Capturing the Women's Army Corps: The World War II Photographs of Captain Charlotte T. McGraw

Army Women “Free a Man to Fight”

26 Army Women “Free a Man to Fight” This section shows details of the numerous jobs WACs had in the three branches of army service: Army Service Forces (ASF), Army Ground Forces (AGF), and Army Air Forces (AAF). Captain McGraw meticulously followed her mission’s orders by showing the variety of jobs women held and the fact that their military occupations were often closely matched to take advantage of their civilian skills. The photographs also reveal that these women were able to forge close and mutually respectful working relationships with their male counterparts. Captain McGraw’s Work Pony express, Dutch New Guinea style. Because of a temporary shortage of motor vehicles, Cpl. B., Atlanta, Ga., a mail clerk at the Far East Air Service Command headquarters, formerly at Hollandia, and now in Manila, P.I., was forced to call for the WAC Detachment’s mail astride a pony which was captured from the Japanese. S/Sgt. C., La Canada, Calif. Helps lead the beast of burden. Cpl. B., the sister of Mrs. C. B., formerly employed by Davidson-Poxson of Atlanta, and attended the Whitesburg High School. Cpl. B. is Baptist. Army Women “free a man to fight” • 27 The War Room at Headquarters, Far East Air Forces, near Manila, Philippine Islands, was the nerve center for the widespread aerial bombardment of enemy-held territory. All maps were kept accurately posted with latest information received. Preparing an Enemy Air Action map are Pfc. D. (kneeling), Auburn, N.Y., and Sgt. W., Berkeley, California. Pfc. D., daughter of Mr. J. D., Auburn, was formerly employed by the Columbian Rope Co., she attended Christian College, Columbia, Mo., and the University of Missouri. Sgt. W., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. W., Berkeley, attended the University of California and was formerly employed there. 28 • Captain McGraw’s Work Unlike the American Wacs, the young Chinese women in [words obscured] National Army are armed with rifles and bayonets. Their commandant, Major-General Chen Yi-yun, returns a salute, as Cpl. S. of Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and Cpl. N., Salt Lake City, Utah, on duty with Army Air Forces headquarters in Chungking, stand by. Directly behind the general is Col. L, secretary at the Chinese WAC Training Center. Cpl. S., the daughter of Mr. F. S., Vancouver, graduated from Magee High School. Cpl. N., Salt Lake City, attended the University of Utah. She is Mormon. Instructing Philipino [sic] women to operate switchboards is the duty Pfc. D., Houston, Pa., who was, in civilian life, a supervisor, instructor and observer with the Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania. The Philipinos [sic], she reports, are apt pupils and soon become efficient operators. Most difficulties arise from a difference in opinion in pronunciation. Pfc. D. is assigned to the Philippine Base Section, with headquarters in Manila. Pfc. D., daughter of Mrs. J. P., Canonsburg, Pa., resides at . . . Houston, Pa. Army Women “free a man to fight” • 29 Sgt. R., Chicago, Ill., as secretary to the assistant chief of air staff, A-5, and director of operations, Far East Air Forces, sits in on a briefing session held in the FEAF War Room, nerve center of the widespread aerial warfare in the Southwest Pacific. At the conference, (clockwise around the table) are Lt. Col. J., Col. M., Col. S., Sgt. R., Group Capt. N. of the Royall [sic] Australian Air Forces, Capt. C. and Capt. M. Sgt. R., daughter of Mrs. R. R., Chicago, was formerly employed by the American Bulb Company. She attended Metropolitan Business College, Chicago. The life-giving medicines which have helped the Army’s medical department maintain a 96% recovery rate of all men wounded in combat, are checked by Pfc. M., Columbus, Ohio, on duty at the big medical supply warehouse of the Philippine Section, Manila. The containers of human blood, packed in ice, are flown to the Philippines from the States and then redistributed, by planes, to hospitals in the combat areas, Pfc. M. explains. Pfc. M., daughter of Mrs. M. M., was formerly employed by Douglas Aircraft Corp. She attended Bliss Business College. She is Catholic. 30 • Captain McGraw’s Work Drafting charts for the Control Branch at Army Forces in the Western Pacific headquarters, Manila, Philippine Islands, is the job assignment of Pfc. W., Fairhaven, Mass., who studied at Swain’s School of Design and Traphagen’s...