Later on I learned that Sergeant McKemey had been featured in Ebony magazine around that time. I believe she was on the cover. In any case it was several pages of excellent photos.
This diary is about inclusion and diversity, and I hope to write more of them. I grew up in the segregated South. There was enough hate-based racism, but much more common was the paternalistic kind of racism. I was still a teenager when I went into the USMC, and it was a relief to be in an environment that judged individuals by their behavior and actions rather than the color of their skin. I thought the world was changing. It was a wonderful time to be alive. I was young and optimistic.
In our platoon of 49 women, there were
11 African Americans
3 Latinos
1 Jew
But what I remember about multiculturalism was someone from Montana who called the head the "biffy." Someone from Boston whom I could barely understand. Someone from Iowa who taught me the "corn in every hand" song. And my bunkie, Hairston, who didn't want to work in a textile mill like the rest of her family.
And this is me at the end of boot camp. I knew that it would take something extreme to become self-sufficient in life so I decided to go into the service. At the time I weight 99 pounds, and no, I wasn't anorexic, just poor. The USMC was my last choice, and the minimum weight for my height was 106. For the other branches I needed to get up to 113. I got up to 103 and the USMC let me in anyway. By the end of boot camp I was up to 115.
In boot camp we woke every morning to a very scratchy version of Reveille over the squawk box. We had 20 minutes to accomplish a long detailed list of tasks and be in formation outside. I thought this was impossible, but no, it turned out to be possible.
I went on to Quantico, and one of my duties was typing up the monthly "Racial Incident Report" to be sent to CMC. These incidents were usually one on one altercations. Their disposition and outcome were taken very seriously throughout the entire chain of command. Pro-active involvement on the part of leadership was not just expected, it was mandated.
At that time racially integrated environments were uncommon in civilian society. For both men and women, minorities had far less access to higher education than did white people. There was some integration in production environments, and in the military there was more integration among enlisted personnel where only a high school diploma was required. Ethnic minorities were well-represented among senior NCO's, but I don't recall very many minority officers.
The important point here is that economically the upper levels of society, both civilian and military, were even more segregated than the middle and lower levels. This relates to what was a common association among white people that interacting with black people in the course of everyday life involved a lowering of one's own status in society.
Gail Reals went into the Marine Corps when I was one year old. Here is (then) Major Reals performing our final inspection with Staff Sergeant Carroll taking notes. The private in the back is Regina, who could sing like Streisand.
During that inspection Major Reals asked about the Governor of Virginia (Holton at the time), definitely not something covered in any of our classes.
In 1978 Margaret Brewer became the first female general officer in the USMC. By 1981 In 1985, Gail Reals became the first woman in Marine Corps history to be picked brigadier general from a field of both sexes. In 1988 Reals became the first female base commander in the the history of the Corps as she took command at Quantico. General Reals had started out as a private in 1954, going through boot camp at Parris Island.
In 1988 female Marines were not trained for combat; they received defensive training only. In a press interview at the time Reals said that she wasn't sure whether women should serve in battle. Her views were quite similar to those of Jim Webb.
"I have to think what is best for the Marine Corps - not what is best for women," she told USA Today.
"Whatever we do with women has to fit in with readiness of the corps. I don't know how you test it."
Major Reals said that most those who are sure about their views of women in combat roles never served in the military.
After she retired, Reals supported Clinton and Gore in 1992. For her troubles, she and many other veterans were viciously attacked by the Republicans.
From the 26 October 1992 PR Newswire. Along with Allen Swift Boaters, Chris LaCivita and Paul Galanti, Major General Al Zapanta later became key figures in "Veterans for Kilgore."
A third officer, retired Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Gail Reals, was depicted in the document as "upset at Bush administration because she did not make her second star. Outspoken on women in the military. History of hostile comment about male-environment Marine Corps. Might even be termed a feminist radical who emerged from the closet.""All you've got to do is ask most Marines. They'll tell you that," Zapanta said. "That's what I've got from other Marines. ... Some of the Marines I talked to said she'd smile sweetly but when she didn't get her second star she acted like a woman scorned."
When read the passage, the 36-year veteran who served in Vietnam and in her last tour as commanding general of Quantico, asked: "Is this supposed to be negative?"
Reals said she felt no rancor over the lack of promotion. "After I retired I gave an interview to the Navy Times and indicated what I though about the overall acceptance of women in the military," Reals said.
"I was far less outspoken than many others. By big fault with myself, after the fact, was that I wasn't outspoken enough. My comments were about the military as a whole and my sense of acceptance in the military. There was no criticism of the administration in power," she said.
