ABC News(ARLINGTON, Va. ) — The first female Marine to retire from the U.S. Marine Corps was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday.
Catherine G. Murray, who passed away last month at the age of 100, enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves in 1943 after hearing President Franklin D. Roosevelt announce the Pearl Harbor attack over the radio. She transferred to active duty five years later.
Her first assignment was as a motor transport Marine during World War II. After the war, she was one of the first female Marines transferred to Hawaii.
During her service, Murray was a fierce advocate for women, once standing up to two colonels after she felt they were not giving female Marines enough credit, according to her YouTube channel.
In 1962, Murray was the first woman to retire from the Corps, achieving the rank of Master Sergeant.
Even after her retirement, Murray continued to serve her country, becoming the first enlisted woman to join the Fleet Marine Reserves where she served until 1972.
Murray passed away December 20, 2017.
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