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Learning Activity: Women in the Military During World War II

Album Description

This album is one part of my final Teaching with Primary Sources Internship Project, to see other parts, click the links below: 

  1. Women in the Military Recruitment Posters: Four Corners Activity
  2. Closer Look: Who Were the Women Airforce Service Pilots
  3. Project-Based Learning Activity: "Introduce a WASP" Project 

Women in the Military During World War II

Did you know that women served in every branch of the military during World War II, both at home and abroad?

Women were needed to fill non-combat positions so that male soldiers could be utilized on the front lines. In the Army, women served in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC), later the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). The Women Airforce Service Pilots was a civilian branch of the Army Air Forces. The WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) was the women’s auxiliary for the Navy. Women also served in the Coast Guard’s SPARS and the Women Marines. Finally, as in previous wars, women were an integral part of the nursing operations for every military branch. Although the Armed Forces were still segregated at this time and opportunities for African Americans were scarce, African American women served in the WAC, WAVES, SPARS, and Army Nurse Corps, often enduring increased discrimination due to their race and gender. Nisei women, or second-generation Japanese women, were also recruited by the WACs for various duties, including linguistics work for the Military Intelligence Service and nursing in the Army Nurse Corps and the Navy Cadet Nurse Corps.

This album contains a collection of sources on the Women's Army Corps, WAVES (Navy Women's Reserve), SPARs (Coast Guard Women's Reserve), Women Marines, and the Army and Navy Nurse Corps. Choose a few of these resources to explore with your learners to help them understand what it was like to be a woman in the military during World War II. 

For resources on the Women Airforce Service Pilots, check out the second part of my project, Closer Look: Who Were the Women Airforce Service Pilots. 

Also, explore this "Introduce a WASP" Research Project activity that directs your students to research Library of Congress collections to learn more about the experience of Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II through personal narratives, photographs, newspaper articles, and more. 

  3 - 5   6 - 8   9 - 12   13+   English/Language Arts   Social Studies/History   Library   World War II   Women   Women's History   Women in the Military   WACs   WAVES   SPARS   Women Marines   Nursing   Army Nurse Corps 

WACs- WACS take oath on Capitol steps

Teaching Notes

Take your students through an Observe, Reflect, Question analysis of this photograph.

What do you notice first? What do you think is happening in this photograph? Where is this event taking place? What further questions does this image raise for you?

Reference link: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007680532/

Reference note

Creator(s): Harris & Ewing, photographer
Date Created/Published: 1943 Oct. 22.
Call Number: LOT 9709 [item] [P&P]
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Notes: Title from news agency caption.
Subjects: United States.--Army.--Women's Army Corps--People--1940-1950. United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.)--1940-1950. Women--Military service--1940-1950. Oaths--1940-1950.

WACs- All-American news: First African American WACs in England

Teaching Notes

Watch this newsreel, "All-American News," from 5:12 to 6:55 to learn about the first company of African Americans in the Women's Army Corps to go abroad. All-American News was the first newsreel produced for a black audience, originally intended to encourage African Americans to support the war effort.

What kind of work were these WACs doing for the military? What do you notice about how they are portrayed?

Link: https:https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/mbrs/ntscrm/2018601435/2018601435.mp4

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/2018601435/

Reference note

Title

  • All-American news. [1945-03, no. 4

Summary

  • All-American news were the first newsreels produced for a black audience. Made in the 1940s and 1950s, they were originally intended to encourage black Americans to participate in, and support the war effort, and to reflect an African-American perspective on world and national events. Highlights of this issue include a segment about a meeting of the National Conference of Colored Parents and Teachers, and the work done by the Women's Army Corps.

Names

  • Alexander, William D., production
  • Glucksman, E. M. (Emanuel M.), production
  • Barnett, Claude, 1889-1967, production
  • All American News, Inc

Created / Published

  • [1945]

Contents

  • Girls train for nursing, Lincoln school has three year course (47 sec.) -- Teachers and parents meet, national congress of Negro PTA in Capital (52 sec.) -- New York has FEPC, Gov. Dewey signs Ives-Quinn bill (55 sec.) -- New housing project open, Chicago project has 125 twin-house units (1 min., 7 sec.) -- Vet tells of life at sea, cook in merchant marine recruits (58 sec.) -- Negro WACS in England, first WAC unit in the European postal service (1 min., 42 sec.).

WACs- Member of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps waiting for a train in Union Station, Chicago, Illinois.