"As far as being a radical feminist, I don't know what their definition is," said Reals, a Clinton delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Virginia and a convert to the governor dating back to June 1991. "I don't think you can characterize me as radical in anything. ... They like to throw those words around, but I don't know what the meaning is. I think that there is something very wrong when a person who has served her country as long as I have cannot speak out. I don't know what to say about it. This is sick."
Clearly, General Reals was pissed. It is also clear from the context that "radical feminist" was a thinly coded attempted to marginalize General Reals with a queer smear.
But General Reals was not silenced by those attacks, and in 1994 she was an outspoken supporter of Chuck Robb.
"I have no use whatsoever for Oliver North," said retired Marine Brig. Gen. Gail Reals, who at the time of her retirement was the highest ranking woman in the Marine Corps. ``I believe he violated his oath to defend the Constitution. The things he did were things that undermine our basic institutions. It makes me shudder."
This is Ramona Valdez. She was born in 1985, the same year that Gail Reals was promoted to Brigadier General. On June 23, 2005, Corporal Valdez died while traveling in a convoy that was attacked by a suicide, vehicle-borne, improvised explosive device in Fallujah, Iraq. Six U.S. service members in all were killed in that blast; two more of them were women: Petty Officer Regina Clark, 43, of Centralia, Wash., and Lance Cpl. Holly Charette, 21, of Cranston, Rhode Island. Eleven women were among 13 Marines injured.
Her first job was selling concessions at the Statue of Liberty at age 14, and through hard work she was able to finish high school early. Valdez had plans to attend college and hoped to work for the state highway patrol when her enlistment was up.
I wonder if Valdez could have gotten to Sergeant McKemey. Maybe. Her friend, Corporal Gettman, wrote
"Cpl Valdez and I were in bootcamp together also. It's hard not to smile whenever I think of her--her smile was contagious. That's why the drill instructors dubbed her "Smiley". My best memory of her is when she got the drill instructors laughing--even they couldn't keep a straight face around her by the end of bootcamp. When I had run into her last, she still seemed so happy being married and helping her family. Cpl Valdez, you will not be forgotten. I am sure you are smiling down upon us from Heaven right now." -- Cpl Angela J. Gettman (fka:recruit Sanchez A) of Camp Lejeune, NC
It makes me sad to think of my niece helping to collect the bodies of the young people, including the women, who've been killed as a result of our misguided invasion of Iraq. The things she has seen ...
How typical of the Swifties to slander the women who have served and then to thrust themselves out front as protectors of women against Mr. Webb this time around. They must think no one takes notes. What a bunch of jerks.
One of the few ways we can try to show our gratitude to our young men and women is by restoring veterans' benefits. As for taxes, I would much rather pay $1.05 in taxes that are reasonably and appropriately spent than see $1.00 squandered on special favors and enhancing the coffers of those who have sold out their decency to become wealthy.
And Janet Buxbaum, the USNA grad in one of the Allen ads, has taken in many millions upon millions of dollars in government contracts. Her credibility is zilch, since there is certainly an enormous potential that would have been cut off from the gravy train had she not "gotten on board."
A sharp contrast to those who are not in TV ads - people like your niece and Corporal Valdez.
I can feel the raw emotion in your post.
I am so proud to know you and to share being a veteran with you. A few weeks ago, when Gordon, you and I stood up in Bedford for Al Weed, I was proud to stand next to you. We represented the veterans that have no voice; those who have died, those who were forced out of the service of their country due to their sexual orientation, those too sick to attend. Even those who disagree with us.
Your article shows how far our military has come with respect to and for women. There is a long way to go. All veterans need to know that their service is valuable, and that we appreciate it.
I am glad to know you, Kathy. This article gives me cold chills and makes me wonder if we are ever going to be able to fix our broken country. This makes me very emotional.
That was a special day in Bedford, and I won't forget it either.
There are typos in the diary, and I don't have time to correct them right now.
And, contrary to the canard that our retired officers stepping forward and speaking against the war are harming morale, she says that the people she talked to were grateful that someone appears to give a damn about what's happening to them. She also spoke with admiration of the Colonel in the Anbar province who has been so public with his assessment of the real situation. He's the same one who talked to Warner last week and pulled no punches. This guy's a hero to the soldiers and marines there because he's telling it like it is without regard to his prospects for advancement.
My mother was part of the first wave of women in the Marines, the Women's Reserves, created during WWII. Unlike the other services, the Marines fully integrated women into all kinds of positions, and sent them through boot camp like any other Marine. The idea was to free up as many male Marines as possible for combat duty.
My mother went through boot camp in 1944 at Camp Lejeune, and was stationed at Cherry Point for a while, where she taught navigation. She and other women Marines also flew planes just off the assembly line in Detroit to the bases.
I wish she were here today; she'd be an enthusiastic supporter of Jim Webb. She was proud of being a Marine (and came from a long line of 'born fighting' Scotch-Irish in our area