Miranda Bloch, The Flying Marine

“What is a nice Jewish girl going to do in the military, especially in the Marine Corps?” –Miranda Bloch’s incredulous father

Oy, don’t get me started about that question.

The Jewish Women’s Archive has an excellent profile of Miranda Bloch, who enlisted in the Marine Corps during WWII and served as an aviation technician for training flights that prepared pilots and bombardiers for combat missions.

Miranda “Randy” Bloch was born in Jerusalem, Palestine on June 26, 1922. Her father, Isaac, had originally gone to Palestine as an aide to General John J. Pershing during World War I.

Moving permanently to the United States in 1924, Miranda grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the oldest of three daughters. When the United States entered World War II, Randy wanted to immediately join the Marines.

As a Jewish Marine aviator myself, it’s great to read about the pioneers who came before us. Semper Fi to Miranda, who currently serves¹ as president of the Greater Philadelphia chapter of the Women Marines Association.

Go read the full article, which is one of several written by Tara Metal highlighting Jewish Women’s military service for Memorial Day.