Teaching Notes

Explore this image of a single WAAC waiting for a train.

What element of the image do you notice first? Why might this woman be travelling by train? Who else is shown in this photograph?

If you want to take a closer look--What flags are shown in the station behind the subject, and why might those particular flags be flying?

A helpful tool for analyzing this image is the "Observe, Reflect, Question" Primary Source Analysis Tool from the Library of Congress.

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017843810/

Reference note

Created / Published

  • 1943 Jan.

Genre

  • Nitrate negatives

Notes

  • -  Title and other information from caption card.
  • -  Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944.
  • -  More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is available at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.fsaowi
  • -  Temp. note: owibatch3
  • -  Film copy on SIS roll 12, frame 764.

Repository

Digital Id

  • fsa 8d24876 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8d24876

WACs- Speed them back: Join the WAAC!

Teaching Notes

This is a recruitment poster for the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (later to be renamed the Women's Army Corps after their formal induction into the Army).

Based on this image, what factors might have encouraged women to enter the WAAC or other women's auxiliaries during WWII?

This image is also included in a Learning Activity about military recruitment posters! Find it here: Women in the Military Recruitment Posters: Four Corners Activity

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/90712741/

Reference note

Summary

  • Half-length portrait of member of Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, facing left, holding whistle, in front of marching soldiers.

Created / Published

  • [1943]

Genre

  • War posters--American--1940-1950
  • Prints--American--Color--1940-1950

Notes

  • -  Promotional goal: U.S. J22. 1943 and U.S. F34.J22 1943.

Repository

  • Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

  • cph 3g01652 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3g01652

WACs- Some WAACs lean more toward the heavier work such as auxiliary Doris Johnson, of Leipic, Ohio, shown washing down a jeep. Fort Des Moines, Iowa

Teaching Notes

Take a look at this photograph of a WAC performing her duties for the Army.

Based on this image, what types of jobs do you think WACs were assigned to? Does this photograph look staged? Why do you think this image was created?

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017695071/

Reference note

Created / Published

  • 1942 Dec.

Genre

  • Safety film negatives

Notes

  • -  Actual size of negative is C (approximately 4 x 5 inches).
  • -  Additional number on caption card: SC-144859.
  • -  Title and other information from caption card.
  • -  Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944.
  • -  More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is available at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.fsaowi
  • -  Film copy on SIS roll 32, frame 128.

Repository

Digital Id

  • fsa 8b05079 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b05079

WACs- Army Needs Many WACs, Roanoke Rapids Herald, November 16, 1944.

Teaching Notes

Read through this article calling for more recruits to the Women's Army Corps in Roanoke, North Carolina in 1944. What sorts of jobs are being described in the article? Why might these jobs have been assigned to the WACs?

This article, like the recruitment poster, is also being used to encourage women to join the WACs. What benefits are they emphasizing to persuade women to sign up? Who might this appeal to the most? 

Think also about the qualifications mentioned in the article, such as a high school diploma and no children. How would these qualifications determine who applied to the WACs? Who might be excluded from joining the WACs due to these requirements? 

Reference link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/2017236974/1944-11-16/ed-1/seq-30/

Reference note

Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.), 16 Nov. 1944. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/2017236974/1944-11-16/ed-1/seq-30/>

WACs- Private Margaret Fukuoka, W.A.C. / photograph by Ansel Adams.

Teaching Notes

Explore this portrait of WAC Margaret Fukuoka by the famous photographer Ansel Adams. This photograph is part of a series in which Adams explores the people of Manzanar Relocation Camp, one of the camps that held interned Japanese Americans during World War II.

What surprises you about this image? What mood does the image convey? How does this image challenge what you know about the military or about Japanese American internment during World War II?

If you are interested, be sure to explore more of Ansel Adams' photographs of Japanese-American Internment. 

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/2002695325/

Reference note

Summary

  • Private Margaret Fukuoka, bust portrait, facing front, in uniform.

Created / Published

  • [1943]

Genre

  • Portrait photographs--1940-1950
  • Gelatin silver prints--1940-1950
  • Nitrate negatives--1940-1950

Notes

  • -  Title transcribed from Ansel Adams' caption on verso of print.
  • -  Original neg. no.: LC-A35-4-M-68.
  • -  Gift; Ansel Adams; 1965-1968.
  • -  Forms part of: Manzanar War Relocation Center photographs.

