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While she strangely denied serving in the armed forces, military records show that the actress Bea Arthur spent 30 months in the Marine Corps, where she was one of the first members of the Women's Reserve and spent time as a typist and a truck driver.
Bea Arthur Was A Truck-Driving Marine
Seeded on Sat Dec 11, 2010 8:24 PM EST
Article Source: thesmokinggun.com- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (11)
Good for her!
Arthur’s rank went from private to corporal to sergeant to staff sergeant, the title she held upon her honorable discharge in September 1945, according to one document.
On a Marine qualification card that included a section titled “Talent for furnishing public entertainment,” Arthur is credited for “piano & organ 13 years” and “contralto-orchestra.” Her “active hobbies” included hunting with a .22 caliber rifle and “bow and arrow.”
She was quite pretty back in the day, too.
- 2 votes
#1 - Sat Dec 11, 2010 8:28 PM ESTPost by lindajiy12 deleted for advertising, and user reported to Newsvine.
[sigh] I seeded this Saturday, and the MSNBC article posted a day later on the same subject already has more comments--but less spam.
Cool article! I always loved Bea and I think it's awesome she was a Marine. It's too bad she felt she had to hide her honorable service from the world. More than likely it was due to the stigma of having contracted a "social disease". That was unacceptable for a single woman back in the day.
- 1 vote
#2 - Sun Dec 12, 2010 5:41 AM ESTI liked her before, but my respect for her increased further after reading the article.
You are probably right about her reason for denying her time in the military. I'm sure military men were (and are) disciplined for the same diagnosis, but I'll wager that the overall effect was less embarrassing for them--probably seen as a "boys will be boys" thing.
Very inspirational, Took. What a very talented person Bea Arthur was: A celebrity, successful actress and military veteran in a time when that was so uncommon for a woman. Yes, she should've been proud of her accomplishments.
P.S. I just re-read your addenda. In 30 months, she soared right on up the ranks! That is amazing!
- 1 vote
#4 - Tue Dec 14, 2010 5:43 PM ESTI had no idea she played piano or hunted, either. She was much more interesting and complex than I would have guessed from just her acting career. Too bad she did not feel comfortable discussing this portion of her life. She probably could have written a very interesting autobiography.
For me, this was sort of like learning that Julia Child was in the OSS during WWII--I already admired her ability to succeed in a "man's world," but was even more impressed by learning this.
I had no idea about Julia Child's military past either! So fascinating that these women felt it was best to conceal these facts that are so much to their credit, no doubt due to the attitudes of people of that time period.
- 1 vote
Liselotte- Watch the movie "Julie and Julia" with Meryl Streep. Julia Child was absolutely amazing! If you love Bea, you'll love Julia too.
- 1 vote
Watch the movie "Julie and Julia" with Meryl Streep.
I missed it at the theaters, but am looking forward to watching it. The DVR is set for Monday.
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