The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Trailblazer for women in military
BOYERTOWN >> President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s plea to women to serve in World War II, “Be a Marine. Free a Marine to Fight,” spoke directly to Pauline and Kathryn Klinger of Snyder County.
The Klinger girls, who were 20 years old at the time, ventured from their solitude of their rural Pennsylvania home to serve in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve when the world was at war in 1942.
Both served in clerical positions at Camp Lejeune, the Marine Corps base in North Car
olina, throughout World War II.
Seventy-seven years after she enlisted, Pauline Klinger Rohrbach was heralded as a trailblazer for women in the military on Wednesday, her 97th birthday, at party in Chestnut Knoll senior living center, Boyertown, where she resides.
Her twin sister, Kathryn, who lives in Latrobe, Westmoreland County, was unable to attend.
“Thank you for paving the way for me,” said Pam Kubczak of Pottstown, representing the Women Marines Association. “If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be here.”
Kubczak, who served in the Marine Corps from 1977 to 1980, reminded Pauline women currently serve as commanders, fighter pilots and every other capacity, just as men do. Women account for about 14% of the Marine Corps component, she said.
Commander of a Women Marines Association chapter, Kubczak presented Pauline with a Marine Corps afghan emblazoned with slogans “Once A Marine, Always A Marine” and “Semper Fi,” the Marine Corps motto, which translates to “Always Faithful.”
Pauline, known fondly as Polly, was visibly touched by the kindness shown her by Marine Corps comrades and 50 or so residents of Chestnut Knoll who sang “Happy Birthday.”
Her children, Linda Austerberry of Douglass Township, Montgomery County, and Thomas Rohrbach of Exeter Township, expressed pride in their mother’s service in World War II.
“It was very adventuresome on the part of my mother and aunt to leave their home and serve their country,” said Austerberry, 70, a retired Boyertown High School art teacher.
Rohrbach, 68, a retired Exeter Junior High School history teacher, said patriotism was at the root of his mother’s and aunt’s service.
“They had the feeling that they had to do something for their country in a time of war,” he said.
Polly said she and her sister chose the Marine Corps because their brother, Marlin Klinger, was already serving in the corps.
Polly said she understood the seriousness of World War II, but she was confident the U.S. and its allies would prevail. In the faces of the young Marines training at Camp Lejeune, she saw a dedication and love of country that would sustain them in battle.
After the war, Polly enrolled in Kutztown State Teachers College to study elementary education. After two years, she left to marry Daniel Rohrbach, who would go on to become Boyertown High School principal and Berks County superintendent of schools.
Patrick McKernan, 72, who served with the Marine Corps in Vietnam, presented Polly with a framed print of the Marine Corps’ Eagle, Globe and Anchor emblem on behalf of a Marine Corps League chapter in Chester County. Retired Sgt. Maj. Calvin Books, 85, who served in the corps from 1953 to 1990, gave Polly a flower arrangement with an American flag.
“Happy birthday, kiddo,” he said, planting a kiss on her cheek.
Bruce Updegrove, a Boyertown High School history teacher and military historian, was instrumental in arranging the party in Polly’s honor. Shawn Barndt, executive director, said Chestnut Knoll was proud to participate in the celebration of Polly’s connection to history.
Polly’s uniform, complete with a “P. Klinger” inscription inside her hat, was on display in the Chestnut Knoll dining room. An image in a scrapbook kept by Polly showed the Klinger sisters prone-position on a rifle range, a publicity photo the Marine Corps used to recruit young women.
Her stint in the Marine Corps, Austerberry said, left an indelible mark on her mother.
“You can tell she was in the Marines by looking into her closet,” Austerberry said, “everything’s in perfect order.” Contact Ron Devlin: 610371-5030 or rdevlin@ readingeagle.com.