Oral History Interview with Mary Broussard, October 2, 2009

Partial Transcript: . . . May I have your name please, for the record?

Segment Synopsis: Broussard was born in 1944 to a military family, with her father serving in the Marines for several years. Broussard's father then worked for Ford Motors, which required the family to move every two years. As a result, Broussard attended 13 different schools throughout her academic career. Broussard graduated from Mercy University of Detroit with a BA in English and worked as a teacher in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit for seven years. Following a restructuring of the Catholic schools in Detroit combined with a surplus of teachers in the field, Broussard was left with very few options but to find a different career. Broussard decided to pursue a career in business, since the business field was beginning to open up more to women. During this time, Broussard moved with her family to the Bay Area. While enrolled in junior college, Broussard ran into a Marines recruiter who encouraged her to join the military. Broussard was interested in joining the Marines in particular because of her father and other family members who were Marines and had a good sense of patriotism, integrity and were personable (in Broussard's experience).

Keywords: Graduate school; Job applications; Lieutenant colonels; Marine Corps recruiters; Military families; Moving; Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit; Women in business

Subjects: Catholic schools; Character; Detroit (Mich.); Discrimination; Early life; Education, Higher; English; Father; Ford Motor Company; Integrity; Junior colleges; Marriage; Mercy College of Detroit; Patriotism; Prejudice; San Francisco Bay Area (Calif.); San Jose (Calif.); Sexism; Teachers; Teaching; United States. Marine Corps; Veterans; Women; Women veterans; Work

Partial Transcript: . . . I was applying for officer candidate school.

Segment Synopsis: Broussard had her OCS training at Quantico, Virginia. Broussard recalls that some of her family members discouraged her from going into the Marines because she was considered old to be enlisting (she was 29 at the time). Broussard's OCS class selected 44 people out of the over 400 women who applied. Broussard explains that female OCS trainees did not receive any combat training and that their physical fitness training was different than that of the male OCS trainees. The academic component of Broussard's training consisted of learning Marine Corps history and procedures. Upon completing OCS training, Broussard earned the rank of second lieutenant.

Keywords: Academics; OCS; Officer candidate school; Rank structures; Second lieutenants

Subjects: Aircraft; Basic training; Cousin; Discipline; Exercises; Father; Leadership; Learning; Military history; Parents; Physical fitness; Quantico (Va.); Running; United States. Marine Corps; Women; Women veterans

Partial Transcript: Well, we went to our follow-on school.

Segment Synopsis: After completing officer candidate school, Broussard went on to further training on the history and procedures of the Marines. Broussard recalls that trainees were given a dream sheet, which allowed the women to select their three most preferred assignment locations for billeting. Broussard says that she and her colleagues worked together to pick the most strategic billeting placements based upon desired locations and the qualifications of the women. Initially, Broussard wanted to work in PX (post exchange), since she had a customer service background, but deferred to another woman who had worked as a purchasing agent. Broussard requested and was billeted to Camp Pendleton to work in freight. Broussard says she wanted to go into traffic management and freight since she grew up moving so much.

Keywords: Billeting of soldiers; Finances; Moving; Post exchanges; PX officers; Qualifications; Traffic management

Subjects: Administration; Camp Pendleton (Calif.); Cooperation; Customer service; Design; Education; Freight and freightage; Management; Purchasing agents; Sales; Training; United States; United States. Marine Corps; Women; Women veterans

Partial Transcript: I was the first female to do--um--freight.

Segment Synopsis: Broussard states that she was the first female to be a traffic management officer in freight at Camp Pendleton. Broussard had never been in a leadership position before and initially felt somewhat intimidated by the enlisted men who had never worked for a woman. Broussard also had problems at the start with a staff sergeant, but quickly realized that he did not know how to read and worked with her colleagues to help him earn a GED. Broussard worked as a traffic management officer for three years on active duty and was able to gain self-confidence from being an effective leader. Broussard says that she did not experience discrimination because she was a woman, except for one individual who mistakenly associated her with the women's liberation movement. Broussard states that she had some problems with a commanding officer who did not respect her rank as a second lieutenant, but was able to gain the respect of the people she supervised due to her age.

