Major Sylvia Marsili: A First Leader Among Women

Sometimes the past walks up and knocks on your door.

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Major Sylvia Marsili’s grandson. He’d found my book, Murder in the Ranks, a murder mystery set in Algiers during WWII, featuring a company of WAACs.

WAACs were members of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. This particular company of WAACs that my book is based on were specifically requested by General Dwight D. Eisenhower. He needed soldiers to staff his new Allied Force Headquarters in Algiers, North Africa. The 149th Post Headquarters Company was an all-volunteer company of American women led by five officers, the first female officers to serve in a combat theater.

I spent years researching the women of the 149th Post HQ. When Major Marsili’s grandson reached out to me, he asked if I knew anything about her service. I was so excited to share with him the few things I’d discovered while researching my book.

Major Marsili, designated a First Leader at the time, was the mess officer, an often overlooked, but critical position. Supplies were scarce in Algiers and Marsili had to find creative ways to feed her troops. She had some help from the American and British servicemen stationed in Algiers, who held tea parties and dinners for the newly arrived WAACs, adding some much-appreciated treats.

On the second night of their duty in Algiers, the city was bombed by the Luftwaffe operating out of Sicily. This was to be a regular occurrence for the first year of their service. Leader Marsili was known for her big smile and reassurances during bombardments.

First Lieutenant Marsili was transferred to Oran, North Africa on August 24, 1943, to work as a Publications Officer with the Adjutant General Division of HQ SOS (Services of Supply). After promotion to captain in May 1944, she became Assistant to the Adjutant General, directing the classification and assignment of officers and enlisted men. She also supervised the assignment of Italian personnel in Caserta, Italy. Later, Captain Marsili was transferred to France–to Dijon and Paris–as Assistant Personnel Officer. Her next station was Frankfurt, Germany, and while there, she was promoted to Major. As Chief of Military Personnel, she directed and supervised administrative operations, and the movement of GI brides and dependents. She was discharged at the Pentagon on September 14, 1946.

It was such a joy to share these details with Sylvia’s grandson. I was also able to forward some photographs, courtesy of the U.S. Army Women’s Museum.

I based my mess officer, Gert Lindley, in Murder in the Ranks, on Sylvia Marsili. Each of the five officers, and the one hundred fifty enlisted women, who served in the 149th Post Headquarters Company, were pioneers, paving the way for women to serve in more roles in the military since WWII. Now, more than ever, I think it’s important to highlight their contributions.