Bea Arthur a Marine? Believe it! Though there has been much speculation about the late "Golden Girl's" Marine past, it seems as though it is an actual fact. Bea Arthur vehemently denied being a marine and there was no actual proof of her Marine association until a new photo surfaced showing Bea as a trucker for the Marines during World War II.
The Smoking Gun web site is brandishing a photo of Bea Arthur, who went by her real name of Bernice Frankel, during her time in the Marines. She was reportedly with them for thirty months and drove truck during 1943. Bea was serving with the Women's Reserve at that time.
An unnamed source told the Smoking Gun that Bea, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 86, joined the armed forces in 1943.
“In a February 1943 letter included in her Marine personnel file, Arthur gave military officials a brief account of her prior employment as a food analyst at a Maryland packing plant, a hospital lab technician, and an office worker at a New York loan company,” the source was quoted as saying.
“She was slated to start a new job, but heard last week that enlistments for women in the Marines were open, so decided the only thing to do was join.”
Can you picture Bea Arthur from the Golden Girl's as a Marine? She did have a bit of an authoritative way about her while on the popular sitcom, but who would have guessed she had a military past? And furthermore, why would she have wanted to keep it a secret? She should be proud that she was out there fighting for her country when they needed her, not ashamed!
Photo credit: the Smoking Gun
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