units trained at MCAS Ewa provided the air support for the daring 1945 end of war Philippine POW camp liberations by Army special forces. (This is the subject of another MCAS Ewa blog post.)

Lt. Gen. Holland Smith and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal

While some members of Congress, uncomfortable with American women so close to combat, argued for restrictions, there were military men like Marine Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith who insisted that women Marines could be used at MCAS Ewa and Pearl Harbor to release men for combat. His view was shared by Navy Secretary James V. Forrestal, who told Congress that an estimated 5,000 naval and Marine servicewomen were needed in Hawaii.

The outcome was new legislation, Public Law 441, 78th Congress, signed on 27 September 1944, which amended Section 504, Public Law 689, 77th Congress, 30 July 1942 by providing that:

Members of the Women's Reserve shall not be assigned to duty on board vessels of the Navy or in aircraft while such aircraft are engaged in combat missions, and shall not be assigned to duty outside the American Area and the Territories of Hawaii and Alaska, and may be assigned to duty outside the continental United States only upon their prior request.

Women Marines unlike other women military branches provided

combat arms training during boot camp

The official announcement finally came on Saturday, 13 February 1943, and women enthusiastically answered the call to "Be a Marine . . . Free a Man to Fight!"

Recruiting for the Marine Corps Women Reserve (MCWR) was almost too successful and one procurement officer, cautioning that the number of applicants so far exceeded the quotas that he feared a backlash of ill will, suggested that publicity be curtailed.

Within one month of MCWR existence, while Marine forces regrouped after the campaign for Guadalcanal where MCAS Ewa planes and pilots established Henderson Field, it was reported: "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."

How soon are they going to learn how to shoot?

The MCWR met its goal on schedule and reached strength of 18,000 by 1 June 1944. Then, all recruiting stopped for nearly four months and when it was resumed on 20 September 1944, it was on a very limited basis with MCWR basic training consolidated at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Up until the establishment of the MCWR, other military branches had not been training their Army WACS and Navy WAVES in military combat arms. It may have been the president’s wife, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt asking on her first visit to early MCWR training, “how soon are they going to learn how to shoot?”

Not too much later, WRs (who were not given a cute name like WAVES, WACS and SPARS) attended half-day sessions observing demonstrations in hand-to-hand combat, use of mortars, bazookas, flame-throwers, guns of all sorts, amtrac tanks and landing craft. Then this evolved into full training involving hand to hand combat and standard issue weapons like the 45 cal. Colt M1911 pistol and the 30 cal. M-1 carbine.

Officers were paid a uniform allowance and gratuity of $250 and enlisted women received $200. With this the women bought two winter uniforms, hats, shoes, summer outfits, a purse, wool-lined raincoat, specified accessories, and undergarments.

The MCWR uniform mirrored what was worn by all Marines in color and style, but was cut from a lighter-weight cloth. Generally, officers and enlisted women wore identically styled uniforms of the same fabric: this was not true of male Marines.

Women officers wore green, detachable epaulets on the shoulder straps of summer uniforms and had additional dress uniforms. For dress, they wore the Marine officers' traditional gilt and silver emblems and the enlisted women wore the gilt emblems of enlisted Marines. Both wore the bronze eagle, globe, and anchor on their service uniforms, but positioned it differently. Enlisted women wore the same large chevrons as the men.

Women Marines attended some 30 specialist schools and the variety is a testament to the dramatic shift in thinking in what women could do: first sergeant, paymaster, signal, parachute rigger, aerographer, clerical, control tower operator, aerial gunnery instructor, celestial navigation, motion picture operator/technician, aircraft instruments technician, radio operator, radio material teletypewriter, post exchange, uniform shop, automotive mechanic, carburetor and ignition, aviation supply, and photography.

Women Marines To Be Sent to Hawaii

The Marine Corps laid out the criteria for selecting volunteers for duty in Hawaii: satisfactory record for a period of six months military service subsequent to completion of recruit or specialist training; motivation, the desire to do a good job, rather than excitement or hope of being near someone they cared about; good health; stable personality; sufficient skill to fill one of the billets for which Women Reservists had been requested; and age. Not having been a significant factor for success in the WACs, age was not specified, but since the minimum tour was to be two years with little hope for leave, the health and status of dependents and close family members was considered.

In June 1944, a test of vocational and job interests was added, and finally in December 1944, when the decision was made to send selected women Marine volunteers to Hawaii, personality and adjustment tests were added.

This settled, in October 1944, woman Marine commanders Colonel Streeter and Major Dryden flew to MCAS Ewa to prepare for the arrival of the women and most of all to inspect the proposed living arrangements. Major Dryden, the senior woman officer serving in aviation, accompanied the director because half the women were to be stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa.

