Christmas in Vietnam During the War ~ By Michelle Shocklee

 

I was a young girl in the 1960s and 70s when the war in Vietnam took place. My brother and sister-in-law were in the Army at the time, but thankfully neither had to go overseas. Yet even though my family wasn't personally impacted by having a soldier in harms way, many, many families were. 

In my new novel, ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW, the Taylor family is one of the families who would never be the same once the fighting came to an end. The book, an historical split-time story, is set on the Tennessee homefront during World War II and the Vietnam War. It begins just before Thanksgiving and ends on Christmas Day. While I worked on the novel, I came across dozens of photographs of soldiers, some during the holidays. At times I found myself in tears, thinking about how hard those days must have been for the soldier as well as their family. Holidays were particularly difficult for families who'd lost a soldier in the war. It was also hard on the soldier, far, far away from home, missing their loved ones. 

Today, I want to honor those brave men and women by sharing, in pictures with few words, what Christmas was like for them. 

Vietnam, December 25, 1967
US soldiers resting on Hill 875 against bombed forests after the fierce battle of Đắk Tô.
Over 1,600 soldiers were killed and 2,000+ were wounded in the battle.

Vietnam 1969
US soldiers erect a Christmas tree in a trench.

Vietnam,  December 25, 1967
Soldiers from the 9th Infantry Division, William Dowell and Ronald Hull,
observe a 24-hour Christmas truce. However, at the end of the period,
the US recorded 40 casualties and 78 injuries.

1967 Vietnam
Merry Christmas from the 22nd Infantry Regiment, nickname "Boonies" 

Vietnam, Christmas 1970

"Santa" with some wounded warriors.

There are still many brave men and women serving in our military today, some stationed overseas, far away from their loved ones. This holiday season, let's remember to keep them in our prayers. 

Your turn: If you feel led, please write a brief prayer for our military personnel in the comments. 

May you and yours have a very blessed Christmas!

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including   Appalachian Song, a 2024 Christy Award Finalist; Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award; and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Award and Selah Award finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two sons and mother-in-law to two beautiful daughters, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW

1942
Ava must put her life back together after her husband is killed at Pearl Harbor. A job at Camp Forrest provides income, but it also puts her in contact with Enemy Aliens interned on the military installation. Can she trust the German medical student whose friendship means more to her than it should?

1969
Mattie ran away from the pain when her brother was killed in Vietnam. Now she’s back in Tullahoma facing another devastating loss. Yet it is the bundle of WWII letters Mama insists she reads that makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/all-we-thought-we-knew/9781496484178

Dazzle Camouflage

by Anita Mae Draper

HMT Olympic in dazzle camouflage at Pier 2 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, painted by Arthur Lismer. Public Domain wikipedia

Dazzle camouflage came to my attention during family research into letters written during WW1 and sent home to the family. One letter noted that Olympic was still in harbor. The thought of a luxurious liner serving as a troop ship sent me into research mode. I was amazed to find the above image by war artist Arthur Lismer that shows the HMT Olympic in Halifax Harbor at the end of the First World War while still painted in dazzle camouflage. Further research led to the discovery that the Olympic was sister ship to the Titanic and the Britannic. 

Titanic (right) had to be moved out of the drydock so her sister Olympic (left), which had lost a propeller, could have it replaced. March 6, 1912. Public Domain, wikimedia

The Royal Mail Ship Olympic was the first of three British ocean liners of the White Star fleet and the largest vessel of its kind until the Titanic was launched with slightly more interior furnishings thus adding to the overall weight. The RMS Titanic sailed her maiden voyage on April 10, 1912 and sank five days later on April 15 after hitting an iceberg giving her five days in service.

HMHS Britannic was completed on December 23, 1915 and began service less than a month later. She served as a hospital ship for eleven months before sinking in the Aegean Sea after hitting a mine on November 21, 1916.  

His Majesty's Hospital Ship (HMHS) Britannic. Public Domain, wikimedia

After the Titanic went down, the Olympic was taken out of service for a refit. Her lifeboats were increased from 20 to 64 and major modifications were made before she returned to mail and passenger service. In May 1915, the Admiralty requisitioned the Olympic as a troopship and installed 12-pounders and 4.7-inch guns. On 24 Sep 1915, the newly designated HMT Olympic (Hired Military Transport) began its military service with 6,000 soldiers on board. ​From 1916 to 1917, HMT Olympic was chartered by the Canadian Government to transport troops from Halifax to Britain. In 1917, she gained 6-inch guns and was painted with the dazzle camouflage scheme. 

