After high school, she attended Blackstone College inwards Blackstone, Virginia, for a year, together with thence returned to Cambridge to operate for several months equally a nutrient analyst at Phillips Packing Company, where she tested products for mold together with bacteria. Afterward, she moved to New York together with worked diverse jobs, together with volunteered inwards the civilian state of war seek equally an air-raid warden.
In February 1943, a telephone phone went out to women across America: “Be a Marine . . . Free a Man to Fight.” The U.S. Marine Corps had established the Women’s Reservists, making the Corps the final service branch to permit women into its ranks. Despite reservations yesteryear Corps Commandant General Thomas Holcomb, the Marine Corps began a programme to position women inwards equally many positions equally possible, enabling manful individual Marines to bring together fighting units.
Arthur “heard final calendar week that enlistments for women inwards the Marines were open, thence decided the alone matter to produce was to join.”
While she hoped for an assignment inwards solid soil aviation, Arthur noted that she was “willing to become far straight off together with produce whatever is desired of me until such fourth dimension equally solid soil schools are organized.” She added, “As far equally hobbies are concerned, I’ve dabbled inwards music together with dramatics.”
As business office of the enlistment process, Arthur underwent interviews that resulted inwards the production of “personality appraisal” sheets. One such analysis described her conversation equally “Argumentative” together with her mental attitude together with agency equally “Over aggressive.” In a handwritten note, the Marine interviewer remarked, “Officious--but in all likelihood a expert worker--if she has her ain way!”
She attended the outset Women Reservists schoolhouse at Hunter College inwards New York. She spent 1944 together with 1945 at USMCAS (US Marine Corps Air Station) Cherry Point, North Carolina, where she worked equally a driver together with a dispatcher. Upon her discharge inwards September 1945, Arthur had reached the rank of Staff Sergeant.
More than 20,000 Women Reservists had earned the championship of Marine yesteryear the halt of World War II.
Official Military Personnel Files tin displace move requested from the National Archives through the National Personnel Records Center at St. Louis. For to a greater extent than information on available records together with how to asking them, run across the Museum’s inquiry direct
here. Arthur’s personnel file is business office of a serial called the PEP files: Persons of Exceptional Prominence. These are files of famous individuals together with are beingness digitized yesteryear the National Archives. Digital files tin displace move found on the National Archives website:
www.archives.gov .
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/bea-arthur-was-truck-driving-marine https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/bea-arthur-us-marine