Repository

  • Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

  • ppprs 00441 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppprs.00441
  • ppprs 00092 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppprs.00092

WACs- "WAAC Acceptance Depends on Response, Says Lieutenant," Manzanar Free Press, March 13, 1943.

Teaching Notes

Read this article from the Manzanar Free Press, the newspaper published in the Manzanar Internment Camp during World War II.

What might have prompted interned Japanese-American women to apply for the WAACs/WACs? Does this article raise any questions or contradictions for you?

Note: The article is located to the far right of the page and continues on the second page of the newspaper. (Click the reference link to find the newspaper in its entirety)

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn84025948/1943-03-13/ed-1/?dl=all&sp=1&r=-0.602,-0.081,2.203,1.627,0

Reference note

Created / Published

  • Manzanar, Calif., March 13, 1943

Genre

  • Newspapers
  • Japanese American evacuation and relocation camp newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly, Aug. 18, 1945-Oct. 19, 1945
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (Apr. 11, 1942)-v. 16, no. 7 (Oct. 19, 1945).
  • -  Published Apr. 11-May 31, 1942 at the Manzanar Assembly Center; June 1, 1942-Sept. 8, 1945 at the Manzanar Relocation Center.
  • -  Collected in Japanese camp papers.
  • -  "Internment camp newspaper."
  • -  Supplements accompany some issues.
  • -  Available on microfilm from the Library of Congress, Photoduplication Service; also available online.
  • -  Master negatives are available for duplication from: California Newspaper Microfilm Archive; positive copies may be purchased by the reel; for further information consult the CNMA at: http://cbsr.ucr.edu External
  • -  Also available in digital format on the Library of Congress website.
  • -  English and Japanese.
  • -  "Official publication of the Manzanar Relocation Center Administration and newspaper of Manzanar Community Enterprises."

WAVES- WAVES help keep the Navy's planes flying

Teaching Notes

Explore this photograph of three WAVES working on a Navy airplane. What do you notice first when you look at this image? Why do you think this particular job was given to WAVES? 

This image would be a great candidate for a "Zoom-In" Learning Activity, where an image is revealed to students little-by-little to prompt deeper thinking, connection to the wider context, and reflection on the image. Isolating the individual WAVES and asking about what they are doing, who they are, and what is unique about them would be a good way to prompt deeper analysis. 

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/95502116/

Reference note

Summary

  • Three aviation machinist's mates working on an SNJ training plane, Jacksonville Naval Air Station.

Created / Published

  • 1944.

Genre

  • Photographic prints--1940-1950

Notes

  • -  From the collections of Encyclopedia Britannica.
  • -  Official U.S. Navy photograph.
  • -  No. WA-AMM-27-43562-TR-5664.

Digital Id

  • cph 3c12936 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c12936

WAVES- "WAVES Reach New Milepost as Vital Military Unit," Evening Star, July 22, 1945.

Teaching Notes

Read through this article celebrating the third anniversary of the WAVES' creation.

What does the article say about continuing the Navy Women's Reserve after the end of World War II? How did women in the WAVES react to this prospect? How do you think men in the Navy and civilians might have reacted to this?

This article could also be used for a modified "Zoom-In" Activity. Teachers could crop the images out of the article and show them to the students first. Students could analyze each image using "Observe, Reflect, Question" or another method. Then, students could be shown all of the images together and reflect on how they connect. Finally, teachers could show students the entire article, both pictures and text and ask how the two connect. How do the images in the article add to the experience of reading the text? What information does the text provide that the images do not? What information do the images provide that the text does not? 

Reference link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1945-07-22/ed-1/seq-36

Reference note

Newspaper: Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972
Newspaper Link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1945-07-22/ed-1/seq-36
Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC
PDF Link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1945-07-22/ed-1/seq-36.pdf

WAVES- Alice Chatmon Byrd Collection (WAVES): Oral History

Teaching Notes

Watch some clips from Alice Chatmon Byrd's oral history from the Veterans' History Project. Byrd was a member of the WAVES during World War II and was stationed at San Diego Frontier Naval Base. (Check out the Daily Bulletin article about her and the other women in her unit arriving at the base!) Pay attention to how Byrd describes her experience of being an African American woman in the Navy. 

5:56-7:37- Description of her work and a funny mistake she made.

12:30-13:55- Comradery in her unit, segregation in the WAVES, and her interpretation of the purpose of her work. 