HMT Olympic in dazzle camouflage while in service as a troopship during the First World War. Public Domain, wikipedia

The dazzle paint scheme is credited to Norman Wilkinson, a British marine artist whose geometric patterns made ships visible, yet distorted the perception of them so that their size, number and heading couldn't be easily discerned. An example of this is the USS West Mahomet when she was photographed in port in November 1918. 

USS West Mahomet In port, circa November 1918. Public Domain, wikipedia

In 1922 the Encyclopaedia Britannica published this plate which illustrates the dazzle camouflage effect as seen through a U-boat, or submarine, periscope.

Plate illustrating the "dazzle painting" method of camouflaging ships to make their orientation less apparent, by Norman Wilkinson.  Originally published 1922 Encyclopædia Britannica, Public Domain wikimedia

The dazzle camouflage paint scheme was received with mixed reactions, depending on how one perceived what they were looking at, and the multitude of factors at the time. 

As November 11th draws near, we remember the men and women who served in military conflicts for the sake of freedom. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper lives on the Canadian prairies where she uses her experience and love of history to enhance her stories of yesteryear's romance with realism and faith. Readers can enrich their story experience with visual references by checking Anita's Pinterest boards. All links available on her website at www.anitamaedraper.com

West Point: US Military Academy

By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Last month, I shared about Buffalo Bill Cody and his famous Wild West Show. If you missed that post, you can read it here: https://www.hhhistory.com/2018/05/buffalo-bill-vaudeville.html.

Today, I'm focusing a bit on our amazing military here in the US and paying tribute to the 116th anniversary of the US Military Academy at West Point. I live surrounded by six (6) military installations here in Colorado Springs: Fort Carson (army), NORAD, Cheyenne Mtn. Air Force Station, Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base, US Air Force Academy. Even though I can only claim military connections through my father and grandfathers, I am immersed in the military world. With the recent graduation season and our celebration of Memorial Day, I thought it fitting to honor the oldest established military installation in the country.

* * * * *

West Point: U.S. Military Academy (USMA)!

Academy in 1828. All structures
depicted here are now gone.

The history of the United States Military Academy can be traced to buildings constructed on the West Point of the Hudson River during the American Revolutionary War in 1778. I featured this general area in my second book, Quills & Promises, which took place during the French & Indian War. Following the Revolutionary War, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy (USMA) on that very site in 1802.

Dean's House and Professor Row
in background, circa 1870

The Connecticut militia first occupied West Point on January 27, 1778, making it the longest continually occupied post in the United States. The Continental Army occupied the land for twelve years until Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton authorized the purchase of the land for $11,085 in 1790. It was as commander of the fortifications at West Point that Benedict Arnold committed his infamous act of treason when he attempted to sell the fort to the British.

George Washington realized a need for a national military academy to teach the art and science of war, but his Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson argued there was no provision in the Constitution that allowed for such a thing. Many in the Congress also feared establishing a Military Academy as too aristocratic. American military failures in frontier-fighting motivated Congress to improve the instruction at West Point, but little resulted due to a lack of qualified instructors.

By the time John Adams left office in 1801, the Corps consisted of only twelve cadets and one instructor. Despite his earlier misgivings, when Jefferson became president, he called for and signed legislation establishing a "Corps of Engineers" which "shall be stationed at West Point and constitute a Military Academy" on June 9, 1802.

Thayer statue

The early years of the academy were a tumultuous time, with few standards for admission or length of study. Cadets ranged in age from 10 to 37 and attended between 6 months to 6 years. In 1817, Sylvanus Thayer became the Superintendent of the Academy. He is known as the "Father of the Military Academy." He upgraded academic standards, instilled military discipline, and emphasized honorable conduct. He also created a teaching method known today as the Thayer Method, which emphasizes self study and daily homework, as well as small class size. This method of instruction is still used today.

Hayes Gym built in 1910, still in use

For the first half century, USMA graduates were largely responsible for the construction of the bulk of the nation's initial railway lines, bridges, harbors and roads. This tradition continues today in the hands of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Although no graduate of the Academy has made general officer rank at the start of the War with Mexico, by the time of the Civil War, nearly every general officer of note from either side was a graduate of West Point.

