Rose Franco

Rose Franco
Rose Franco
	Secretary of the Navy
Awards	Navy Achievement Medal; Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal

Rose Franco (born January 22, 1934) is a retired

Warrant Officer. Originally from Puerto Rico

, she is the first Hispanic woman to become a chief warrant officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Early life and education

Franco was born and raised in the barrio Ensenada of Guánica, Puerto Rico, which is located close to the "Bahia de Guánica" (Guánica Bay) in the southwest part of Puerto Rico. Franco, who was born into a poor family, was able to finish her primary and secondary education. Franco went to college for a brief period of time, where she took classes in business administration.^[1]

Career

With the outbreak of the

Camp Lejeune in North Carolina where she underwent basic training. Upon graduation, she was sent to Camp Lejeune for advanced training. After finishing her advanced training, Franco was assigned to the duties of administrative supply assistant at Camp Pendleton in California.^[2]

In 1956, she completed her four-year enlistment and returned to Puerto Rico where she went to work for

Pan American Airlines. She found her office job in the airline boring and soon she re-enlisted in the Marines. She was assigned to the First Marine Corps District in Garden City, Long Island, New York. During the night she attended Long Island University. After two years there, she was sent to work as an administrator at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in Parris Island, South Carolina.^[2]

Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy

In 1965, Franco was named Administrative Assistant to the

Paul Henry Nitze by the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer by the recommendation of the Secretary of the Navy.^[3] She reported to work in The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. At that time, she was only one of 11 women Warrant Officers in the Marine Corps.^[4] Franco held various important positions in The Pentagon

during her career.

Franco retired from the Marine Corps in 1977 after 25 years of service with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3 and returned to Puerto Rico where she currently lives.[2]