The Secret Life of Bea Arthur: A Marine Truck Driver?

Bea Arthur in her Marine days.

Bea Arthur, who passed away last year, is best known for playing realist Dorothy on the hit show The Golden Girls.

Recently, documents have surfaced indicating that Arthur was part of the Marine Corps in her early 20s.

Strangely, there is also a documented interview in which after being probed by the interviewer Bea flat out denies ever joining the Marines. There are military records that show Bea served for 30 months and spent time as a typist and a truck driver.

Documents also specify Bea’s previous employment as a food analyst, hospital lab technician and office worker in New York.

According to reports, she joined the Marines after hearing enlistments for women were open and being in between jobs she thought, “the only thing to do is join.”

Funnily enough, a personality appraisal described the 21-year-old Bea as “Officious- but probably a good worker- if she has her way!”

A year after enlisting, Arthur married a fellow marine Private Robert Arthur where she officially changed her name from Bernice Frankel to Bernice Arthur and later to Bea Arthur.

For some unbeknownst reason, Bea intentionally neglected this from the chronological review of her life and unfortunately, we may never know why.

– Brooke Benjamin