We are all familiar with the story of Rosie the Riveter and how women
jumped to action during World War II to keep the country moving forward. But did
you know decades early, in 1917, the Navy officially enlisted the first women in the
military when the United States entered World War I?
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Marines conduct a recruitment
campaign in New York, NY, 1918.
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Before women had the vote, Before women’s fashion allowed
for wearing long pants or even skirts above the knee, Before television or radio—women
were enlisted to support the war effort. Don’t get me wrong, women had been
involved in war before—as spies or nurses or even as disguised soldiers during
the Civil War. But never before as official enlisted personnel.
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| US Army Signal Corps telephone operators or "Hello Girls," Tours, France, WWI. Elizabeth Anne Browne Collection, Gift of L.C. Jones. Women's Memorial Foundation Collection. |
By the end of World War I in 1918, more than18,000 women
had been enlisted in the Navy, Marines, Coast Guard to work in clerical jobs at bases all over the country. Thousands more women
had worked in the Army Nurse
Corps or as nurses, ambulance drivers, telephone operators, and general
volunteers on or near the front line for the Army Signal Corps, Salvation Army,
American Red Cross, YMCA, and YWCA among numerous other organizations.
In some instances, it took until 1977 for women to be
recognized as veterans of the war and to receive military benefits. Most would
not be alive to enjoy the recognition.
On this Memorial Day 2015, and because I’m working on a
nonfiction project about women in World War I, I wanted to take a moment to
recognize the contributions of these incredibly brave women. Not only did they
contribute to the war effort, they also changed the way society viewed women
and paved the way for future progress for women’s rights.
Pictures from: http://www.womensmemorial.org/H&C/History/wwi%28war%29.html
