Blast from the Past: When duty called / Female Marines in World War II paved the way for a new generation of soldiers

April 13, 2003 By Carolyne Zinko, Pati Poblete, Chronicle Staff Writers

Inga Ferris is silent when asked how she felt seeing images of prisoner of war Pfc. Jessica Lynch on a stretcher after being rescued from an Iraqi hospital.

“Relief, fear . . . peace,” she musters.

But, above all, “disbelief” that women in the military have come so far.

Now, seeing men and women fighting side by side in Baghdad, military veteran women such as Ferris are looking back at one of the most intense experiences of their lives — serving in World War II.

Compared to women serving today, women in the armed services during World War II were relatively safe. They were stationed in the United States, far from the front lines. But they still faced the anxiety of a country at war, the uncertainty of the outcome and the sexism that came with entering a male- dominated field.

Three Bay Area women who served in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve say it was patriotism, unity and the camaraderie that developed that helped them cope with the reality of a nation at war. And it is the bond they formed that has kept them together as members of the Women Marine Association for 60 years.

Here are a few of their stories.

CALL FOR A NEW LIFE

In February 1943, the Marine Corps — lagging behind the Army, Navy and Coast Guard — allowed women to enlist, calling them reserves. Heavy losses bolstered the decision to admit women into the military. The slogan on recruitment posters read “Free a man to fight — Join the Marines.”

For Ferris, now 81 and living in Martinez, it was also a way to free herself.

Then 22, she had been working as a supervisor at a defense plant in Portland, Ore., that ground radio crystals for the Army. But technology had replaced the need for her position. In addition, her mother was to remarry, meaning her role as her mother’s companion and caretaker was also to be replaced.

“I just wanted to leave,” said Ferris, who wrote the book “A Few Good Women,

Memoirs of a WWII Marine” ($32, Xlibris Corp.), which details her experiences as an aviation machinist in the Marines. “I felt like I was in the way, and at the same time, there was no place for me at work anymore. I saw enlisting as the answer.”

Dolores Callero, 79, of San Francisco was a secretary at the Marine Corps headquarters on Harrison Street when she decided to sign up. “Boot camp, barracks, drilling — it sounded adventurous,” she said. There was just one hitch: She wasn’t old enough. Women had to be 20 years old and have their parents’ consent, and she was still a teenager.

After her birthday, Callero was sworn in at the recruiting station, then located in the lobby of the Palace Hotel. After a trip to the East Coast for boot camp and training, she found herself back in familiar digs — reassigned to her old desk in San Francisco.

Jane Silva, 79, of Martinez lived in Ohio with four sisters and a brother during World War II. She wanted to enlist in the Women’s Army Corps, but was turned off by what she saw at the recruiting office — a woman sitting on a man’s lap, she said — and joined the Marines instead.

Silva signed up because “it was the patriotic thing to do.”

BOOT CAMP

For these three women, the Marine Reserve offered opportunities…Read rest of story here

Krusa-Dossin bids farewell

7/22/2010  By Pfc. Garry J. Welch, Marine Corps Bases Japan

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan  — Maj. Gen. Mary Ann Krusa-Dossin, commanding general of Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler will relinquish command to Maj. Gen. (select) Peter J. Talleri, during a change of command ceremony tonight at 6 p.m.

Krusa-Dossin, who entered the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant in August 1975 said she is excited about retiring.

“I am excited because I believe this will be our last move, and that we will be able to establish permanency,” Krusa-Dossin said about her and her family.

“The other part is that every one of us has to take [the uniform] off at one point in time,” she added. “Although in our heart we will always be Marines. We are the service that says ‘Marine for life’ and we mean that. The connection to the Marine Corps will always be there.”

Krusa-Dossin said the best memories she has from serving are meeting her husband, who she has now been married to for almost 32 years; having her son, who was born in Iwakuni Japan during her second tour; and most important, the great privilege of being able to lead Marines and have a positive influence on their lives. 

While serving as the commanding general of Camp Butler, the Marines serving with Krusa-Dossin “provided unparalleled support for the III Marine Expeditionary Force,” she added. “That was our mission, and we’ve done a darn fine job of that.”

There were also improvements to the quality of life for the Marines, sailors and their families, she said. She mentioned noteworthy improvements to youth programs but particularly to the clubs on base.

“While most installations stateside are closing clubs, we are doing everything in our power to keep them open here just because of the fact that we are over here and far from home,” the general said. “We try to make the clubs as up to date as possible; we put a lot of effort into that.” 

Krusa-Dossin plans to retire in Florida where she currently owns a home. She also intends on taking time to decompress from her 35 years in the Corps and visit family and friends she hasn’t seen in a long time.

However, before she begins her new life outside of uniform, Krusa-Dossin offers some words of wisdom to the Marines she will be leaving.

“My advice for the Marines remaining on the island is to remember why you’re here to begin with,” Krusa-Dossin said.
“You are here in support of a very important security alliance between the United States government and the government of Japan,” she added. “Always remember the fact that you are an unofficial ambassador for the United States. You always want to be a good neighbor here. Take care of each other.”

She continued by reminding people to look at the positive and enjoy what Okinawa has to offer.

Marines should not be afraid to try something new like snorkeling, scuba diving or free golf lessons.

“You have the opportunity to learn about a different culture – use that opportunity,” Krusa-Dossin concluded.