There was no shortage of volunteers to go to Hawaii and on 2 December 1944 an advance party of four officers — Major Marion Wing, commanding officer; First Lieutenant Dorothy C. McGinnis adjutant; First Lieutenant Ruby V. Bishop, battalion quartermaster; and Second Lieutenant Pearl M. Martin, recreation officer — flew to Hawaii to make preliminary living arrangements at Camp Catlin, Pearl Harbor.

Not long after, they were followed by the advance party for MCAS Ewa, Captain Helen N. Crean, commanding officer; First Lieutenant Caroline J. Ransom, post exchange officer; Second Lieutenant Bertha K. Ballard, mess officer, along with Second Lieutenant Constance M. Berkolz, mess officer.

Meanwhile, a staging area was established at Marine Corps Base, San Diego, where the women underwent a short but intense physical conditioning course that included strapping on a 10-pound pack to practice ascending and descending cargo nets and jumping into the water from shipboard. In the classroom, they learned about the people of Hawaii, how to recognize Allied insignia, shipboard procedures, and the importance of safeguarding military information.

On 25 January 1945, with Captain Marna V. Brady, officer-in-charge, the first contingent of five WR officers and 160 enlisted women, with blanket rolls on their backs, marched up the gangplank of the S.S. Matsonia to sail from San Francisco to Hawaii. Their shipmates were a mixed lot of male Marines, sailors, WAVES, military wives, and ex-POWs, and because of the lopsided ratio of men to women, the WRs were restricted to a few crowded spaces on board ship.

Women Marines Troop Off SS Matsonia To "March of the Women Marines"

Two days out to sea, they changed to summer service uniform, and on 28 January, they disembarked in Honolulu as the Pearl Harbor Marine Barracks Band played "The Marine's Hymn," the "March of the Women Marines," and "Aloha Oe."

"March of the Women Marines," written especially for them by Musician First Class Louis Saverino of the Marine Band. U.S. Marine Band plays "March of the Women Marines."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VUNYr9KxUI

The WAVES went ashore first — dressed in their best uniform. Then came the WRs — astonished that their no-nonsense appearance in dungarees, boondockers, and overseas caps seemed to please the crowd of curious Marines who had gathered to look them over and welcome them to Hawaii.

Major Wing, the commanding officer, knew how to get their MCAS Ewa Quonset huts up quickly after the arrival. The WR were temporarily housed in former SeaBee barracks at Moanalua Ridge Area adjacent to the Marine Corps Sixth Base Depot and Camp Catlin.

No Seabee could pay for a coke. As many cokes a day as he wanted and he couldn't pay for them. We got more work out of those Seabees than you could ever imagine.

The Aviation Trained Women Marines Immediately Went To Work At MCAS Ewa

More than a third of the women at MCAS Ewa came from the Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, a major Marine Corps aviation training base, and once quartered at Ewa, lost no time before picking up their tools and working on the planes. By this period in the Pacific War MCAS Ewa was a major training and logistics hub for fighters, dive bombers, B-25J bombers, C-47s and large C-54 transports.

The WRs ran the motor transport section for Pearl Harbor and MCAS Ewa, serving nearly 16,000 persons a month. Scheduled around the clock and with a perfect safety record, they maneuvered the mountainous roads of Hawaii in liberty buses, jeeps, and all types of trucks carrying mail, people, ammunition, and garbage. Marines easily became accustomed to the sight of women drivers, but never quite got used to grease-covered female mechanics working on radial aircraft engines or under the hood of two-and-a-half-ton trucks.

At MCAS Ewa the seersucker fabric summer service uniform nicknamed the "peanut suit," was selected for comfort for indoor jobs, and for outdoor work on vehicles and aircraft the uniform was dungarees and snap brim hat. Lipstick and nail polish could be worn, and in fact were encouraged, but the color absolutely had to harmonize with the red cap cord of the winter cap, regardless of the season. The favorite color was Montezuma Red, designed in their honor.

Women Marines Fit Well Into The Marine Corps Aviation Culture

The most open-minded military units throughout the war to the concept of a more female workforce in technical and ground support roles were the aviation components of all the services. Presumably because they were relative pioneers themselves, aviation leaders were less tradition-bound, and they enthusiastically asked for large numbers of women and were willing to assign them to technical fields.

The Marine Corp aviation units were no exception and right away asked for 9,100. Eventually, nearly one-third of Women Reservists served in aviation at Marine Corps Aviation Depot (MCAD) in Miramar, Marine Corps Air Stations (MCAS) Cherry Point, Edenton, Santa Barbara, El Toro, Parris Island, Mojave, El Centro, Quantico and at MCAS Ewa.

