Monday, November 10, 2008

Dead Page: World War II Woman Marine

ADA DODSON 1914-2008

From the September 30th LA Times.

Ada Dodson was one of thousands of women who served in the Marines during World War II. Until Saturday, I didn't even know there were women Marines, but the oldest Marine at the Marine Corps Birthday breakfast was an 84-year-old female corporal from the war.

"I joined the Marines because they were the toughest and the best."

Born Ada DiStasio in Italy in 1914, she was living in Milwaukee working in a defense plant making turbines for US submarines when the Marine Corps Women's Reserve was established in February 1943.

She enlisted in 1944 and was sent to Norman, Oklahoma to be trained as an aviation machinist along with other women and men. She said, "The men didn't like us girls being there. They didn't treat us very well, but that made me work all the harder...."

Despite her training, she was assigned to office work at the El Toro air station where she spent the duration of the war. She was discharged in 1946 and married fellow Marine Marcus Dodson, who had been at Iwo Jima and later worked with her.

Their marriage lasted 60 years. She was very active in all things dealing with women in the Corps.

Another of the Greatest Generation.

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