Jim Moran - U.S. Marine Corps Womens Reserve: They Are Marines: Uniforms and Equipment in World War II

These female Marines are part of the Marine Corps Reserve,

itself part of the United States Marine Corps, and therefore

THEY ARE MARINES

and will be referred to as such by all at all times.

Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb, Commandant, USMC

WOMENS RESERVE

THEY ARE MARINES!

THE USMCWR IN WORLD WAR II

JIM MORAN

FOREWORD BY NANCY WILT, UNITED STATES MARINE 19701982

FRONTLINE BOOKS

An imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Yorkshire - Philadelphia

First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Frontline Books

An imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Yorkshire - Philadelphia

Copyright Jim Moran, 2018

2018 Hardback ISBN 978-1-52671-045-1

2019Paperback ISBN 978-1-52674-905-5

eISBN 978-1-52671-047-5

Mobi ISBN 978-1-52671-046-8

The right of Jim Moran to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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THEY ARE MARINES

THE USMC WOMENS RESERVE IN WORLD WAR II

In memory of

LILLIAN SANDY MITTELSDORF

And all the women of America who freed a Marine to fight

SEMPER FIDELIS

Lillian Marie Sandy (Mittelsdorf)

Lillian enlisted into the Marine Corps Womens Reserve in Kansas City, Missouri, on 19 November 1943 at the age of 20. She attended induction and recruit training (boot camp) at Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina, after which she was assigned to Motor Transport School (MTS) for truck driving and automotive mechanics training. On completion of this training, Lillian was assigned as an assistant driving instructor.

It was whilst stationed at Lejeune that Lillian met Joe Mittelsdorf, a welding instructor at the MTS. They became good friends and would eventually marry in August of 1947. When permission was granted for Marine WRs to serve outside continental USA, Lillian volunteered for overseas duty and was assigned as Secretary in the Motor Transport Division and driver to the MTD Colonel in charge, Pearl Harbor, HI.

Lillian was stationed at Pearl Harbor for the remainder of the war, was transferred to Marine Air Base, El Toro, CA in 1945 and was honourably discharged on 28 December 1945.

Enlistment notification sent to Lillians parents

Joe and Lillian on a rare day off at Lejeune; both are in winter service dress

Uniform of the day at MTS was always work dungarees! WR dungarees were too lightweight for mechanic work so Lillian was issued mens dungarees, as were all the WRs in MTS

On a rare occasion, Lillian gets to wear her winter service uniform at Lejeune

Lillian with her best friend at MTS Camp Lejeune both wear womens shirts with mens dungaree trousers and garrison caps

Welcome to Hawaii Lillian, like all the other WRs, received a lei greeting as she disembarked from the transport ship

Lillian at last gets to wear her summer dress whites in Hawaii

On Hawaii, summer dress whites was the uniform of the day

Photo of Lillian carried by Joe through the Pacific (the bracelet Lillian is wearing was made for her by Joe)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Once again, as in my previous books, many people have given of their valuable time in the production of this book. In particular, I would like to thank the following:

First and foremost, much of the detailed information on the Womens Reserve in World War II was provided from the 1968 Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, US Marine Corps, by Lieutenant Colonel Pat Meid, USMCR. Also from Headquarters, US Marine Corps is the Quartermaster Generals History of the Marine Corps Womens Reserve, MCWR Uniforms and Accessories, September 1945 . These detailed reports were supplied by Nancy Wilt of the Women Marines Association. Nancy is also keeper of the Women of the Corps Collection and has provided a great deal of her valuable time in accommodating and feeding me, my wife and daughter, and allowing me to photograph many rare WR items.

Thanks also go to the Marine Corps Histories Division, Quantico, Virginia, and to Owen Connor, Uniforms and Heraldry Curator, National Museum of the Marine Corps. To the Alfred M. Gray Marine Corps Research Center (GRC), Quantico, VA, and, in particular, Mike Miller, for providing many of the period photographs.

Special thanks go to Major Rick Spooner, USMC (Ret.) for his long-lasting support for my efforts; to Captain Ned Wilt, USMC (Ret.) long-suffering husband of Nancy for keeping us fed, watered and entertained throughout our stay with them; to Joe and Carol Mittelsdorf for sharing their memories of their wife and mother Lillian Sandy; and to Lillian herself for sharing her times as a woman Marine in WWII (guard those streets well Marine).