The United States Marine Corp - 1237 Words

The United States Marine Corp (USMC) was founded in 1775 during The Revolutionary War. From it’s inception, the ranks of the USMC were filled exclusively by males. Over 143 years later, in 1918, women were finally allowed to enlist. At first, women couldn’t participate in combat and were restricted to a limited number of jobs. As was common at the time, they were not respected by their male counterparts. It took several decades for women to gain respect and to be a allowed the full spectrum of opportunities within the ranks of the Corps. Opha M. Johnson was the one who helped immensely with this. It was because of her that women found and inspiration and a model female marine to follow. She made an impact that was forever-lasting and†¦show more content†¦Opha M. Johnson made a huge impact as the First Female Marine to be enlisted in the reserve and paved the way for future women in the Marine Corps. â€Å"She was your typical American woman who wanted to help † said Kara Newcomer. â€Å"She saw an opportunity to serve her country in a time of need and took it.† Her brave decision led many other women after her to find the courage to sign up. At the time, men were needed overseas to fight the battles of World War I (WWI) raging throughout Europe. As a result, the Marine Corps made the decision to allow women to assume the responsibilities, or billets, of men who were battle-ready but held a clerical or administrative positions. After this change in policy, women assumed non-combat duties and the men left for Europe to fight. â€Å"Her enlistment was a reflection of the dramatic changes in the status of women wrought by the entry of the United States into World War I.† said Women Marines in World War I. These non-combat positions included: messengers, recruiters, secretaries, typists, and other similar administrative roles. Most women of the day had clerical or bookkeeping backgrounds required to perform administrativ e, secretarial and clerical jobs and were easily able to fulfill these duties as Marines. Unfortunately, Johnson and every other women marine