CPT Marene N. Allison Oral History Part 2

title:

CPT Marene N. Allison Oral History Part 2

creator:

Allison, Marene (Nyberg) (1958 September 21 -

subject:

US Military Academy (USMA) | Army

description:

Part 2 of 2 of a video interview with Marene Allison. Marene Allison was one of 62 women to graduate in the class of 1980 at the US Military Academy at West Point—the first class at the USMA that included women. In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed into law a bill that required US military academies to open their door to women, and in 1976 Marene Allison was among the first 119 to enroll at West Point. Although in many ways West Point did not seem fully prepared for the arrival of these female cadets—bathrooms were incomplete, women were given poorly made uniforms, grooming standards hadn't been set, and there were no team sports available to women—Marene continued on with her training, spending the summer with the Military Police in West Germany in 1978 and becoming the top collegiate athlete in orienteering in 1980. When graduating in 1980, she was relieved that she had survived, but thinks that things were so rushed and stressful that she wasn't able to really celebrate or consider the scale of her accomplishment as a member of the first group of women to graduate from a military academy. After graduating from West Point in 1980, Marene served for six years on Active Duty as an Army military police officer. Due to poor rotation timing for company command for herself and her husband, ther child's young age, and the limitations on where she could be stationed as a woman MP officer, she and her husband resigned their commissions and worked as special agents at the FBI. As of the interview, Marene was the head of security at a Fortune 50 company. She thinks that, while her time at West Point may have pushed her towards always finishing work at the last minute, the most important thing it taught her was how to be decisive, especially in stressful situations. When she resigned her commission in 1986, Marene had reached the rank of captain. A transcript of this interview is available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Reborchick, Marcy

date:

2006-10-21

type:

Moving Image

format:

DVD-R

identifier:

034.02: 2006.034

source:

OHP | 3rd Annual Academy Women Symposium | IMES

language:

English

relation:

238784

coverage:

1970s | 1980s | 1976-1980 | 1980-1986

rights:

Unrestricted