Keywords: Active duty; Bias; Civilians; Commanding officers; GED; Military Occupational Specialty; Officers; Sergeants; Teamwork; Traffic management officers; Women's liberation movement

Subjects: Age; California; Camp Pendleton (Calif.); Confidence; Cooperation; Discrimination; Dynamics; Freight and freightage; Hierarchy; Leaders; Leadership; Literacy; Management; Men; Nineteen seventies; Prejudice; Pressure; Respect; Sexism; Staff; Teachers; Teaching; Trust; United States. Marine Corps; Women; Women veterans

Partial Transcript: . . . And then you got off of active duty, is that correct?

Segment Synopsis: After three years in active duty, Broussard decided to go into the reserves so that she could marry her husband, whom she met in officer candidate school. Broussard and her husband had determined that it would be difficult for a couple to be posted to the same place at the same time, which made the prospect of starting a family difficult. Broussard then took a break from the Marines for two years and had her daughter. When Broussard received a warrant in the mail offering her the opportunity to be promoted to the rank of captain in the reserves, her husband encouraged her to take this opportunity. Broussard then took on a non-paying job at Moffett Field in the Bay Area, where she was living at the time. Broussard was assigned to work on a survey that the Marines had created in order to identify what types of civilian skills (such as languages) Marine Corps personnel brought into the military.

Keywords: Active duty; Blended families; Captains; Civilians; Colonels; Husband; Marine Corps Reserve; OCS; Officer candidate school; Pay; Skills; Special projects

Subjects: Babies; Business; Contracts; Languages; Management; Marriage; Moffett Field (Calif.); Okinawa Kaihatsuchō (Japan); Retirement; San Francisco Bay Area (Calif.); Surveys; Teaching; United States. Marine Corps; Women veterans

Partial Transcript: So, what about after that?

Segment Synopsis: In 1979, following her husband's enrollment at amphibious warfare school in Quantico, Virginia, Broussard decided to return to active duty for around six months. Broussard worked in screening personnel records of officers. Following the completion of her active duty service, Broussard worked on different types of boards in the Marines. In 1980, Broussard's husband was transferred to Louisville, which precipitated a family move to Kentucky. Broussard continued to work in the reserves with a tank battalion on recruiting, which involved coordinating and event planning with nearby high schools. Broussard and her husband decided to retire to downtown Louisville because of the low cost of living and the family friendly atmosphere of the city.

Keywords: Active duty; Amphibious warfare school; Boards (Military); Commanding officers; Cost of living; Fitness reports; Husband; Marine Corps Reserve; Officer records; Quantico Marine Corps Base (Va.); Recruiting; Recruiting stations; Tank battalion

Subjects: Children; Competition; Families; High school; Illinois; Jefferson County (Ky.); Kentucky; Louisiana; Louisville (Ky.); Physical fitness; Quantico (Va.); Retirement; Stepchildren; Students; Tank cars; Teachers; United States. Marine Corps; Women veterans

Partial Transcript: . . . Five years I served with a Selective Service in--uh--Frankfort.

Segment Synopsis: Broussard worked on the Marines side of the Selective Service System for five years. Broussard worked in conjunction with the Army Reserves and the National Guard on a seven county area surrounding Frankfort. In this position, Broussard primarily worked with the media and local high schools to increase awareness amongst male students about selective service laws. Broussard also assisted with simulations of war scenarios with draft board members, and recommended members for the draft board (who were selected by presidential appointment). Broussard says that she became accustomed to being outnumbered by men while serving in the military, but was shocked when she first came to officer candidate school. Broussard states that she got used to being in a male-dominated field, but wanted to be treated with respect by her male colleagues. Broussard observed that there were more women in the reserve units as time went on.

Keywords: Active duty; Central Kentucky; Draft Board; Majors (Military); Marine Corps Reserve; Media; OCS; Officer candidate school; Presidential appointees; Recommendations; Selective service laws; Simulations

Subjects: Basic training; Counselors; Counties; Draft registration; Frankfort (Ky.); Kentucky; Louisville (Ky.); Money; Radio; Respect; Salaries; Schools; Television; Training; United States. Army--Reserves; United States. Marine Corps; United States. National Guard; United States. Selective Service System; War; Women; Women veterans

Partial Transcript: I got a call inviting me to--they were building a new battalion at Camp Lejeune--um--a reserve battalion.

