Women’s military footwear display includes boots from World War I (top right) and World War II (bottm right) and (top left) Vietnam to present and (bottom left) Gulf War boots. Photos by Chris Stone
They used to say “Your mother wore Army boots.” But that’s no slur at MCAS Miramar as Marine women’s footwear from World War I to today is proudly on display.
Visitors can view leather high boots, combat boots, pumps and brown suede shoes at the Miramar Air Show as it salutes a century of Marine women’s history.
Even better, retired and current service women are available for meet-and-greets from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Aircraft soared but thankfully temperatures didn’t as one of the largest military air shows took off Friday under sunny skies in the mid-80s for a three-day run.
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A poem about women in the military is on display in an area honoring women Marines. Photo by Chris Stone
The history of women in the Marine Corps is presented at the 2018 Miramar Air Show. Photo by Chris Stone
A collection of women Marine uniforms from World War I to the present are on display in the Air Show Expo building. Photo by Chris Stone
Women Marine uniforms from Korea through the Vietnam War are among the clothing items on display. Photo by Chris Stone
Retired Master Sgt. Alfred Jaenichen has collected the women’s uniforms for the last few years. Photo by Chris Stone
A collection of women Marine uniforms from World War I to the present are on display in the Air Show Expo building. Photo by Chris Stone
A woman from the El Toro Lady Marines shows the old airstrip for El Toro Marine Base. Photo by Chris Stone
Members of the El Toro Lady Marines talk about the role of air traffic controller that women played. Photo by Chris Stone
The history of women Marines is celebrated at the 2108 Miramar Air Show. Photo by Chris Stone
Female Marines are honored at a display in the Air Show Expo building. Photo by Chris Stone
Female Marines are honored at a display in the Air Show Expo building. Photo by Chris Stone
The Miramar Air Show’s theme for 2018 was the celebration of 100 years of women in the Marine Corps. Photo by Chris Stone
A women’s uniform from the Vietnam War (left) compares to the modern style. Photo by Chris Stone
Women’s uniforms for the gulf wars were the same as the men’s. Photo by Chris Stone
Magazines and pamphlets were on display for the Miramar Air Show’s theme for 2018, the celebration of 100 years of women in the Marine Corps. Photo by Chris Stone
Celebrating 100 years of women in the U.S. Marine Corps, the annual event again featured the Navy Blue Angels, a Patriot L-39 Jet Team and demos of the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and the U.S. Marine Corps F-35 Lightning II.
Women’s uniforms on display in the Air Show Expo building went from heavy wool to cotton-polyester and gabardine.
Finding a women’s World War I uniform is “virtually impossible” with only one or two originals in museums, said the owner of the collection, retired Master Sgt. Alfred Jaenichen of Santa Ana.
In World War I, female Marines wore skirts that went almost to their feet, he said, whereas in World War II women wore uniforms with bib overalls and jackets (with a shorter skirt).
By the 1950s Korea War, women were wearing striped green-and-white uniforms, similar to flight attendant garb. From 1959 to 1961, they wore full-length dresses, said Jaenichen, 56.