Some famous graduates of the Academy are: Robert E. Lee (1829), Ulysses S. Grant (), Willard Young (1875), George Washington Goethals (1880), John J. Pershin (1886), Douglas MacArthur (1903), Joseph Stilwell (1904), Henry "Hap" Arnold (1907), George S. Patton (1909), Dwight D. Eisenhower & Omar Bradley (both 1915).

Although the challenge of wars and changing education in America caused West Point to struggle at times, the Academy managed to rise above by adapting its curriculum to include a greater emphasis on history and humanities, and by expanding its infrastructure on the grounds, tearing down most of the old buildings and rebuilding. By 1933, the title of Bachelor of Science was given to all graduates.

Academy Coat of Arms

Following the creation of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service in 1947 and until the graduation of the first United States Air Force Academy class in 1959, West Point cadets who met the eligibility standards could apply to be commissioned as Air Force officers.

To this day, West Point remains one of the most prestigious military academies in the United States. I have no doubt this will continue.

* * * * *

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Do you know anyone who has attended and/or graduated from West Point?

* Has anyone in your family ever served in any branch of the military at any time? Which branch and when did they serve?

* Have you ever attended an Army/Navy game, the biggest sports rivalry in the military?

* What did you like most about today's post?

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those childhood skills to become an author and speaker who works in the health & wellness and personal development industry, helping others become their best from the inside out. She is also an educational consultant with Usborne Books.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children and Nova, their Shiba Inu mix, in Colorado. She has sold twenty (21) books so far and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, and LinkedIn.

US Air Force: Through the Storm of History

 

Back of Judge's Bomber jacket

By Alanna Radle Rodriguez and Judge Rodriguez


Hello Friends!

Thank you for joining us this month as we explore the history of the U.S. Air Force in our great state.

First allow us to say: we wish to pay our respects to the brave men and women of our military, and let them know our thoughts and prayers are with them, particularly those currently on deployment outside our country and away from their families.

Most are familiar with the U.S. Army Air Corps. But the Air Force was in existence many years before that! Let us start with the US Army Signal Corps Aeronautical Division, which was started in August 1907. The original Signal Corps Aeronautical Division utilized hot air balloons and was used specifically for sighting enemies for the Artillery. In July 1914, when the Aeronautical Division changed over to the US Army Aviation Section, Signal Corps the section combined to allow both airplanes, and hot air balloons.

In 1917, upon the United States' entry into World War I (WWI), the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) was formed. It served many aspects, including mail. But another service was formed as part of the AEF and that was the aviation combat force. The name speaks for itself. During the US involvement of WWI, the US Army Signal Corps Aeronautical Division changed into the Division of Military Aeronautics, and then just days later into US Army Air Service in May 1918.

The US Army Air Service changed to the U.S. Army Air Corps in July 1926. In June 1941, the Army Air Corps changed to the U.S. Army Air Forces where it stayed until September 17th 1947. This is when the Air Force separated from the Department of the Army, and formed into its own branch of the Department of Defense.

Many of the resources of the Army Air Forces moved over to the Air Force, which is to be expected. However, interestingly enough, in Oklahoma the Henry Post Army Airfield is still owned and maintained by the Army. However, there are no units currently assigned to the airfield.

In July of 1941, construction began of an Army Air Forces (AAF) training base in the town of Enid, Oklahoma located in the north central part of the state. Originally (but unofficially) called Air Corps Basic Flying School. It was not until February 1942 that the base was officially named The Enid Army Flying School (also known as Woodring Field). The training base was assigned the 31st Flying Training Wing, under the AAF Central Flying Training Command. As the demand for pilots decreased during the later parts of the war, Enid Army Flying Field was deactivated in July 1945, and transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers in 1946.

In 1948, the former air training field, as one of the pilot training bases, was reactivated with its name changed to Enid Air Force Base. In 1949, the base was renamed in honor of Lt. Col. Leon Vance. It has since remained active and influences the surrounding area.

In 1941, in central Oklahoma, the Midwest Air Depot was activated. It originally was the site of the Douglas Aircraft factory producing C-47’s and A-20’s. Production of the aircraft ceased in 1945. Since opening, the Midwest Air Depot has, in some way been home to the Materiel Command.

In 1948, the Midwest Air Depot changed its name in honor of Major General Clarence Tinker. Tinker Air Force Base is home to the 72nd Air Base Wing. Since its creation, the Midwest Air Depot has employed more than 1000 civilians for creating and maintaining the aircraft as part of the Materiel Command. Tinker now employs more than 20,000 civilians in its operations.

