The FReeper Foxhole Profiles World War II era WAVES - March 14th, 2004

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/prs-tpic/females/wvw2-rc.htm ^

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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World War II era WAVES

After a twenty-three-year absence, women returned to general Navy service in early August 1942, when Mildred McAfee was sworn in as a Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander, the first female commissioned officer in U.S. Navy history, and the first Director of the WAVES, or "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service".



In the decades since the last of the Yeomen left active duty, only a relatively small corps of Navy Nurses represented their gender in the Naval service, and they had never had formal officer status. Now, the Navy was preparing to accept not just a large number of enlisted women, as it had done during World War I, but female Commissioned Officers to supervise them. It was a development of lasting significance, notwithstanding the WAVES' name, which indicated that they would only be around during the wartime "Emergency".



Establishing the WAVES was a lengthy effort. Inter-war changes in the Naval Reserve legislation specifically limited service to men, so new legislation was essential. Though far-sighted individuals in the Navy Department, and especially in the Bureau of Aeronautics, had long known that uniformed women would be a wartime necessity, general service opinion was decidedly negative until the crisis at hand. Even then, creative intrigue had to be used to get an authorization through The Congress. President Roosevelt signed it into law on 30 July 1942. The next few months saw the commissioning of Mildred McAfee, and several other prominent female educators and professionals, to guide the new organization.



Recruiting had to be undertaken (or at least managed, as the number of interested women was vast), training establishments set up, an administrative structure put in place and uniforms designed. The latter effort produced a classic design that still has many elements in use nearly six decades later. Difficulties were overcome with energy and indispensable good humor, and within a year 27,000 women wore the WAVES uniform.



These women served in a far wider range of occupations than had the Yeomen (F). While traditionally female secretarial and clerical jobs took an expected large portion, thousands of WAVES performed previously atypical duties in the aviation community, Judge Advocate General Corps, medical professions, communications, intelligence, science and technology.





The wartime Navy's demand for them was intense as it struggled to defeat Hitler and Mussolini in Europe and the Japanese in the Pacific. At the end of the conflict, there were well over 8,000 female officers and some ten times that many enlisted WAVES, about 2 ½ percent of the Navy's total strength. In some places WAVES constituted a majority of the uniformed Naval personnel. And many remained in uniform to help get the Navy into, and through, the post-war era.

A special image selection on the Navy's World War II era WAVES, selected from the more comprehensive coverage can be found in the following links:

• Recruiting and Training;
  

• Quarters & Meals;
  

• Recreation, Leisure & Good Deeds;
  

• Ship and Aviation Orientation;
  

• Transportation
  Transportation Part II;
  

• Occupations--Aviation Related;
  

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[SAMWolf]

LOL! I had those as a kid.

[snippy_about_it]

Another round engine.

[snippy_about_it]

Last one. I have other thread work to do. ;-)

[SAMWolf]

Now-a-days you don't have to be a man. :-)

[PhilDragoo]

World War II Posters/WWII Waves

Marcella's journal

Tribute to Marcella Lenne Lundstrom

The Story of a WAVE-An oral history of Evelyn Parker

Women, round engines.

Navy WAVES secure a chain hoist to a radial engine. (Courtesy of AFPS)

Josette Dermody Wingo

WAVE working on Bombe

High Resolution

Round engine, woman.

“The splendid services rendered by the WAVES in naval activities ashore, and their uncomplaining spirit of sacrifice and devotion to duty at all times, are examples of the sincerity and character of the Women’s Reserve which a grateful Navy will not forget.”

[SAMWolf]

Evening Phil Dragoo.

Excellent links as usual. Thanks for all the additional personal stories from WAVEs.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. Better than a square engine and a round woman. ;-)

Thanks for the great pictures and links.

[Professional Engineer]

LOL! I had those as a kid.

Me too. Last fall, he was getting bored one saturday, so we made a set. He liked them, and took them to school for show and tell.

His teacher sent a note home asking if I would make 20 to 40 more sets of them. Altoghter, we've now made at least 40 sets. I hope that's it. Storing all those cans gets to be a challenge.

[Professional Engineer]

More, More! LOL

[Professional Engineer]

Cool, thanks Phil.

[SAMWolf]

His teacher sent a note home asking if I would make 20 to 40 more sets of them.

No good deed goes unpunished. :-)