Born as Bernice Frankel on May 13, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York, Bea Arthur grew up in the quaint town of Cambridge, Maryland. Her journey into a life of service and stardom began unexpectedly. After graduating from the Franklin Institute of Science and Arts, Bea briefly worked as a laboratory technician at the Phillips Packing Company in her hometown. But destiny had different plans for her.

On February 13, 1943, the United States Marine Corps initiated a pivotal call to action: "Be a Marine…Free a Man to Fight.

" Driven by patriotic fervor and a passion to contribute, Bea enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps merely five days later. Her enlistment, dated February 18, 1943, marked her as one of the pioneering members of the Women's Reserve. By February 20, she had risen to the rank of Private and joined the first Women Reservists School at Hunter College in New York.

According to records from the Veterans Association, Bea's initial role in the Marines involved typist duties at the Marine headquarters in Washington, D.

C. This transfer to Washington was short-lived, as by June 1943, she had requested and received a transfer to the Motor Transport School at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Bea justified the move by citing her prior experience as a more valuable asset to the Marine Corps in this new role.

In the year 1944, Bea's life saw a significant personal development as she married her fellow Marine, Robert Alan Aurthur.

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