{"id":1573,"date":"2023-08-07T18:42:32","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T18:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usapress.info\/?p=1573"},"modified":"2023-08-07T18:42:32","modified_gmt":"2023-08-07T18:42:32","slug":"rasputins-daughter-defended-her-father-until-the-day-she-died","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usapress.info\/?p=1573","title":{"rendered":"Rasputin\u2019s Daughter Defended Her Father Until the Day She Died"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bea Arthur is a television icon, known for playing the characters of Maude Findlay in All in the Family and Maude, and Dorothy Zbornak in The Golden Girls. However, there\u2019s one aspect of her life you may not be aware of: her service in the US Marine Corps. We didn\u2019t think it possible, but this golden girl just keeps getting cooler!<\/p>\n

When the United States entered World War II, the government requested that women join the ranks of the military, so male soldiers could join the fight. While the majority of military branches had Women\u2019s Reserves at this time, the Marine Corps did not. This changed on February 13, 1943, when they released a statement, asking women to \u201cBe a Marine\u2026 Free a Marine to Fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the move was met with some reservations from within the Marine Corps, it was positively received by the public. Many dubbed the new female recruits \u201cGlamarines\u201d and \u201cFemarines,\u201d and overall more than 20,000 earned the title of Marine by the end of the war.<\/p>\n

With her parents\u2019 permission, Bea Arthur, then known as Bernice Frankel, enlisted. The process included physical exams, personality appraisals and recommendations. As the Women\u2019s Reservists section was so new, the Marine Corps had yet to create dedicated forms. This meant recruiting was done using US Navy paperwork.<\/p>\n

Bea submitted a handwritten letter, showcasing her dedication to the cause: \u201cI was supposed to start work yesterday, but heard last week that enlistments for women in the Marines were open, so decided the only thing to do was join.\u201d While she hoped to be assigned to ground aviation, she was \u201cwilling to get in now and do whatever is desired of me until such time as ground schools are organized.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"US<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Unknown Author \/ Wikimedia Commons \/ Public Domain<\/p>\n

Bea Arthur attended the first Women\u2019s Reservists school at Hunter College in New York for basic training. She was then sent to the Marine headquarters in Washington, DC, where she worked as a typist. Feeling her past experience would be more valuable elsewhere, she requested a transfer to the Motor Transport School at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The request was granted in June 1943.<\/p>\n

A year into her enlistment, Bea married fellow Marine, Private Robert Aurthur. She adopted his surname, requesting it appear on all official military documents. She kept this name after the couple divorced, altering it slightly into her famous stage name.<\/p>\n

Between 1944-45, Bea served at the US Marine Corps Air Station (USMCAS) in Cherry Point, North Carolina. While there, she worked as a driver and a dispatcher. According to records, she received just one misconduct report during this time, in late 1944. She\u2019d contracted a venereal disease, which left her \u201cincapacitated for duty\u201d for five weeks. The resulting punishment was a dock in pay for that length of time.<\/p>\n

\"Bea<\/p>\n

Promotional image for Maude. (Photo Credit: CBS Television Network \/ Wikimedia Commons \/ Public Domain)<\/p>\n

At the end of the war in September 1945, Bea was honorably discharged. By the end of her service, she\u2019d reached the rank of staff sergeant.<\/p>\n

One thing Bea Arthur\u2019s Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) taught us is she was the embodiment of Dorothy Zbornak. Her superiors noted she showed \u201cmeticulous good taste,\u201d and was known for being \u201cover aggressive\u201d and \u201cargumentative\u201d \u2014 not unlike her Golden Girls character!<\/p>\n

Bea Arthur and Angela Lansbury at the 1989 Emmy Awards. (Photo Credit: Alan Light \/ Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0)
\nHer file also states she was \u201cofficious \u2014 but probably a good worker if she has her own way!\u201d<\/p>\n

Bea Arthur moved on to have a successful and enduring career both on stage and on the small screen. After her service, she attended drama school in New York, and eventually landed guest roles on TV.<\/p>\n

\"Bea<\/p>\n

Her big break came when she appeared as Maude Findlay on All in the Family. The role landed its own spin-off show, which ran for six years. She later went on to star in The Golden Girls from 1985-93, securing her\u2019s status as a television icon.<\/p>\n

Despite her eagerness to serve, Bea largely kept her military service a secret. When asked about the topic during a 2001 interview with The Television Academy Foundation, she denied having ever served, saying, \u201cOh, no. No.\u201d<\/p>\n

More from us: The Zimmermann Telegram: Why The US Joined The Allied Powers<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until 2010, a year after her death from lung cancer, that Bea Arthur\u2019s OMPF became public record and the true extent of her service known.<\/p>\n