Once the U.S. entered World War II, the nation created female versions of the militarysuch as the WAACs. Who were the women and what were the different branches of the services’ versions of the WAACs. Who were the aircraft “ferry” pilots and what did they do? Who was “Rosie the Riveter”?
The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was all-volunteer woman organization, it is often referred to as a woman branch or US Army, but initially it was actually Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), which is an auxiliary organization that is not a part of US Army. Despite that fact that woman worked in the army and often sharing the same risks as male soldiers, they did not receive the same payment and benefits. However, in 1943 WAAC was transformed into WAC giving Army women military status.
The training courses organized for woman volunteers and the training circumstances were the same as for men, with the exception of weapons and tactical trainings. In 1942 women began going to the war overseas, mostly in Europe, but also in the Pathetic and the Far East. They performed their duties like seasoned troopers, usually this means they suffered horrifying conditions and experiences.
WAC also included The Marine Corps as well as Woman Air Forces. Woman in the Air Force were called WAF. At first, even qualifies women pilots were abolished from flying. In 1942 The Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) was created, were woman participated, assisted or were aviators to ferry aircrafts used for transportation services, but as they were employed in the auxiliary part of the army, they were civil employers and did not ‘did not receive the pay and benefits given to male pilots sharing the same risks’. Later in 1943 women were to ‘replace men in a number of flying duties.’
As for the women who stayed at home, it was natural that they needed to take the workplaces that were previously taken by men. The female part of the US workforce increased drastically. “Rosie the Riveter” is the icon of the woman who worked in the munitions industry and all other working woman during WWII. Rosie was ‘star of a government campaign aimed at recruiting female workers’ and she is a feminist icon even nowadays.
Bibliography
Morden, Betty. 1998. "Women's Army Corps: WAAC And WAC". Chnm.Gmu.Edu. https://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/rr/s01/cw/students/leeann/historyandcollections/history/lrnmrewwiiwac.html.
"Rosie The Riveter". 2010. HISTORY.Com. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/rosie-the-riveter.
"Women In The Air Foce". 2017. Aerofiles.Com. Accessed January 19. http://www.aerofiles.com/wafs.html.
