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CAPTAIN MARGIE TURNER

By Rashawnda Atkinson
WAL resident Captain Margie Louise Turner (Retired) is
the first black female line officer to attain the rank of both
Commander and Captain. As a commander, she was the
first black female to have a command within the Naval
Telecommunications Command. During her 27 years of
service, Captain Margie Turner received the Defense Mer-
itorious Service Medal, Joint Commendation Medal and
the National Defense Medal.

“I didn’t realize what was going on when I think about it. I
was just trying to do the best job I could possibly do…As I
was serving in the Navy, somebody somewhere was keep-
ing track of all the things I was doing,” Turner recounts.

Sign Me Up
The Brookhaven, MS native earned a B.S. in Social Sci-
ence with a minor in Psychology and Sociology in 1963
from Tuskegee University with the goal of becoming a
marriage counselor. However, life had other plans for her.
Capt. Turner said that joining the Navy was “the best de-
“I joined the military because a good friend of mine cision I could have made.” Photo: U.S. National Archives
joined. She was in the Air Force and graduated the year
before I did,” Turner begins. That motivation drove her to successfully complete Officer
Candidate School in August 1964, where she received her
“After leaving Tuskegee, I went to Cleveland and spoke commission as an Ensign from the U.S. Navy. From there,
with different recruiters. At the time, the Air Force com- she’d embark on a 27-year career with stops in Treasure
mitment was four years whereas the Navy was only two. I Island, CA, Norfolk, VA and Gulfport, MS — the place
thought that two years wasn’t that long if I didn’t like it,” where she became Captain Turner in 1988 as Director,
she continues. Family Service Center.

The decision to join proved to be monumental for Turner. Aye Aye, Captain
When she entered Officer Candidate School in 1963, she Becoming a Captain in the Navy holds a special place in
was one of three black females accepted to the program. her heart as she retells how proud her mother was of her.

“As we walked down the hall and looked at the class pic- “My mom was alive to see me make Captain. She was
tures of the graduates, we felt that we had to succeed. Fail- there to pin the shoulder boards on me. That was the best
ure was not an option.” Turner states. moment of my life and career. Mom got so many calls
from all over the nation from people who knew our fami-
ly,” Turner says with a smile after we appeared in Jet
Captain Margie Turner’s Magazine.
Career Achievements
• 2006 Inductee for the Legacy of Honor at Alexander “It was such a big deal. My whole family came down and
High School we had a big celebration. They were only 150 miles away
• First black female officer to attend Naval War College from my duty station. If I were stationed somewhere else,
• First female officer of any of the Armed Services to that wouldn’t have been possible to have them there with
be assigned to the position as Branch Chief, Message me. I fought going back home but I’m glad I chose to ac-
Processing Branch, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. cept the assignment in Gulfport, MS. Sometimes you don’t
• First female officer to serve as Officer-in-Charge of know what’s waiting for you,” Turner concludes.
the Movement Report Center, Staff, Commander-in-
Chief, Atlantic Fleet at Norfolk, VA Captain Turner’s last assignment was at the Washington
Navy Yard, where she retired on January 1, 1992.

Page 8 Wheel August 2019