Segment Synopsis: After taking a two year break from the reserves to help her teenage daughter, Broussard took on an assignment at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Broussard observed that enlisted women were treated rougher than women in officer candidate school. Broussard says that her husband was supportive of her military career, despite having a higher ranking than him (which was not always the case with some military couples). Broussard worked as an adjutant and kept track of personnel records and awards. Broussard was promoted to lieutenant colonel during this time.

Keywords: Civilians; Commanding officers; Daughter; Enlisted women; Fitness reports; Husband; Lieutenant colonels; Majors (Military); Marine Corps Reserve; Military occupational specialty; Pay grades; Post exchanges; PX officers; Rankings (Military); Traffic management officers; Treatment

Subjects: Adjutants; Administration; Awards; Camp Lejeune (N.C.); Couples; Discrimination; Logistics; Marriage; North Carolina; Persian Gulf War, 1991; Prejudice; Records--Management; Retirement; Sexism; Teenagers; Transportation; United States. Marine Corps; United States. Selective Service System; Women veterans; Work; Writing

Partial Transcript: . . . It's when they downsized and our battalion got cut . . . I was ready to retire.

Segment Synopsis: Broussard was in essence forced to retire in the late 1990s when President Clinton decided to downsize the military, cutting the battalion she was serving with at Camp Lejeune. Broussard still continued to volunteer with the reserves. While working for the battalion at Camp Lejeune, Broussard had the opportunity to participate in NATO military exercises at Stuttgart, Germany for three weeks. The exercise was designed to prepare NATO for a situation similar to the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident. Broussard says that it was not uncommon to have women participate in military exercises in the 1990s, but was very rare during the 1970s. Broussard recalls that she was asked to participate in a military exercise at Camp Pendleton because the Marines needed practice at interrogating women for the Vietnam War. Broussard supports women being increasingly involved in military exercises. Broussard also states that she commuted from Louisville to Camp Lejeune by plane once a month for her reserves work and had to retire when she was in her late 50s in part because of her age (since the qualifying retirement age for the Marine Corps Reserve is 60).

Keywords: Battalions; Bill Clinton; Billets; Dignitaries; Marine Corps Reserve; Military exercises; NATO; Simulations

Subjects: Aging; Airplanes; Badges; Camp Lejeune (N.C.); Camp Pendleton (Calif.); Change; Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, Chornobylʹ, Ukraine, 1986; Commute; Interrogations; Louisville (Ky.); Nineteen nineties; Nineteen seventies; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; North Carolina; Red Cross and Red Crescent; Retirement; Stuttgart (Germany); United States. Marine Corps; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Volunteerism; Women; Women veterans

Partial Transcript: In looking at the arc of your career--um--which would you say was the highlight of your career?

Segment Synopsis: Broussard states that the highlight of her military career was having the chance to work in a combat service support role in the Marine Corps Reserve at Camp Lejeune. Broussard wishes that she would have had the opportunity to take the qualification test for weapons when she enlisted in the Marines like women have today. Broussard explains that as time went on and more women joined the reserves and had that weapons training background, Broussard felt that she was falling behind the curve in terms of military knowledge. Broussard eventually did qualify with a pistol many years after entering the Marine Corps and took correspondence courses to build up her knowledge base. Broussard adds that she liked her military experience and believes that she could have taken advantage of more opportunities while serving. Broussard says that some of her peers were able to rise up in the military ranks despite being in a male-dominated field.

Keywords: Combat training; Marine Corps Reserve; Officer candidate school; Opportunities; Shooting ranges

Subjects: Armories; Basic training; Camp Lejeune (N.C.); Camp Pendleton (Calif.); Correspondence schools and courses; Marriage; Men; Nineteen seventies; Opportunity; Pistols; United States. Marine Corps; Weapons; Women; Women veterans

Partial Transcript: --What did you learn most from the military--your military service?

Segment Synopsis: Broussard says that she learned to be more confident and determined from her military service. Broussard advises women interested in joining the military to give it a try because it is only a three year commitment and career changes are still possible after service.

Keywords: Advice; Determination; Marine Corps Reserve; Women in the military

Subjects: Confidence; United States. Marine Corps; Women in combat; Women veterans