In 1942, AAF Advanced Flying school was established in Altus, close to the southwest corner of the state of Oklahoma. In 1943, the school’s name was changed to Altus Army Airfield.

In April 1946, the base was deactivated as a training facility until 1953. In the intervening years, Altus Army Airfield served as a scrap-yard for the B17’s used during WWII. In 1945, the famous aircraft “The Memphis Belle” was found, awaiting disposal. The bomber was then turned over to the City of Memphis Tennessee.

In 1953, Altus Air Force Base was activated at the site of the old AAF training facility, serving then, and continues to serve as a training base for originally the Mobility Air Command (MAC) and later the Air Mobility Command (AMC).

Given the history of the Army in our great state, the U.S. Air Force has had its share of influence, monetarily, politically, and sociologically. We have just outlined the 3 main bases located here. However, we have not delved deeply into the WWII training bases that have now been turned over to the Air National Guard, and in many cases released to the state as public air fields.

We thank you for joining us this month in our discussion of the U.S. Air Force, and hope you will join us next month as we delve into the effects that the Navy and Marine Corps have had on Oklahoma as well.

    Born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, Alanna Radle Rodriguez is the great-great granddaughter of one of the first pioneers to settle in Indian Territory. Alanna loves the history of the state and relishes in volunteering at the 1889 Territorial Schoolhouse in Edmond. Her first published story, part of a collaborative novella titled Legacy Letters, came out September 2016. Alanna lives with her husband and parents in the Edmond area. She is currently working on a historical fiction series that takes place in pre-statehood Waterloo, Oklahoma. 

Facebook.com/authorAlannaRadleRodriguez
Pinterest.com/alannaradlerodr/

Home Away from Home

By Marilyn Turk  *Leave a comment for a chance to win a book!

“Say Jack, you wanna go to the dance tonight at the USO? We gotta ship out in a couple of days, so we might as well enjoy ourselves while we can!”

“Sure. I’d like to look at some pretty faces before I’m stuck with a bunch of ugly guys.”

Conversations like these were common among servicemen in World War II for those who were either home on leave or about to be deployed.

Thanks to the USO, those in the military had a nice place to go for recreation and entertainment. The USO was formed in 1941, shortly before America became involved in World War II.

In a response to a request from President Franklin Roosevelt, Mary Ingraham founded the organization to provide morale and recreation services to U.S. uniformed military personnel. Roosevelt was elected as its honorary chairman. The Salvation Army, Young Men’s Christian Association, Young Women’s Christian Association, National Catholic Community Services, National Travelers Aid Association and the National Jewish Welfare Board joined together to create the United Service Organization, or the USO.

The original plan was for the federal government to build and lease new buildings that would be staffed and funded by citizens from those service groups. However, many local groups decided to move forward without waiting for government’s help and pooled their efforts to create places for the military to go. Some built new clubs while others renovated existing buildings. As a result, the USO met in a variety of places – storefronts, college gyms, coffee shops, churches, restaurants, etc. – in cities all over the country.

The USO clubs served coffee, cookies, donuts and sandwiches, but no alcohol was allowed. Many offered stationery for letter-writing, places to sleep, sewing services for uniform-mending, regular religious services and free Bibles.  Dances at the USO became popular for these servicemen and women, offering a chance to mingle and have fun.

USO headquarters was in New York City where marketing, funding and standards of etiquette were decided, but other decisions were left to the local organization. The USO club in Anniston, Alabama, claimed to host the first dance, whereas the first federally-built, permanent location was at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and opened in November, 1941.

Bob Hope visits sailors

More USO centers and clubs opened around the world as a “Home Away from Home,” appearing in almost every American territory and as far away as Brazil, the Philippines, and Alaska. Hollywood celebrities such as Bob Hope joined forces with the USO to take the show on the road, “nurturing in troops a sense of patriotic identification.”

Ann-Margret entertains with USO

The USO still exists today, with 160 centers in every country except Antarctica. 

“By providing support to our servicemen and women as they perform their most challenging duties around the world, our credo is to be always by their side. The USO is staffed by thousands of volunteers whose goals are to match our service members’ vigilance and provide best-in-class service to those who sacrifice so much for America.”

Have you ever been to a USO or know someone who enjoyed its benefits while serving their country?