Aviation Women's Reserve Squadron 12, MCAS Ewa

MCAS Ewa was the only “overseas” Marine Corps air station, the most forward in the Pacific war and a vital central hub for all manner of aviation training, including fighter squadrons, medium bomber squadrons and air transport squadrons. Most of the women Marines were trained in aviation specialties at MCAS Cherry Point, NC after basic training. Women Marines were the only military women to receive combat training during basic boot camp.

Because of the large number of women posted to air commands, Aviation Women's Reserve Squadrons were formed: Number 1 at Mojave; Number 2 at Santa Barbara; Number 3 at El Centro; Numbers 4 and 5 at Miramar; Numbers 6-10 at El Toro; Number 11 at Parris Island; Number 12 at Ewa; Numbers 15-20 at Cherry Point; and Number 21 at Quantico.

By the summer of 1945, there were 21 officers and 366 enlisted Women Reservists at MCAS Ewa, and 34 officers and 580 enlisted women in the Women's Reserve Battalion, Marine Garrison Forces, 14th Naval District.

Woman Marine Rules And Regulations At The MCAS Ewa Compound

Women Marines were organized into squadrons with women line officers in command. If a WR did not perform her work satisfactorily, or arrived late, her male work supervisor did not discipline her but reported the problem to her commanding officer for action.

On the other hand, if a WR requested leave, her commanding officer did not grant it without first clearing it with the work supervisor. It often happened that unit obligations in the barracks area, such as mess duty, training, parades, "field days," and inspections conflicted with work schedules, and this created some animosity between female commanders and male work supervisors.

At MCAS Ewa women Marines had a commanding officer who reported to the post commander. However, there was a new wrinkle in that the women were an autonomous entity — proud to run their own outfit, handling general administration, barracks area maintenance, and mess halls.

When women joined the Marine Corps they elevated the quality of barracks living up a notch or two. Stark squad bays were sometimes softened with pastel paint and stuffed animals could be found resting on tightly made bunks. Dressers were lined up to provide a little privacy, shower curtains were hung, and doors closed off toilet stalls. Day rooms set aside to entertain dates and were furnished with board games, pianos, record players and space was found for cooking appliances, hair dryers, and sewing machines in lounges reserved for women only.

Little time was wasted on female offenders, and fortunately, there were relatively few problems. Because of their communal, intense desire to be accepted by Marines and approved by the general public, women Marines were their own severest critics and peer pressure to walk a tight line proved very effective. Unlike earlier policies governing female military nurses, marriage was a cause for neither discharge nor punishment, and pregnancy was considered a medical rather than disciplinary case.

A galling but unchallenged rule was that women on board a base, unlike men of equal rank, could not have an automobile. It added to the allure of assignment to the motor pool that the drivers of trucks, jeeps, and buses were more mobile than their sisters.

At Wars End, 40 percent of the women Marines held jobs in aviation

The end of WW-II in the Pacific came fairly suddenly. Expecting a two year overseas deployment in Hawaii with the widely assumed invasion of Japan in 1946 (because the Manhattan A Bomb project was top secret,) the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused the Japanese government to quickly surrender unconditionally in September 1945.

The war was suddenly over and everyone wanted to go home. Women Marines were immediately eligible to return home, as most service members at the time wanted to do.

However, they did find the time to be in the large Victory over Japan (VJ Day) parade held in downtown Honolulu, marching with Navy WAVES and Army WACS.

Although nearly everyone expected the women Marines to return home quickly, they were needed more, not less. Policies regarding the discharge of women — not only from the Marine Corps, but also from the other services — changed daily. Even while acknowledging their own opposition to women in uniform, a lot of men were anxious to keep female clerks on the job to process separation orders, cut paychecks, distribute medals and decorations, arrange transportation, assist surviving dependents, and otherwise settle the accounts of thousands of Marines.

Because women serving overseas accumulated credits for discharge at the rate of two per month, compared to one per month for those in the United States, most were eligible for discharge soon after V-J Day. However Some WR’s stayed to process the men being shipped through Hawaii on their way home for demobilization, however they were all back in the States by January 1946.

In the spring of 1946 there was a steady stream of correspondence among the Services exploring various proposals to give women permanent status in the military. The Commandant of the Marine Corps endorsed a plan for a small women's reserve to be led in peacetime by a director with three officers at Marine Headquarters in Washington, DC and six in recruiting.

In the midst of a determined drive to demobilize the Women's Reserve, 300 women were asked to stay, and even as the last of the WR barracks was being closed, a new unit, Company E, 1st Headquarters Battalion, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, commanded by First Lieutenant Regina M. Durant, was activated on 19 August 1946 with 12 officers and 286 enlisted women. Women Marines existed for nearly 30 years until the all-female units were finally disbanded in the mid-1970s.

FREE A MARINE TO FIGHT: Women Marines in World War II

by Colonel Mary V Stremlow, USMCR (Ret)

https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extContent/usmc/pcn-190-003129-00/sec1.htm