The We Are Marines Collection

06/02/2026

Linda Lacy Linda Lacy

Linda Cates Lacy served in the United States Marine Corps from 1972-1991. She retired with the rank of major.

She graduated from high school in 1962, and went to the University of Louisville while working as a clerk and then receptionist, graduating in 1969. Lacy then obtained a Master of Arts degree in Business Education from Western Kentucky University, graduating in 1972. She was also working as a teacher at that time.

Linda enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, attending basic training in Quantico, Virginia in January of 1973, as well as Officer Candidate School. She was then assigned to Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, as an assistant exchange officer. She was soon transferred to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as an exchange officer, in June 1974, and received a promotion to first lieutenant in late 1975.

She met her future husband in Philadelphia, who was also in the United States Marine Corps. Linda’s next assignment was at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, starting in November of 1976. She was assigned as assistant director of the clubs system as her final assignment and promoted to the rank of captain in 1977. She received a promotion to the rank of major in 1983 and retired on January 1, 1991. Linda was then in the Individual Ready Reserve, and returned to teaching high school first in Hawaii, then in North Carolina.

Linda was later active in the Women Marines Association and wrote We Are Marines, a book on the history of female Marines. Linda dedicated more than 20 years to research, documentation, and collecting artifacts in effort to preserve and share the history of women Marines. She received the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation Julia Hamblet award for her accomplishments. She started this collection in the 1970’s.

05/31/2026

Join TEAM MWM - https://womensmemorial.org/ways-to-support/team-mwm-trailblazers/

TEAM MWM Trailblazers is a Military Women’s Memorial community initiative bringing together women who served and those who support them through shared purpose, connection, and action.

When you join TEAM MWM, you are joining a community driven to make a commitment to our Nation’s heroes, past, present, and future.

Every step, every mile, and every act of support helps ensure the more than 3 million women who have served and continue to serve are seen, honored, and remembered, and their stories of service are preserved as a visible part of our Nation’s history and carried forward to inspire future generations.

Learn more and register - https://womensmemorial.org/ways-to-support/team-mwm-trailblazers/

05/29/2026

🥳🎉Our next exhibit is on June 26, 2026 at the Puller Veterans Care Center in celebration of CHESTY PULLER’s birthday 🎂, covering WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. We are taking this oportunity to shine a spotlight on service of our men and women from the Korean War era. If you possess Korean War memorabilia that could enrich our exhibit, we invite you to consider a donation.

‼️🙌For those who wish to support our mission and offset travel and lodging costs associated with this event, please visit our donation link. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, we ensure your generosity is tax-deductible, and we extend our deepest gratitude in advance. https://share.google/vqSvu7Tl9t20hEU1n

♥️Thanks to a good friend we have an incoming donation of a men’s Korean War era utility jacket! We also received a donation of uniforms worn by a lady Marine who served during the Korean War, Dorothy Alderman!

05/25/2026

We won the uniform and we can’t wait to share it with all who view our exhibits!

QUESTION: Thanks for the respectful inquiry! It is important to maintain a safe environment for information sharing! We will appreciate any evidential assistance in getting to the bottom of this!

We received a question about this uniform due to it being identical to the one worn by WAAC/WAC. WAC had a brown striped and a green striped version. The U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve book by Jim Moran mentions that the green and white striped version was worn for only a short period by women Marines because it was too similar to the summer service uniform. It is possible that photos would be hard to find for that reason. Is this another discrepancy in the book?

According to Dressed For Duty Vol 1, there were at least three types of exercise outfits worn. Peanut suit; another of one piece with fitted waist and flared shorts (color unknown); and one pair of spruce green and white sweersucker bloomer
shorts were observed.

I communicated with someone who has the shorts that came with a grouping of MCWR uniforms. The shorts have a different name that can’t be made out. He said the serial number in the shorts begins with the letter A and the letter A was used by enlisted WACs. There is something stamped in the one we purchased made up of 5 letters and numbers. Is that a serial number or laundry marking? Photo posted in the comments.

We have the belt from another auction. I will take a side by side photo of it and the summer service material as a closer look to see if there is any material variation. I contacted the seller and they are going off of the same information as us and many militaria enthusiasts.