To see more about Byrd's time in the WAVES, click here: Alice Chatmon Byrd Collection

Link: https:https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/vhp/0269/026940/afc2001001_026940_mv0001001_640x480_800.mp4

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.26940/

Reference note

Veterans History Project 

https://www.loc.gov/collections/veterans-history-project-collection/ 

WAVES- "San Diego Gets First Negro WAVES," The Daily Bulletin, March 6, 1945.

Teaching Notes

Read through this article about the first African American WAVES assigned to San Diego's Naval Base in 1945. The article was published in The Daily Bulletin, an African American newspaper from Dayton, Ohio.

Why would this paper from Ohio be reporting on this event in far-away San Diego, California? What elements of the WAVES life on the base does the article discuss?

Reference link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024221/1945-03-06/ed-1/seq-4/

Reference note

The daily bulletin. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio), 06 March 1945. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024221/1945-03-06/ed-1/seq-4/>

WAVES- Don't miss your great opportunity--The Navy needs you in the WAVES

Teaching Notes

Check out this recruitment poster for the WAVES, the Naval Women's Reserve.

What "opportunity" might the poster be referring to? What are the different images in this poster representing?

This poster is included in a learning activity about women's military recruitment posters. Find the activity here: Women in the Military Recruitment Posters: "Four Corners Activity"
 

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/90714999/

Reference note

Summary

  • Two WAVES walking on shore by military boats, with skyscrapers in background.

Created / Published

  • 1944.

Genre

  • War posters--American--1940-1950
  • Prints--Color--1940-1950

Notes

  • -  Promotional goal: U.S. F34.J26. 1944.
  • -  Order no. 79.

Repository

  • Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

  • cph 3g01680 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3g01680

SPARS- I've Found My Place in our Country's Fight: The SPARS

Teaching Notes

Take a look at this recruitment advertisement from Mount Clemens, Michigan's Daily Monitor Leader, published on August 27, 1943. This advertisement is for the Coast Guard's Women's Reserve, called the SPARS. 

What arguments are being used to convince women to join the SPARS? Take a step into the shoes of a young woman in 1943: Would you be convinced to join? Why or why not?

This advertisement is included in a learning activity about women's military recruitment posters during World War II. Find the activity here: Women in the Military Recruitment Posters: “Four Corners” Activity.

Reference link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96077289/1943-08-27/ed-1/seq-12/

Reference note

The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.), 27 Aug. 1943. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96077289/1943-08-27/ed-1/seq-12/>

SPARs- "SPARS." Evening star, October 21, 1943.

Teaching Notes

Look through the images and text of this page of Washington D.C.'s The Evening Star from October, 1943.

What types of jobs were the SPARS involved in?

Take a close look: Why was this page created? 

Reference link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1943-10-21/ed-1/seq-35

Reference note

Newspaper: Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972
Newspaper Link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1943-10-21/ed-1/seq-35
Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC
PDF Link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1943-10-21/ed-1/seq-35.pdf

SPARS- "SPARs Formed Year Ago Next Tuesday," The Waterbury Democrat, November 18, 1943.

Teaching Notes

Read this article about the SPARS from Waterbury, Connecticut's Waterbury Democrat. 

How does the article describe the women's attitude about being in the SPARs? What are some of the accomplishments of the SPARS listed in the article? How might the newspaper's audience react to this article? 

Does this article have any hidden purpose or subtext? Take a look at the final paragraph of the article: How does the word choice and tone in this section compare to the rest of the article?

Reference link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014085/1943-11-18/ed-1/seq-5/

Reference note

The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.), 18 Nov. 1943. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014085/1943-11-18/ed-1/seq-5/>

SPARS- Kathleen F. Stoye Collection (SPARS): Veteran in uniform leading her group, between flags for Memorial Day.

Teaching Notes

Take a look at this image of SPAR Kathleen Stoye leading her group in a Memorial Day parade.

Where and when was this picture taken? If someone took a similar picture today, what would it look like? What is the same or different about celebrations of the armed forces in the present day?

To learn more about Stoye's time in the SPARS, click here: Kathleen F. Stoye Collection

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/resource/afc2001001.33488.ph0001001/?sp=4&r=-0.874,-0.01,2.747,0.937,0

Reference note

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Women Marines- "Women Marines Celebrate First Birthday," Evening Star, February 13, 1944.

Teaching Notes

Take a look at this piece in Washington DC's The Evening Star about the Marine Corps Women's Reserve, or the Women Marines.

