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Women Marines say 'Semper Fi' By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings Several Ashland ladies helped celebrate the 60th anniversary of women in the Marine Corps with an event Saturday, where women had the chance to swap stories and share a part of their historical past. For Adele Berres Shimanoff, Mae Murry Quaccia and Loretta Portnoy Lisowski, serving the in the United States Marines was a duty and an honor. "There was a certain excitement about being on active duty as women," Shimanoff said. "We were all trailblazers." In February 1943, just months after General Thomas Holcomb approved the formation of the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve, Quaccia completed training at Hunter College, N.Y., with the first enlisted class of 722 women. "Everyone was terrifically patriotic," Quaccia remembers. Quaccia left Hunter College for San Francisco where she was among the first Marines to be stationed. "General Jacobson used to give a party for us with a big birthday cake. There were about 60 of us originally," Quaccia said. Lisowski trained at Camp Lejeune in 1943 before being stationed to operate the PX (post exchange) at the El Toro Marine Base located in California. "I was so popular," Lisowski said, recalling how she was at the hub for distribution of items like cigarette cartons. Shimanoff trained at Camp Lejeune in 1945, after which she was deployed to serve in New York and Washington D.C. "I think we all led sheltered lives up until that point," Shimanoff said. All three have since connected through the Women Marines Association - established in 1963 - which operates chapters throughout the nation. Approximately 25 women in the Southern Oregon Chapter were scheduled to attend Saturday's luncheon, according to event organizers. However the event was open to all women Marines who served from 1943 to 2003 or who are presently on active duty. Reflecting on the past, the trio agreed that much had changed since their years of service. "Today, the women go through the same training as men, the same obstacle courses as men and they carry guns. We didn't do anything like that," Shimanoff said. While they didn't have to tote guns, they most certainly had to be in uniform. "I had a twin sister, she was a civilian, and I was coming into Los Angeles one weekend and when I got off the train she was standing there with military police on either side and two officers from my base. They were going to report her for being out of uniform until I stepped off the train and their jaws dropped. We're identical twins," Lisowski said, adding it was a very serious offense to be out of uniform, especially during a war (World War II). Though the ladies were only on active duty for a couple of years, all advanced in ranking. Quaccia went from private to sergeant, Lisowski entered as a private and left a corporal and Shimanoff jumped from private first class to sergeant before her service ended. All received a WWII Victory Medal for their active duty and all three went on to marry military men. "I'm a honey bee," Quaccia said, noting she married an officer in the Navy as did Lisowski. Shimanoff married a fellow Marine after spotting him at a party. "Two months later, we got married and we're still married," she said. As they pour over events in their lives, these women Marines know they paved the way for the women who serve today. "We all share something that not everyone else does and you have to be a Marine to understand that," Shimanoff said. "To this day when you meet a Marine the first thing they'll say is 'Sempre Fi (Always Faithful)." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -