Col. Marianne S. Waldrup (Ret.) & women in the military

Our guest: Col. Marianne S Waldrup (Ret.)

Marianne S. Waldrup, a retired U.S. Marine colonel is being honored for her work researching female Marine Corps generals. A Marine of 24 years, Waldrop led hundreds of Marines in a variety of environments, with the most challenging assignments in support of four combat operations in Saudi Arabia, Africa and Iraq.

She said her initial goal for the research was finding out what drove the women to join the military and see what, if anything, they had in common.

She did find that three things aligned, however: They had short-term strategies to succeed in their professions; they didn’t identify with anything but being a Marine; and they had a strong affinity with the core values of the Marine Corps’ culture.

“These women were very impressed by the Marine Corps and realized that they were just so impacted by wanting to be one of the few, one of the proud,” she said.

Waldrop, along with other award recipients, was recognized at a ceremony April 29 at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia.