Marie Rush
Marie Rush (née Arnett) had just graduated from college in 1943 when she decided to join the Coast Guard in order to get away from home, and do her part for the national effort in World War II.
Rush served for over two years as a Yeoman (a Coast Guard term for a clerk), stationed in Long Beach, California. Like many people, she kept a scrapbook, from which the clipping above is taken. During her service Rush gained an appreciation for the way her uniform caused people to show respect. In 1945, Rush and her college boyfriend, Max Rush, decided to get married. The Coast Guard did not allow married women to serve, so Rush was discharged from the service, and married the next day.
Max Rush went on to serve in the Navy for 26 years. The Rushes’ children remember their mother regaling the neighborhood kids with stories of her service—some truer than others—and she was always proud of serving her country. Marie Rush died in 2005, and is buried with honors as a veteran alongside her husband at Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida.
Courtesy of the Rush Family
