Women of The army
"When you remember that an airplane can streak inland from the sea at a speed of three hundred miles per hour or more, you'll see that speed of operation is necessary... Women volunteers must work slickly and accurately... This is an army job, and a mighty important one."
-Keith Ayling¹
-Keith Ayling¹
In 1939 Congress established the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). "The era of the volunteer was beginning to end; the parliamentary model was making the transition to a genuine military organization."² "America had come to realize that none of their citizens, male or female, could afford the luxury of nonparticipation. In July 1943, a new congressional bill transformed the WAAC to the Women's Army Corps (WAC), giving Army women military status."³
Women of these groups went through the same training as men. They were trained to lose their individuality and obey orders. Every woman wore the same outfit because the army stressed perfection. "Every skirt had to be a regulation 16 inches above the ground so that when a company marched, the line of hems would be straight."² The strictness taught to these women stayed with them for the rest of their lives. A housemaid in a Ladies Home Journal article exemplified this, saying: "I went in to straighten Miss Mary's [a WAC woman] room... and unpack her suitcase and see what needed washing and mending... You could have knocked me over with a feather- her bed was made and her suitcase was unpacked... and everything was in the right drawer."⁴
"In late 1942, WAACs began deploying overseas. Five WAAC officers had a harrowing experience on route to reporting for duty at Allied Headquarters in Algiers, North Africa. The troop ship on which they traveled from England to North Africa was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the North Atlantic. A British destroyer came to the rescue and saved the women officers and other survivors of the burning, sinking ship and delivered them safely to Oran, Algeria. They lost uniforms, cosmetics and personal items and were smeared with oil and grit, but the welcoming party at the port brought oranges, toothbrushes and emergency items. Within a few days they were at work in Allied Headquarters."³
One women stationed in the Philippines explained: "We were warned to keep our sleeves down, wear our wool socks... watch out for wallabies (small rodent-like kangaroos that bumped under our cots at night), tarantulas (dump boots every morning), and snakes... The tents were hot during the day and cold at night because we were sitting right on the Equator."³
¹ Excerpt from Calling All Women; ² Excerpt from American Women and World War II; ³Excerpt from womensmemorial.org; Pictures from womesmemorial.org; ⁴Excerpt from Ladies Home Journal