Ruth Broe

Ruth Broe (10 December 1911 - 19 August 1983) was one of the first women to join the United States Marine Corps and one of the first three women to attain the rank of Colonel in the Marines.^[1]

Ruth Broe
Born	(1911-12-10)December 10, 1911 Monongah, West Virginia
Died	August 19, 1983(1983-08-19) (aged 71)
Buried	Riverside National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1943–1971
Rank	Colonel
Commands	United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve

In 2013, Broe was awarded The Colonel Julia E. Hamblet Award (for furthering the recognition of the history of women Marines) by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation.^[2]

Life and military career

Born Ruth Hammond on 10 December 1911 in Monongah, West Virginia, she joined the Marines in 1943 when the Marine Corps first started accepting female recruits. In 1951, she married a Marine, Richard W. Broe in Laguna Beach, California, and they were stationed at El Toro. She served as National President of the Women Marines Association from 1972 to 1974.^[3] In 1966, she co-authored History of the Marine Corps Reserve. She retired in 1971.