Naomi Peers Malone Collection
-
-
Oral history interview with Naomi Peers Malone
-
Documents the life of Naomi Peers Malone from her early life as a Mennonite in Philadelphia during the 1930s and 1940s, her decision to join the United States Marines in 1953, basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina, and her assignment to Cherry Point, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Also discussed is Malone's marriage to a fellow marine and her involvement with military-affiliated organizations after being discharged. Malone discusses her childhood growing up as a Mennonite in Philadelphia in the 1930s and 1940s, her conversion to the Baptist faith, and her mother's beliefs that the military would provide needed discipline. She recalls joining the U.S. Marines in 1953 and attending basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina. She discusses the challenges of basic training and her career working in the disbursement office. Malone also reveals her decision to quit the U.S. Marines after marriage and accompany her husband to California, as well as her life as a military spouse and her thoughts on the frequent absences of her husband. Personal topics include racial discrimination in the Jim Crow south in the 1950s and an early interracial relationship, as well as her feelings on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" controversy and the sexual integration of the military. Malone discusses her work as a schoolteacher for thirty-seven years after her discharge from the military and her involvement with the Women Marines Association in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
