MARNE When Elleen Wheatley was growing up, she always wanted to do the things that the boys were doing. So she modeled herself after one her twin brother.

I had my hair cut like a boy, she said. I had boots like a boy.

I was always with my brother, and we were always working- like carrying corn cobs, she said.

So its not a surprise that, at the age of 25, she would continue on that path and follow in her brothers footsteps and join the Marines.

Wheatley now has the distinction of being the oldest living female Marine, set to turn 103 years old on Aug. 26 and said it was all part of the job.

I didnt do anything outstanding, she said. I just did my work.

She served during World War II, and was sent off in 1942 to boot camp in North Carolina. When she got there, it was a bit of a rude awakening.

I got on the train in Des Moines, she said. It was a troop train. It was all girls. When we got there, they let us off in (an area) like a corn field.

While Wheatley was surprised to be dropped off in a corn field, she took it as a sign that she could tackle any challenge that was presented to her.

I made up my mind that if some of the girls could take it, I could too, she said. And I did.

Boot camp consisted of lots of school and also lots of marching, but she said, it was all worth it in the end just to see all those women marching together with matching uniforms.

And when we graduated, it was a beautiful thing, she said. All the Marine Corp girls in that parade. We were all dressed alike.

After boot camp, she was stationed in California, working on an air base there. While she loved airplanes, and had previous experience working at a munitions plant in Burlington, she wasnt working on planes, instead she was in the office working as a secretary.

We had nice quarters, she said. They were air conditioned. There were about 250 girls there.

She said women were not sent overseas, but they could be sent to Hawaii. She worried that if she were transferred there she would be away from her husband.

I was afraid that if he got sick, and they sent him home, Id have to (be in Hawaii instead of taking care of him), she said.

She spent six months at boot camp, two years in California, and eventually came back to Marne where she and her husband raised cattle and hogs. She still lives on the farm, today, but instead of cattle and hogs, she has a cat to keep her company.

Shes surprised shes almost made it to 103, and said her secret to living long is trying to do what she thinks would have made her dad proud.

I always tried to do things that my dad would be proud of, she said. I wanted my dad to be proud of me. He died when I was 16, (I think serving in the military) was the nicest thing I could have done (for him and me). I got so many benefits and I met a lot of nice girls in the service.

Anyone wanting to send Wheatley well wishes for her birthday can drop her a card at Elleen Wheatley, 2609 200th Street, Marne, Iowa 51552.

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Just One Of The Boys | Atlantic | swiowanewssource.com - The Audubon County Advocate Journal