The young lady at the top of the row of pictures is neither a WASP, or a WAC, or a WAVE. The first (Women's Air Service Pilots) was a group of licensed female transport pilots, who ferried (flew) new "out of the factory" and some reassigned aircraft to their next non-War Zone destinations; the next two were Enlisted Female Personnel in the US Army (Women's Army Corps), and the US Navy (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), and the Officers in charge of their supervision, respectively.
The first young lady is a member of the US Army Nurse Corps, or ANC, who were ALL female nurse Officers, and definitely in a class by themselves, coming under the aegis of the US Army Medical Corps, but a separate organization from the rest.
They were not part of the WACs. WACs were female Enlisted personnel and non-Medical Officers who were in charge of running the WACs. There *were* WAC Medical Technicians, who worked in Surgery, as Scrub and Circulating personnel, depending on the need at the time, the amount and type of training they had, etc. Or on Medical Units as similar to Nurse's Aides (or Hospital Corpsmen in the Navy), in Labs, Dietary, Physical Therapy, Dental Services, Pharmacy and X-ray, but they were all Enlisted Personnel who worked under the direction and supervision of the NCOs (E4 >) in rank above them, and the Medical Officers (Nurses and Doctors, Commisioned Officer Laboratory personnel, Registered Dieticians, Physical Therapists, Dentists, Pharmacists, and Radiologists) within those particular services.
Yes, it's confusing, but if you get a good look at an organizational table which shows who does what, who's the boss and why, it can make more sense!
Much of this has been consolidated, redivided, redistributed, absorbed and reorganized, and still operates about the same, but under different organizational headings. The biggest difference being there are no more WACs.
The Women's Army Corps was dissolved and absorbed completely by the "real" US Army, without any gender distinctions anymore. It seems that occured in the late 1970's, in the midst of many other great social changes.
Historically; war has helped our economy. Let's hope we can do something else.
ReplyDeleteYou are my favorite!!
Penelope
Nice Memorial Day post. i was just wondering where the women were!
ReplyDeleteThis is great. Thanks for this. I hope you have a very good Memorial Day. Curtis
ReplyDeleteYou really do have one of the best blogs on the planet. Happy Memorial Day! Thank you so much for posting this.
ReplyDeleteThe young lady at the top of the row of pictures is neither a WASP, or a WAC, or a WAVE. The first (Women's Air Service Pilots) was a group of licensed female transport pilots, who ferried (flew) new "out of the factory" and some reassigned aircraft to their next non-War Zone destinations; the next two were Enlisted Female Personnel in the US Army (Women's Army Corps), and the US Navy (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), and the Officers in charge of their supervision, respectively.
ReplyDeleteThe first young lady is a member of the US Army Nurse Corps, or ANC, who were ALL female nurse Officers, and definitely in a class by themselves, coming under the aegis of the US Army Medical Corps, but a separate organization from the rest.
They were not part of the WACs. WACs were female Enlisted personnel and non-Medical Officers who were in charge of running the WACs. There *were* WAC Medical Technicians, who worked in Surgery, as Scrub and Circulating personnel, depending on the need at the time, the amount and type of training they had, etc. Or on Medical Units as similar to Nurse's Aides (or Hospital Corpsmen in the Navy), in Labs, Dietary, Physical Therapy, Dental Services, Pharmacy and X-ray, but they were all Enlisted Personnel who worked under the direction and supervision of the NCOs (E4 >) in rank above them, and the Medical Officers (Nurses and Doctors, Commisioned Officer Laboratory personnel, Registered Dieticians, Physical Therapists, Dentists, Pharmacists, and Radiologists) within those particular services.
Yes, it's confusing, but if you get a good look at an organizational table which shows who does what, who's the boss and why, it can make more sense!
Much of this has been consolidated, redivided, redistributed, absorbed and reorganized, and still operates about the same, but under different organizational headings. The biggest difference being there are no more WACs.
The Women's Army Corps was dissolved and absorbed completely by the "real" US Army, without any gender distinctions anymore. It seems that occured in the late 1970's, in the midst of many other great social changes.