Junior Endicott

She resided in Hart County, Kentucky and enlisted in the Army in Cincinnati on June 26, 1943 for a three-year commitment  Her serial number was A-521919.  Under education, her enlistment record says “postgraduate,” and her weight is given as 121 pounds.  Her civil occupation is listed as “teachers and instructors).  It also says under Marital Status, “Widower or widow, without dependents.” 

 

          The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the US Army.  It was first created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on May 15, 1942 but then converted to full status as the WAC in 1943.  It was modeled after comparable British units, especially the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). 

About 150,000 American women served in the WAAC and WAC during World War II releasing the equivalent of 7 divisions of men for combat.  They were the first women other than nurses to serve with the Army.  While most women served stateside, some went to various places around the World, including Europe, North Africa and New Guinea.  For an example WACs landed on Normandy Beach just a few weeks after the initial invasion. 

 

          General Douglas MacArthur called the WACs "my best soldiers", adding that they worked harder, complained less, and were better disciplined than men. General Dwight D. Eisenhower said that "their contributions in efficiency, skill, spirit, and determination are immeasurable.”