A multi-published author, Marilyn Turk writes historical fiction about and lives in the coastal South. Her most recent novel, A Gilded Curse, released in March 2016 from Heritage Beacon Fiction, an imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolina. Her fascination for lighthouses spawned her popular weekly lighthouse blog @ http://pathwayheart.com, and inspired her book, Lighthouse Devotions – 52 Inspiring Lighthouse Stories.

*Leave a comment with your email address and you will be entered in a drawing for one of Marilyn's books - your choice!

WOULD YOU HAVE JOINED THE WAVES DURING WORLD WAR II?

ANNE GREENE HERE. Despite the pain and fear and death that occurred during World War II, women made great strides in financial and personal freedom. The WAVES provided one avenue to those goals. 

WAVES was established on 30 July 1942 to replace men who could then be released for active sea duty. The name was an acronym for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (as well as an allusion to ocean waves.) 

The WAVES could not serve aboard combat ships or aircraft. Initially they were restricted to duty in the United States. Late in the war, they were authorized to serve in certain U.S. possessions, and a number were sent to Hawaii. The war ended before any WAVES could be sent to other locations.

Within their first year, the WAVES were 27,000 strong. A large proportion did clerical work, but some took positions in the aviation community, medical professions, communications, intelligence, storekeeper and technology.

The use of the word Emergency signified that US Navy brass thought female service would cease when the war ended due to political resistance from many who did not believe women had a place in the US Navy. Despite the resistance from conservative officers, the demand was clearly there.

 

By mid-1943, 27,000 American women served in the WAVES. These women took up far more responsibilities. Secretarial and clerical jobs still made up a large portion of WAVES positions, but thousands performed jobs such as aviation mechanics, photographers, control tower operators, and intelligence personnel. By the end of the war, over 84,000 women served in WAVES with 8,000 female officers.

Entire staffs of men disappeared because women took over airfield control towers, manned vital naval communications networks, and served important roles in health and hospital work. Women trained in gunnery and blind flying instruction, aerology, aviation ground crew work, navigation and other fields. The Navy estimated that WAVES freed enough men to outfit an entire task force of 1 battleship, 2 aircraft carriers, 2 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers and 15 destroyers.

The Navy placed women in both mundane and dangerous activities. They operated all the laboratories and many of the firing bays at the crucial Indian Head rocket powder plant which conducted testing of American rocket propellants. They fixed aircraft, packed parachutes, provided weather information, served as link trainers, gunnery instructors, coordinated air traffic control and performed a host of other aviation-related jobs.

After the war, do you think these women were content to going back to being housewives? They changed the thinking of the nation about women’s place in society.   

At war’s end, Congress passed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act on 12 Jun 1948, allowing women to gain permanent status in all military branches of the United States. This put the WAVES program into obsolescence, but opened the way for women’s continued advancement in society.

My book, ANGEL WITH STEEL WINGS, releases late March or early April, 2015. ANGEL WITH STEEL WINGS is a World War II romance where Steel Magnolias meet Band of Brothers. Mandy McCabe escapes her dead-end life in Hangman’s Hollow, Tennessee, by becoming a Woman Air Force Service Pilot. Major Harvey Applegate lost his wife to the WASP program, and he’s convinced Yankee Doodle Gals have no place flying in the war effort. He determines to protect the remaining ladies by sending them packing back to the home front. Can Mandy save the WASP program on Harvey's base? Both Mandy and Harvey experience immediate attraction which increases Harvey’s desire to send Mandy home to safety. One love. Two goals. Someone has to give. 

ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. Her second novel, a Scottish historical, Masquerade Marriage, won three prestigious book awards. The sequel Marriage By Arrangement, finalled in a number of contests. A Texas Christmas Mystery also won several awards. Look for Anne’s new World War II historical romance, Angel With Steel Wings, early in 2015. The first book in Anne’s lady detective series, Holly Garden, PI, Red is for Rookie, débuts later in 2015. Anne’s highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to awesome new worlds and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus. Anne makes her home in McKinney, Texas. She loves to talk with her readers. Buy Anne’s books at http://www.Amazon.com. Talk with Anne on twitter at @TheAnneGreene. View Anne’s books, travel pictures and art work at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com.

Learn more about Anne as well as gain tips on writing award-winning novels at http://www.anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com.

 

 

WACs SERVE IN WORLD WAR II

ANNE GREENE here:

World War II initiated vast economic and social changes, and altered the role of women in American society.

