Women’s Army Corps- WAC
It was in May 1941, congresswomen by the name Edith Rogers introduced a bill to create Women Army Auxiliary corps (WAAC). President Franklin D. signed legislation on July 1st 1943 that changed the name of the corps (WAAC) to (WAC) which stands for Women’s Army Corps and hence became part of the U.S Army Reserves. It was established so that to enable women to serve in noncombat positions.
The conversions of WAAC to WAC lead to a crisis in WAC recruiting. Some of the WAC recruiters lowered the standards that are required for acceptance into the corps while a few of them refuse to change to WAC and remain working for WAAC. Two of the southern states, recruiters haunted bus station and train, to look for women who came to send off fiancées and husband to war. They convince the women to sign a paper if they wanted to do something so that to bring her man back sooner. The women thought that they were signing a petition. Several days later, every woman who had signed the paper was given a notice to report for training. When they got to the training center, most of them were so confused and angry, and most of them never adjusted to life in the WAC.
The state created job station campaign that allowed recruiters to promise those who prosper will have their choice of duty and assignment location after they have completed basic training. These campaigns were successfully, despite that they caused the administrators and training camp officials of WAC a significant problem. Dealing with the oversized state companies, under strength and women who could dictate the terms of their assignment after they have undergone their basic training was a major challenge. Even though WAC enlistments did not reach the high levels during the early war, recruitment tend to maintain a steady pace from the fall of 1943 to early 1945, hence allowing the war department to respond to overseas with additional WAC companies.
The WAC group was divided to serve the Army Service Forces (ASF) Army Air Force (AAF), and the Army Ground Forces (AGF). Despite that job opportunities were limited at first; several positions were opened up as the war continues. The Army Air Force assigned WAC majorly as whether forecaster and observes, sheet metal workers, electrical specialists, flight simulator instructors, airplane mechanics, control tower specialists, photo interpreters, and photo laboratory technicians.
Members of the WAC’s at Fort Benning’s Parachute School were assigned at AGF as radio mechanics, to Armor and Cavalry schools. They kept requisition that involve radio equipment and repair, kept records and installed radios in tanks and other vehicles both in the fields and the camp. Furthermore, they trained men in the field in coding and decoding messages and in field artillery. The technical service occasionally employed WACs in the transportation of the corps so that to assist in processing mail and troops. Most of the WAC members served as medical and surgical technicians. During the post war world, the alternatives of tackling the war were very limited. The law did not provide re-employment rights after the war, and above all the army had no peacetime element for women.
During world war 11, 160 women in the WAC died from various non combat causes, and WACs group received over 639 awards including the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Service Medal, Soldier’s Medal, Air Medal, Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart. In fact, three of the WAC units received Presidential Unit Citation for meritorious service in Europe. The establishment of Women’s Army Corps becomes inspirational moments in the women’s right movement. According to supervisors, “women were more sensitive than men in nature” and hence does not deserve this kind of work in the future. The WAC wear uniforms complete with earmuffs and ski pants and heavy twill coveralls that are issued while en route. Due to climatic change, the coveralls proved too hot, and as a result many women developed skin diseases.
This idea of establishing WAC was at first resisted by the American public. The commander of the unit Oveta Hobby was instrumental in dispelling doubts, supporting the idea that each women serving would “release a man for combat.” Thousands of men will be relieved by women from their clerical assignments by performing nontraditional jobs such as an electrician and radio operator. The performance of WAC’s group was outstanding throughout the war theatre in North Africa, Asia, and Europe. In 1946, the army asked permission from the congress to establish Women’s Army Corps to become a permanent part of the Regular Army. This was one of the greatest dimension and indication of success of the wartime WAC. The army considered a need for the skills society believed that women could provide. This bill come to pass and become a law on 12 June 1948, and hence become a separate corps of the Regular Army. Since then, it remained part of the U.S Army organization until the year 1978, when its existence as a separate corps was shattered, and all the members of the WAC were fully assimilated into all but only the combat branches of the army.
Ultimately, the number of American women who served in the army during world war 11 is more than 150000. The main purpose of the WAC was to enable women to help the American war effort individually and directly. It enables the army to use resources and labor efficiently and free men from performing essential combat duties. In 1940s, the concept of women in uniform was difficult for the American society to accept. This organization has become a motivation for women; hence they can as well participate in key leadership roles both within and outside after they have substantially contributed to the war effort. These compiling factors, joined with the post-depression believes that when women are given uniforms, they will take jobs from civilians, hence limiting of the initial range of employment for the first wave of the women in the in Army. However, the mission was successful because its main objective was to help the United States during the time of war, was part of the national effort that needs selfless sacrifice from all the Americans. Therefore, the war effort that was initiated vast social and economic changes altered the role of women in American society.
In the years that the passage of women’s integration Act in 1948, the armed forces comprises of a very small proportion of women estimated to be one percent until the year 1973. In the year 1997, the account of women was 13.6 percent of active duty on the end strength that will increase to be fourteen percent by September of 2011. There were two major factors that ended up expanding women’s role in armed forces. The first one was after the draft ended and there was beginning of Al I-Volunteer Force in 1973 December. Military services thereafter experienced difficulties in the retaining and recruiting of enough and qualified males, and thereby turned their attention on the recruitment of women. The second one was women’s movement for the equal right that particularly was in 1960 and 70’s, leading to the demands for equal opportunities in all the fields. These fields included the national defense, and the gradual removal of restrictions which was against them.
Also, there were restrictions on the employment of female in the American societies that were broken during the Second World War by critical shortage of labor faced in the country by all the sectors of economy. Demonstration of female capabilities by “Rosie the Riveter” in a previous male dominated sectors and industries, the women also broke stereotypes that restricted them in the army, by doing that, they moved to the positions that were well outside their traditional roles. By overcoming slander and the conservative reactions by most of the Americans, as the phenomenon which was shared by their Canadian and British sisters in the Uniform, the American women insisted in service and considerably contributed to war effort. The transition in 1943 from the auxiliary status to women’s Army Corps was a de facto and recognized for their valuable service.
The discontinuance of WAC was as the assimilation means for the women who closely entered the army and the structure of army and elimination of the feeling of the separateness from the service. The director’s office to the WAC was then discontinued on April 1978; the WAC as separate corps in the army was then disestablished on 1978 October by the Act congress.
The Americas women cadets in the army were first recruited in the US military Academy at the West point in 1976 July and went on to graduate from each and every class since 1980 June. To fully utilize the barracks spaces in the world wide and separate WAC units being phased out in 1973 and 1974. The enlisted women also continued being housed and separately ensuring privacy in bat and sleeping facilities, however, they are always administered by the cadre group or on commander. The school and WAC closed in 1976. The women’s home for the WAC museum was built at the Fort McClellan, and the new museum built at the Ft. Lee, Virginia.
The Women’s Army corps were successful due to its mission, to the aid of the United States in the time of the war, was part of larger effort by nation that required a selfless sacrifice from the Americans. The effort on the war was initiated vast the social and economic changes, and it indelibly altered this story for the role of women in the American society.
Bibliographies
Hampf, M. Michaela. 2010. Release a man for combat: the women's army corps during World War II. Köln: Böhlau.
Women's army corps. 2013. [S.l.]: Book On Demand Ltd.
Marshallsay, Laura. 2011. WAC voices: the transition of the Women's Army Corps into the integrated Army, 1973-1978. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2011.
