Connie Gordon, USMC, WWII

 

Life as a female Marine in WWII

During WWII, women Marines were a novelty. I was one of them. Living facilities at Camp Lejeune, N.C. were not meant for female privacy. Male Marines enjoyed peeking through the windows - until the windows were finally whitewashed over.
In female pistol training, we were given .45 caliber pistols until one gal didn’t hear the command to shoot. She turned around, arm with pistol extended, and accidentally shot her gun. Happily, it just went through the drill instructor’s hat! After that, rules changed, so women then learned with a (lighter weight) .38 caliber pistol.

« Previous story
Next story »