Over 150,000 American women served in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) during World War 11. WACs were the first women other than nurses to serve in the United States Army. Both the Army and the American public initially had difficulty accepting the concept of women in uniform. However, military leaders, faced with fighting a two-front war and supplying men for that war, realized women were desperately needed. Women seized the opportunity to make a major contribution to the national war effort.

In the beginning WACs were called WAACs, Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. The WAAC bill permitted women to serve overseas, but failed to provide them with the overseas pay, government life insurance, veterans medical coverage, and death benefits granted Regular Army soldiers. If WAACs were captured, they had no protection under existing international agreements covering prisoners of war.

The day the bill became law, Oveta Culp Hobby was appointed Director of the WAAC. Oveta Culp Hobby believed strongly in the idea behind the Corps. Every woman enlisted would be trained in a noncombatant military job and "free a man for combat." Hobby explained, "The gaps women will fill are those noncombatant jobs where women's hands and women's hearts fit naturally. WAACs will do the same type of work which women do in civilian life. They will bear the same relation to men of the Army that they bear to the men of the civilian organizations in which they work." WAACs were to help the Army win the war, just as women had always helped men achieve success.

On 20 July the first officer candidate training class of 440 women started a six-week course at Fort Des Moines. The average officer candidate was 25 years old, had attended college, and worked as an office administrator, executive secretary, or teacher. One out of every five enlisted because a male member of her family was in the armed forces and she wanted to help him get home sooner. Several were combat widows of Pearl Harbor and Bataan. One woman enlisted because her son, of fighting age, had been injured in an automobile accident and was unable to serve. Another joined because there were no men of fighting age in her family. All of the women desired to aid their country in time of need by "releasing a man for combat duty."

Women were assigned as weather observers and forecasters, cryptographers, radio operators and repairmen, sheet metal

workers, parachute riggers, link trainer instructors, bombsight maintenance specialists, aerial photograph analysts, and control tower operators. Over 1,000 WAACs ran the statistical control tabulating machines (the precursors of modern-day computers).  By January 1945 only 50 percent of AAF WACs held traditional assignments such as file clerk, typist, and stenographer.

Some WACS computed the velocity of bullets, measured bomb fragments, mixed gunpowder, and loaded shells. Others worked as draftsmen, mechanics, and electricians.

Many processed men for assignment overseas, handling personnel files and issuing weapons. In the words of one WAAC, "Soldiers come in here unarmed and leave with a gun. It gives me a pretty good feeling." WAACs served as boat dispatchers and classification specialists.

Near the end of 1944, women replaced men as radio operators on U.S. Army hospital ships. Female secretaries and clerical workers were assigned to hospital ships soon after.

WAACs assigned to the Chemical Warfare Service worked in laboratories as glass blowers and made test tubes for the Army's chemical laboratories. Others field tested equipment such as walkie-talkies and surveying and meteorology instruments.

Over 1,200 WAACs worked as telephone switchboard operators, radio operators, telegraph operators, cryptologists, and photograph and map analysts.

WAACs were used as laboratory, surgical, X-ray, and dental technicians freeing Army nurses for other duties.

WACs served in North Africa, the Mediterranean, Europe, the Southwest Pacific, China, India, Burma, and the Middle East. They coveted overseas assignments, even though the majority consisted of the clerical and communications jobs. Only the most highly qualified women received overseas assignments.

The first WAAC unit overseas reported on 27 January 1943 to General Eisenhower's headquarters in Algiers. They served as postal workers, clerks, typists, and switchboard operators. Nightly bombings and antiaircraft fire made sleep difficult, but the women acclimated. A WAAC signal company arrived in November to take jobs as high-speed radio operators, tele-typists, cryptographic code clerks, and tape cutters in radio rooms.

The American press reported favorably on the WAAC, sympathetic to their adjustments to military life and the job and travel opportunities for those who enlisted.

Unfortunately, a variety of social factors combined to produce a negative public image of the female soldier. Eighty four percent of letters home from enlisted men contained criticism of female soldiers.

Anti-WAAC feelings originated with enlisted soldiers who did not want to be "freed" for combat. The mothers, wives, sisters, and fiancées of these men were also not anxious to see them sent into combat. They blamed the WAACs and believed the worst rumors about them and repeated such gossip to their friends and neighbors. Thus WACs got a bad reputation.

