*13 Aug 1918 - Opha Mae Johnson, the first woman Marine, enlisted in Washington, D.C.

*30 Jul 1919 - Major General George Barnett, Commandant, issued orders for the separation of all women from the Reserve.

*7 Nov 1942 - General Thomas Holcomb, Commandant, approved the formation of the United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve (USMCWR). Mrs. Ruth Cheney Streeter of Morristown, NJ, was commissioned a major in the USMCWR and sworn in as the first Director of the Women's Reserve on 29 Jan 1943. She achieved the grade of colonel prior to resigning her commission on 6 Dec 1945.

*Feb 1943 - World War II - women's continuous active service began. The first enlisted class of 722 women completed training at Hunter College, NY, on 25 Apr 1943; the first officer class with 75 women graduated from training at Mount Holyoke College, MA, on 11 May 1943.

*Jun 1944 - Women Reserves constituted 85 percent of the enlisted personnel on duty at Headquarters Marine Corps, and from one-half to two-thirds of the personnel manning all major posts and stations in the United States. At their peak, there were over 19,000 women, approximately the strength of a Marine Division, in wartime service in the Marine Corps.

*Dec 1945 - Two-thirds of the Women Reserves had been separated or transferred to inactive status as part of the postwar demobilization. In 1946, the Marine Corps elected to retain a small nucleus of trained women to set up a postwar Reserve to avoid having to start from scratch again.

*12 Jun 1948 - Congress passed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act (Public Law 625) which authorized the acceptance of women into the Regular component of the Marine Corps. Women could not exceed two percent of total service strength or hold permanent rank above lieutenant colonel. The Director of Women Marines would hold the temporary rank of colonel.

*3 Nov 1948 - Colonel Katherine A. Towle, who had been the second Director of the Women's Reserve, was discharged from the Marine Corps Reserve and accepted a Regular commission as a permanent lieutenant colonel. The next day she was appointed the first Director of Women Marines, with the temporary rank of colonel.

*1949 - The 3rd Recruit Training Battalion was formed at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC with Captain Margaret M. Henderson as the first commanding officer. The Women Officers' Training Class was established at Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, in Jun 1949 under the command of Captain Elsie E. Hill.

*Aug 1950 - Korean War - For the first time in history, Women Reserves were mobilized.

*1 May 1953 - Julia Hamblet became Director of Women Marines--as a colonel. She held this post until 1 Mar 1959.

*1965 - Vietnam War - A strength increase was approved and by 1968 there were 2,700 women Marines on active duty. Opportunities expanded as well. From 1965 to 1973, women Marines carried out an increasing variety of duties both stateside and overseas. The Marine Corps also began opening up career-type formal training programs to women officers and advanced technical training to enlisted women.

*18 Mar 1967 - Master Sergeant Barbara J. Dulinsky, who had volunteered for duty in Vietnam, reported to the Military Assistance Command in Saigon--the first woman Marine ordered to a combat zone. A total of 28 enlisted women and eight women officers served in Vietnam.

*8 Nov 1967 - President Johnson signed into Public Law 90-130, a bill which repealed the limits on the number of women in the services, permitted permanent promotion to colonel, and provided for the temporary appointment of women to brigadier general if filling a flag rank billet. In his words, "Our Armed Forces literally could not operate effectively or efficiently without our women..."

*1974 - The Commandant approved a change in policy permitting the assignment of women to specified rear echelon elements of the Fleet Marine Force, but they could not be deployed with assault units or units likely to become engaged in combat.

*1975 - The Marine Corps approved the assignment of women to all occupational fields except infantry, artillery, armor, and pilot/air crew.

*30 Jun 1977 - The Office of the Director of Women Marines was disestablished.

*11 May 1978 - Colonel Margaret A. Brewer was appointed to a general officer's billet as Director of Information, with the rank of brigadier general, thereby becoming the first women general officer in the history of the Marine Corps.

*Feb 1985 - Colonel Gail M. Reals became the first women selected by a board of general officers to be advanced to brigadier general.

*1990-1991 - Approximately 1,000 women Marines deployed to Southwest Asia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

*Jun 1992 - Brigadier General Carol A. Mutter assumed command of the 3rd Force Service Support Group, Okinawa, becoming the first women to command a Fleet Marine Force unit at the flag level.

*23 Jul 1993 - 2nd Lieutenant Sarah Deal became the first woman Marine selected for Naval aviation training. She received her wings on 21 Apr 1995 and is now serving as a CH-53E pilot.

*Jun 1994 - Brigadier General Mutter became the first woman Major General in the Marine Corps and the senior woman on active duty in the armed services.

*1 Oct 1994 - Restrictions on women's assignments were reduced to only units whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground.

*Jul 1996 - Lieutenant General Mutter became the second woman in the history of the armed services and the first woman Marine to wear three stars. She assumed duties as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

Today, 768 women account for 4.3 percent of all Marine officers and 8,051 women make up 5.1 percent of the active duty enlisted force in the Marine Corps. These numbers continue to grow, as do opportunities to serve. Ninety-three percent of all occupational fields and 62 percent of all positions are now open to women. Significant changes noticeable in training, as women are now receiving combat training and graduating from many formerly male-only special skills schools, and in the Fleet Marine Force, where women are showing up in non-traditional jobs and previously restricted units and deploying shipboard. The "firsts" for women in the Marine Corps in the past several years are too numerous to list separately.

The bottom line: Women in the Marine Corps today, like their distinguished predecessors, continue to serve proudly, honorably, and capably in whatever capacity country and Corps requires.