One of the first female World War II Marines celebrated her 100th birthday.
Family, friends and fellow Marine veterans held a tea party for centenarian Gladys Ruth Gallivan at the Veteran’s Village of San Diego.
"I cannot believe it," she told NBC 7 Saturday. "It's amazing to think someone would do this just for me."
Gallivan decided to enlist in the service in 1943, saying there was little chance of advancing in her job at Nordberg Manufacturing.
“I was just tired of my job," she said. “Other than that it was just my idea.”
Gallivan joined during the “Free a Man to Fight” campaign when she was just 26. She served at Cherry Point in North Carolina before being transferred to Miramar.
During the war, female Marines didn’t get the opportunities men did. Instead, they served in motor transport, repair and as telephone operators among other jobs.
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“We couldn’t go overseas,” Gallivan explained. “Wherever they could put us, they put us. Going into the Marine Corps today is entirely different.”
She was honorably discharged in 1946 and went into civil service. Gallivan also settled into civilian life, getting married and having two boys.
But duty called again, and she eventually returned to her job after her children had grown.
Gallivan retired in 1985 after a lifetime in government service.
The Women Marines Association created a Facebook event asking people to send her birthday card — some coming from as far away as Japan.
Gallivan said her secret to a long life is to “forget about getting older.”
She now lives in Mission Village where she helps the community paper and appears at local schools on Veteran's Day.
