Marine Sgt. LaVeta Edge, of Waterloo, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Edge, 218 Allen street, is shown at left as a member of the honor guard at the christening of a marine corps transport plane, "The Lady Leatherneck" at Washington National airport.
Sergeant Edge has been stationed in Washington, D.C. since May as a civilian pay clerk.
Maj. Ruth Cheney Streeter, director of the marine corps women's reserve is pictured at the top of the platform swinging a champagne bottle, while Maj. Harold F. Brown and Brig. Gen Louis F. Woods, Marine corps officers, look on.
Honor guards shown are from left to right, Sergeant Edge, Pfc. Kay Schuster; Sgt. Marie Anderson; and Cpl. Grace Blanshan, Ames Ia.
Source: The Waterloo Courier, October 10, 1943 (photo included)
Women in Service
BLANSHAN COMMISSIONED
Second Lieutenant Grace A. Blanshan, daughter of Mr and Mrs. A.M. Blanshan of Ames, RR was one of the group of seventeen women who received commissions after completing the eight weeks of intensive training at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
A secretary in civilian life Second Lieutenant Blanshan attended the American Institute of Business in Des Moines. She was selected in Des Moines. She was a sergeant at the time she was selected for officers training.
The new officers will be retained at Camp LeJeune for officer indoctrination before assignment to duty.
Source: Ames Daily Tribune, November 6, 1944
Grace Alda Blanshan was born Nov. 14, 1920 to Artemus M. and Alda B. Schilling Blanshan. She died Apr. 6, 1998 and is buried in Zillah Cemetery, Zillah, WA.
Lt. Blanshan served in World War II with the U.S. Marine Corps at Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C. and Camp LeJeune, NC. She was married to W. Stanley Layman. Stanley was a Second Lieutenant with the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II.
Source: ancestry.com
