Female US Marine Rail Yard Worker

USMC MCWR 1944

This is a nice reproduction of an original WWII photograph of a female member of the US Marine Corps working in a rail yard in 1944.  She is carrying a wrench to open and close valves on the tank cars.  

 Size of photo is about 4" x 6".

The United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve (MCWR), was the World War II women's branch of the US Marine Corps Reserve. It was authorized by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt 30 July 1942. Yet, the Marine Corps delayed the formation of the MCWR until 13 February 1943. This law allowed for the acceptance of women into the reserve as commissioned officers and at the enlisted level, effective for the duration of the war plus six months. The purpose of the law was to release officers and men for combat and to replace them with women in shore stations. Ruth Cheney Streeter was appointed the first director of the MCWR. She was sworn in with the rank of Major and later was promoted to a full Colonel. Streeter was a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and had been involved in health and welfare work. The MCWR did not have an official nickname, as did the other World War II women's military services.

The women were assigned to over 200 different jobs, among them: radio operator, photographer, parachute rigger, driver, aerial gunnery instructor, cook, baker, quartermaster, control tower operator, motion picture operator, auto mechanic, telegraph operator, cryptographer, laundry operator, post exchange manager, stenographer, and agriculturist. They would serve as the trained nucleus for possible mobilization emergencies. The demobilization of the Marine Corps Women's Reserve of 820 officers and 17,640 enlisted was to be completed by 1 September 1946. Of the 20,000 women who had joined the Marine Corps during World War II, only 1,000 remained in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve on 1 July 1946.

On 12 June 1948, the United States Congress passed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act, and made women a permanent part of the regular Marine Corps.

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