Betty Sue Drake was born in November 1924 in Winston County, Alabama, where she graduated from high school. Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] happened during her senior year of high school. Many of the male students went into the service. She moved to Grand Blanc, Michigan with her uncle to work. She had considered joining the service but was not old enough at 17. Later, she discovered she could join the Marines at age 20, if her parents agreed. Her father refused but her mother allowed it. She was called to duty in February 1945. She had learned of Pearl Harbor while listening to the radio. There had also been reports that Japanese troops had landed in California, though they eventually found out that was not true. It is difficult to imagine nowadays that unconfirmed rumors were reported. It was a horrifying day. The country had not anticipated participating militarily in World War 2, though the US was sending materiel to Europe and American Merchant Marine ships were being hit by German submarines. The Navy WAVES [Annotator's Note: Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service; United States Naval Women's Reserve] had been established, but the Marine Corps was the last to bring in women. By 1945, the US was losing the war in the Pacific. The casualties were high. There was a recruiting drive to bring women in to relieve men from desk and supply jobs so that they could go to the front. Enough women joined to form an entire division. Drake was assigned as paymaster. She attended boot camp at Camp Lejeune [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina]. The drill instructor, a man named Collins [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] from Birmingham, Alabama, was the only man allowed in the women's compound of the camp. She has never been as afraid of anyone in her life. He was very creative in coming up with ways to humiliate them for mistakes they made. They did whatever he said, and only what he said, even going so far as to march into a body of water or a brick wall until the drill instructor called "Halt." His job was to break them down. Once boot camp was completed, Drake felt extremely proud to finally be called a Marine.

Betty Sue Drake went to paymaster school after basic training and was sent then to Washington [Annotator's Note: Washington D.C.] to a Navy annex on the banks of the Potomac [Annotator's Note: the Potomac River]. Her bunk window overlooked Arlington Cemetery [Annotator's Note: Arlington National Cemetery, United States military cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia]. There was a rec hall [Annotator's Note: recreation hall] and hospital, where many casualties of Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Battle of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 26 March 1945 at Iwo Jima, Japan] were being treated. The women were allowed to invite them to the rec hall as guests, which was rewarding. Drake's first assignment was to receive reports from company clerks in the Pacific [Annotator's Note: the Pacific Theater of Operations]. With the time it took for the reports to arrive by air, they would be a month old. She once received a report regarding a Marine in Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Mariana Islands] who happened to be an old classmate of hers. On furlough [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time], Drake would travel home to Birmingham [Annotator's Note: Birmingham, Alabama]. Being in the Marines was a worthwhile experience. She had never imagined continuing her education until the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] was passed, and she first went to the University of Alabama [Annotator's Note: in Tuscaloosa, Alabama]. She transferred to Auburn [Annotator's Note: Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama] where she received her bachelor's and master's degrees. While in Washington, the USO [Annotator's Note: United Service Organizations, Incorporated] had the best reputation for entertainment. She and some fellow female Marines went one night but were refused entry, as women in uniform were not allowed in. Many people had the wrong idea about women in the military. Many joined for financial reasons, or after losing their husbands to the war. Many women also went to work in factories. Women in this country have the same obligation to the country as men, which can be carried out in many different ways, such as voting or community service. Drake is extremely proud to be a Marine. She would have stayed in the military after the war. She was kept in for a year after the war because of all the paperwork to bring the men home. Units like hers were swamped.

Betty Sue Drake [Annotator's Note: a paymaster in the US Marine Corps] was assigned to Washington [Annotator's Note: Washington D.C.]. Her boss was a gunny sergeant [Annotator's Note: gunnery sergeant] who did not want women in the Marine Corps. He thought it would be more efficient if all of the women, around 50 of them, went to the restroom at the same time, and were not allowed to go at any other time. After complaints, he was replaced. Drake would have stayed in [Annotator's Note: in the Marine Corps], but nearly everyone was discharged nearly a year later. She returned home in the summer of 1947 and began school at the University of Alabama [Annotator's Note: in Tuscaloosa, Alabama] in September [Annotator's Note: September 1947]. The universities were swarmed by veterans taking advantage of the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment]. One of her classmates was a sub commander [Annotator's Note: submarine commander]. Her boyfriend at the time had been a tail gunner on a 29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber] in the Pacific who had shot down a Zero [Annotator's Note: Japanese Mitsubishi A6M fighter aircraft, referred to as the Zeke or Zero]. The colleges treated them as regular 18-year-old freshmen which did not work. The servicewomen were put in a separate dorm from the regular freshmen, because they were seen as a bad influence. One of the problems the women had was that they were not accustomed to running. The physical training was excessive. They were not accustomed to showering in open showers either. The Marines did not have a lot of experience with women, which caused some problems. Women should not serve as infantrymen, not because of lack of capability, but because mixed living conditions are not conducive to good morale. She is able to spot a Marine even if not in uniform by the way they behave, they carry themselves with pride.

On VJ-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945] Betty Sue Drake [Annotator's Note: a paymaster in the US Marine Corps at the end of World War 2] was in Washington [Annotator's Note: Washington D.C.] watching a parade. Joe Foss [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps Major Joseph Jacob Foss], a Marine ace [Annotator's Note: flying ace, fighter ace, or air ace; military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat] who served in the Pacific and other Medal of Honor [Annotator's Note: the Medal of Honor is the highest award a United States service member can receive who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor] winners were there. She was sad the day that Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] died. Contrary to what many are told today that no one knew he was crippled, they did know. Drake is a member of the Commiskey-Wheat Detachment of the Marine Corps League [Annotator's Note: congressionally chartered US Marine Corps-related veterans organization] of Mississippi. She is one of the oldest members at 91 years old. While in the service, there was some harassment of female Marines, often from civilian women who looked down on them. Many of the old-timers in the Marine Corps did not like women serving. Her service is nothing compared to what the men did, but she answered the call, did what she was assigned to do, and is proud of it. Women have an obligation to serve their country, not necessarily in the military. She is not happy with the condition of the country. She has three sons.

Betty Sue Drake [Annotator's Note: a paymaster in the US Marine Corps] was discharged after the war. She helped found a detachment of the Marine Corps League [Annotator's Note: congressionally chartered US Marine Corps-related veterans organization] with Jack Lucas [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps PFC Jacklyn H. Lucas], a Medal of Honor recipient [Annotator's Note: the Medal of Honor is the highest award a United States service member can receive who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor]. They provide scholarships for youngsters and contribute to wounded warriors. The war gave Drake a chance for an education and gave her something to be very proud of. Drake met a Marine veteran of Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Battle of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 26 March 1945 at Iwo Jima, Japan] who had been slashed in the neck by a Japanese samurai sword [Annotator's Note: Katana, Japanese sword with a curved, single blade].