As an example of a branch borrowing uniforms from another, women Marines wore Navy utilities in the 1970s. It is possible that the same happened with this PT uniform due to cost and uniform shortages as women Marines awaited a PT uniform. Maybe one of those things that occured that didn’t get clearly documented.

Additionally, Anne Lentz was involved in the design of WAC uniforms prior to MCWR. That is another indicator that women Marines may have borrowed the uniform while awaiting a PT uniform since it matched their summer service.

I wondered why they wouldn’t have borrowed from the Navy. From what a friend who studies WAVES told me they didn’t really have one at the time either. They wore some type of utility uniform.

If someone can provide evidence that women Marines did or did not wear this uniform at some point, please share and we will update our information. We will investigate by attempting to contact the entities that assisted Jim Moran with writing the book and searching uniform records. Nancy Wilt has passed away and she was the Women Marines Association Curator and Historian at the time of helping with the book. I am the current History Chair for WMA and I have access to MANY albums and historic records that we are working to scan and send to archives.

Until we have evidence, we will share the uniform with the information we can confirm and the information we are working to confirm.

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According to The U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve book by Jim Moran, this PT suit said to be worn during WWII by the USMCWR prior to the peanut suit. This is the same design as WAAC, which leads to the need for validation of information since the the book doesn’t state that information. It will be on display for the first time at the end of June!

♥️💛😁 Thanks to our donors! Your support means the world!!

05/25/2026

“Dear Mom and Dad, I hope you never have to open this letter because it means that something has happened to me. This is my final goodbye to both of you... Do not only mourn for me. Mourn for all of us who have given up our lives so that others may live free.”
— SP4 Cindy Marie Beaudoin

This Memorial Day, we remember.

Not just the names etched into stone or written in history books, but the sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and friends who once laughed, dreamed, loved, and hoped for the future.

SP4 Cindy Marie Beaudoin’s final words remind us of the true meaning of Memorial Day. It is not simply the start of summer or a long weekend. It is a day carried on the weight of sacrifice. A day to remember those who gave everything so others could live in freedom.

At the Military Women’s Memorial, we honor all who answered our Nation’s call with courage and devotion, and who served knowing the cost could be their lives.

This Memorial Day, may we pause.
May we remember.
May we mourn not only for one, but for all.

And may we never forget the extraordinary price paid for the freedoms we enjoy each day.

Their sacrifice lives on in the heart of our Nation.
Their memory lives on at the Military Women’s Memorial.

05/25/2026

05/25/2026

05/22/2026

Thanks to the Marine Corps History Division for sharing the photo of Mel, founder of 3-5-0 Girls, wearing the USMC Vietnam era two piece summer service uniform. She is holding the our treasured utility top that was donated by Terri Dickerson, one of 36 women Marines who served in Vietnam.

05/21/2026

We were invited to provide a display covering WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam at Puller Veterans Care Center in Warrenton, Va for their celebration of Chesty Puller’s birthday on 26 June!! Very cool!

❣️We would like to add USMC men’s utilities and some memorabilia from the Korean War era. Please contact us via PM or email if you have something to donate.

Donations to help us cover travel and lodging expenses are also welcome as we are helping with this event at no cost to the veterans at this care facility. We Are Marines is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Donors will receive a tax receipt. https://share.google/cyQy2McqhWJkPhA2v

Semper Fi!

EMAIL: [email protected]

05/20/2026

In March 2025, Arlington National Cemetery removed its webpage dedicated to Women’s History, a resource that once made it easy to explore the names, stories, and resting places of servicewomen laid to rest there.

As we approach Memorial Day, we invite our community to honor the women who gave their lives in service to our nation. Their sacrifice protected our freedoms and paved the way for the rights and opportunities women have today.

Those stories are visible and accessible on our website. You can now explore the lives and locations of these remarkable women through our dedicated page.

For those able to visit Arlington National Cemetery, we encourage you to walk its grounds with intention, visit their graves, reflect on their service, and carry their stories forward.

If you’re unable to visit in person, you can still be part of this remembrance. Take time to read, learn, and share their stories. When we tell their stories, we ensure their legacy lives on and continues to inspire future generations.

Explore their stories here: https://foundationforwomenwarriors.org/the-women-of-arlington-national-cemetery/