women's army corps
Appointment Letter for Oveta Culp Hobby for Director of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps,
May 15, 1942, Courtesy of Rice University, Woodson Research Center |
On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked. U.S Army Chief and Secretary of State, General George Marshall and Mrs. Hobby agreed she should go to Washington. Secretary of War, Henry Stimson and Marshall asked her to find army jobs for women. She provided a list of women that could lead and organize the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), but Marshall insisted she lead it.
Obstacles didn't stop Hobby from having women serve as equals in the army. She made sure African American women had the same opportunities to serve in the military even though there was segregation. She wanted the Army Corps to be part of history. Today, Mrs. Hobby's legacy lives on and the highest rank women can attain in the military is a general. Mrs. Hobby's leadership of WAAC left a great legacy for women in the military today . |
world war
Women in the War, 1942, Courtesy Rice University, Woodson Research Center
WAAC BECOMES wac
"I gained the status of soldier in May 1942, when the Army formed the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. That summer I stood tall with the other volunteers on the parade ground at Fort Des Moines as we acknowledged our Date with Destiny and Debt to Democracy."
-Brigadier General Evelyn P. Foote, Women's Army Corps Veterans' Association Credo.
-Brigadier General Evelyn P. Foote, Women's Army Corps Veterans' Association Credo.
Women in the War, 1942, Courtesy Rice University, Woodson Research Center
"You do not come into a Corps that has an established tradition. You must make your own. But in making your own, you do have one tradition-the integrity of all the brave American women of all time who have loved their country"
- Mrs. Hobby, Touchstone Magazine about Mrs. Hobby in WAC 2004; courtesy of Rice University Woodson Research Center.
- Mrs. Hobby, Touchstone Magazine about Mrs. Hobby in WAC 2004; courtesy of Rice University Woodson Research Center.
"Within a year I was no longer an Auxiliary. I was now a member of the Women's Army Corps, joining women known for their strong sense of duty and their esprit. We served the Army with pride, whenever our skills were needed-at home and abroad, in peace and in war, from Europe to Japan, Korea to South Vietnam."
-Brigadier General Evelyn P. Foote, Women's Army Corps Veterans' Association Credo.
-Brigadier General Evelyn P. Foote, Women's Army Corps Veterans' Association Credo.
Pages from "Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby Says" Pamphlet, Courtesy of Rice University, Woodson Research Center, 1943
" She certainly was proud of her country, her city and her family, and she was proud of women everywhere. The stories of the brave women that she was fortunate enough to meet are very impressive. she was asking a lot of women especially considering it was the 1940 's when women were not usually asked to be brave for their country."
-Grace Oveta Hobby, Great-Granddaughter of Oveta Culp Hobby
Personal Correspondence, F.P.Jackson, February 2, 2015.
-Grace Oveta Hobby, Great-Granddaughter of Oveta Culp Hobby
Personal Correspondence, F.P.Jackson, February 2, 2015.
women in the military today
"In 1978, the Women's Army Corps passed into history."
-Brigadier General Evelyn P. Foote, Women's Army Corps Veterans' Association Credo.
-Brigadier General Evelyn P. Foote, Women's Army Corps Veterans' Association Credo.
NPR, 2013
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" I think her legacy is quite strong every time I see a woman in a military uniform walking around. Someone had to be the first woman, and it was Oveta. She showed the country how strong women were and still are today and paved the way for more women to show their power. Women have always been strong, but she proved it. "
-Grace Oveta Hobby. Great-Granddaughter-Personal Correspondence, F.P.Jackson, February 2, 2015. |
"I know that the women who currently serve in the military think they should be treated the same as any other service member. Women serving in combat roles will strengthen our national security, and as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I will work closely with military and administration officials to see this change through."
-Senator Mazie K. Hirono, All Things Considered NPR, January 2013. |
"Remember that old recruiting ad the Marines are '...looking for a few good men?' Well, now they are looking for a few good women as well. The armed services have been ordered to open all their ground combat units to women by the end of this year..."
-60 Minutes , CBS News corespondent David Martin.
-60 Minutes , CBS News corespondent David Martin.
" If you look at the odds all the time you'll never achieve anything..."
-60 Minutes,2nd Lieutenant Melissa Cooling
-60 Minutes,2nd Lieutenant Melissa Cooling