Photo By Maj. Jeremy Wheeler | The Sgt. Opha May Johnson Marine Corps Reserve Center sign welcomes Marines to the...... read more read more
AIR FORCE HONORS MARINE CORPS SGT OPHA MAY JOHNSON
By Gunnery Sergeant Brian Knowles
Communications Strategy Office, Marine Forces Reserve
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Indiana – Marines and Airmen honored a legend of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Opha May Johnson, USMCR, memorializing her with a building dedication at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana.
The memorialization ceremony for the Sgt. Opha May Johnson Marine Reserve Center was held here Nov. 10, 2022. Colonel Thomas Pemberton, commander of 434th Air Refueling Wing, and Marine Corps Captain Joseph Hilliard, Inspector and Instructor of Detachment 1, Communications Company, 4th Marine Logistic Group, co-hosted the event.
“The legacy of Sgt., Opha May Johnson and all women who volunteer to serve by breaking down barriers, creating opportunities and setting the stage for successful women of the future is what we honor here today,” said Air Force Colonel Gretchen Wiltse, 434th Mission Support Group commander.
At the age of 39, Opha May Johnson became the first woman to enlist in the Marine Corps on Aug. 13, 1918, as a Reserve Marine. More than 300 women enlisted in the Corps during the following months at the peak of World War I. Opha May established a legacy of professionalism and dedication, which continues today.
Her experience and expertise was vital to quick and accurate operations in Navy Department Offices. As Pvt. Johnson, she was a clerk at Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington D.C. Outstanding in her duties, she was promoted to Sergeant after just 30 days.
World War I ended Nov. 11, 1918, with Sgt. Johnson being discharged Feb. 28, 1919.
Johnson went on to have long civil service career, working for the War Department prior to World War I, and then for the Navy Department after her military service. She retired in 1943 with nearly 40 years of total government employment.
The Marine Corps Reserve site at Grissom Air Reserve Base was selected to honor Johnson because she was born in nearby Kokomo, Indiana, and that she was the first woman to join the Marine Corps Reserve.
Celebration for the 247th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps was also conducted at the dedication with the Marine’s traditional cake cutting ceremony. Oldest Marine present, 68-year-old Sgt. Connie Hamm, who served 1973-1976, said, “I am so honored to be here for Opha May and for the Corps’ birthday. This is such a unique historical event, which I’m so proud to be a part.”
A bronze plaque honoring Opha May is scheduled to be installed on the building, explained Kay Ross, president of the Indiana Chapter of Women Marines Association, who helped organize the event. To applause and several “Oohrah” shouts, she unveiled a display-replica stating, “I now present a representation of our memorial-plaque for the Sgt. Opha May Johnson Marine Reserve Center.”
Sgt. Mariah Copeland, a Reserve Marine stationed at the Sgt. Opha May Johnson Marine Reserve Center, said her experience in the military was characterized by recognition as a Marine, not a woman.
“When I first joined the Corps five years ago, I never realized there was once a time serving our country in uniform was something women weren’t allowed to do,” Copeland said. “It never crossed my mind. As one sergeant of Marines to another, thank you, Opha May, for showing the world that women are capable of going the distance, pushing through adversity, and achieving the goals in whatever path they wish to take. Semper Fi!”
==========================================================================================
Who We Are: The United States Marine Corps Reserve is responsible for providing trained units and qualified individuals for mobilization to active duty in time of war, national emergency, and crisis or contingency operations. On a day-to-day basis, Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) consists of a talented and dedicated pool of nearly 100,000 Marines able to augment the Active Component in a myriad of ways, to include operational deployments, support to training, participation in bi/multi-lateral exercises with partner nations and allies, and service-level experimentation in support of Force Design 2030 and refinement of new concepts, tactics, techniques, and procedures.
Follow us at:
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
MARFORRES HQ HOMEPAGE
| Date Taken: | 11.10.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.28.2022 17:59 |
| Story ID: | 434068 |
| Location: | GRISSOM AIR FORCE BASE, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 121 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Air Force Honors Marine Corps Sgt Opha May Johnson, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