Many of these soldiers had never seen a WAAC. But they were away from home and facing dangers. Many kept up their spirits by imagining their return to family and community. Which they wanted unchanged! Women in the military represented change.

Rumors said ninety percent of WAACs were prostitutes and forty percent were pregnant.  

Americans of the 1940s found the concept of women in uniform difficult to accept. They couldn’t believe the highly skilled office jobs which the WACs held, because such positions carried significant responsibility and people doubted women could handle such jobs.

Women in the Army broke the stereotypes which restricted them, moving into positions outside traditional roles. Overcoming slander and conservative reaction by many Americans, women contributed to the war effort. The 1943 transition from WAAC status to WAC recognized their valuable service.

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General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Allied Commander, praised the WACs calling them “my best soldiers.” He alleged they worked harder than men, complained less and were better disciplined. . .he would take any number of the WACs the War Department would give him in any future command he might ever have.

Did any female member of your family serve during World War II? Please leave a comment and Anne will love visiting with you.

ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. ANGEL WITH STEEL WINGS, Anne’s WWII WASP romance about a Women’s Air Force Service Pilot, releases soon. Look for it on Amazon. Anne’s highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to awesome new worlds and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus. Anne makes her home in McKinney, Texas. She loves to talk with her readers. Buy Anne’s books at http://www.Amazon.com. Talk with Anne on twitter at @TheAnneGreene. View Anne’s books, travel pictures and art work at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com.

Learn more about Anne as well as get tips on writing award-winning books at http://www.anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com.

CHRISTMAS DURING WORLD WAR II

ANNE GREENE here.

Here is part of how Americans celebrated Christmas during the war years. 

Christmas has always been a major holiday in the United States, but during World War II (1941-45) the holiday took on special meaning as most families had a loved one serving in the military who could not be home for Christmas. Peace on Earth was not just a nice phrase found on Christmas cards, but the number one prayer of Americans everywhere. The Christmas season gave hope that while this year many were away, maybe next year the war would be over and missing family members would return home. 

Americans tried their best to celebrate Christmas. Families on the Home Front dealt with painful separations and lost loved ones which the holiday made agonizing. But those keeping the home front fires burning worked hard at making Christmas merry for the children. 

Before the war, America was still recovering from the great depression when money and jobs were scarce. Shoppers were often limited to window shopping, not having any extra money to purchase anything. When the war began, war production went into high gear bringing good-paying jobs and additional income. But, there was little to buy as rationing and priorities in war production left few goods on the shelves. Metal toys nearly disappeared as did automobiles, radios, bicycles, typewriters, and other goods. 

Wartime production priorities greatly restricted the presents that children could receive for Christmas. Who better to tell the kids than St. Nick? Santa Claus had to lower children’s expectations when they came to sit on his lap. Santa explained that a particular toy had too much steel in it - and that steel was needed for the war. If a child seemed disappointed, Santa told the child that some children living in the countries where the war was being fought would have no Christmas. With the shortage of men, Santa was often a woman. 

The song, White Christmas, debuted in 1942. Sung by Bing Crosby it became an instant success as its peaceful feeling hit home with those on the home front and those on the battle front. I’ll Be Home for Christmas debuted in 1943. The words touched the hearts of separated loved ones. Both songs are still classics sung at Christmas. 

For the soldiers, sailors and airmen overseas, military necessity and lack of accommodations forced them to have minimal celebrations. Many of the boys serving overseas got the blues. But presents from home cheered them. 

Do you have a Christmas story from the World War II years that you’d like to share? Maybe a soldier or someone in your family shared his or her experience. Maybe you have a story of how a child at home felt during those years at Christmas from 1941 to 1945. I’d love to hear your stories. Please leave a comment. 

ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. Her second novel, a Scottish historical, Masquerade Marriage, won three prestigious book awards. The sequel Marriage By Arrangement, finalled in a number of contests. A Texas Christmas Mystery also won several awards. Look for Anne’s new World War II historical romance, Angel With Steel Wings, early in 2015. The first book in Anne’s lady detective series, Holly Garden, PI, Red is for Rookie, débuts later in 2015. Anne’s highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to awesome new worlds and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus. Anne makes her home in McKinney, Texas. She loves to talk with her readers. Buy Anne’s books at http://www.Amazon.com. Talk with Anne on twitter at @TheAnneGreene. View Anne’s books, travel pictures and art work at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com.

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