What is the author's point of view? Can you notice some of the things the author emphasizes that the Women Marines do not do? Who do you think is the audience for this article?

Notice the advertisement on the bottom right--How does the tone and argument of the advertisement compare to the tone and argument of the article? What does this tell us about expectations for women in this period? 

Reference link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1944-02-13/ed-1/seq-81

Reference note

Newspaper: Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972
Newspaper Link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1944-02-13/ed-1/seq-81
Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC
PDF Link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1944-02-13/ed-1/seq-81.pdf

Women Marines- "Want Glamor? Tell It to the Marines!" Wilmington Morning Star, February 19, 1943.

Teaching Notes

Read through this article about the Women Marines' uniform that was published in the Wilmington Morning Star from Wilmington, Delaware in 1943.

Why might the author emphasize that the uniform is not "glamorous"? What stereotypes surrounding women might this article perpetuate?

Sometimes, people would criticize women in military auxiliaries for seeking out "glamor" or "excitement" rather than having a genuine desire to serve. 

Reference link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn78002169/1943-02-19/ed-1/seq-6/

Reference note

The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.), 19 Feb. 1943. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn78002169/1943-02-19/ed-1/seq-6/>

Women Marines- "Leathernecks, Lady Variety, Right on Jobs," The Daily Alaska Empire, August 7, 1945.

Teaching Notes

Read through this article in Juneau, Alaska's Daily Alaska Empire about the Women Marines. First, notice where this article was written from (quite a long way from Alaska, and an important location in WWII history). In most newspapers, the location of the reporting is just before the start of the article's text, underneath the by-line. 

Next, consider--Why do the Women Marines to emphasize their self-sufficiency? What types of duties are specialized, and what duties are shared among all the Women Marines stationed in this location?

 
 

Reference link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045499/1945-08-07/ed-1/seq-5/

Reference note

The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska), 07 Aug. 1945. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045499/1945-08-07/ed-1/seq-5/>

Nurse Corps- Wanted more Navy nurses: Be a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy / John Falter, USNR.

Teaching Notes

Explore this Navy Nurse Corps recruitment poster from 1944.

What symbols are present in this image? What mood does the image portray? How would the mood and symbols in this image persuade women to join the Nurse Corps?

This poster is included in a learning activity about women's military recruitment posters during World War II. Find the activity here: Women in the Military Recruitment Posters: “Four Corners” Activity.

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/92510001/

Reference note

Summary

  • Wave, half-length, standing in foreground; Red Cross ship in background.

Created / Published

  • [19]44.

Genre

  • War posters--American--1940-1950
  • Prints--Color--1940-1950

Notes

  • -  Promotional goal: U.S. J26. 1945.

Repository

  • Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

  • cph 3g02003 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3g02003

Nurse Corps- Nurse training. A torpedoed sailor receives burn treatment from a doctor, with student nurse Susan Petty in attendance.

Teaching Notes

This image of a nurse in training shows the treatment of burns. According to the image's caption, "Care of burns gets special emphasis in the education of every nurse today, for war casualties almost invariably include victims of burns."

What other treatments would nurses in the Army and Navy Nurse Corps need to know about to treat war injuries? 

Beyond simply telling us about nursing in this period, this photograph can help us look further. Does the photograph look "staged" (do the people seem to be posing in a certain way)? How do the poses of the people in the image point to expectations for women versus men in the medical field at this time? How might women react to this image at this time? How might men react to the same image? 

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017694547/

Reference note

Created / Published

  • 1942 Nov.

Genre

  • Nitrate negatives

Notes

  • -  Actual size of negative is E (approximately 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches).
  • -  Annotation on negative.
  • -  Title and other information from caption card.
  • -  Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944.
  • -  More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is available at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.fsaowi
  • -  Film copy on SIS roll 33, frame 457.

Repository

Digital Id

  • fsa 8b07718 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b07718

Nurse Corps- Isabelle V. Cook Collection (Army Nurse Corps): Photograph

Teaching Notes

Explore this image from Isabelle V. Cook's Veterans History Project Collection regarding her time in the Army Nurse Corps. Cook served in Army hospitals in North Africa, Italy, and France during World War II, caring for wounded soldiers and civilians.

Pay particular attention to the uniforms these women are wearing--How do they compare to the uniforms shown in the other photographs and posters in this collection? If they are different, how so? Why would these uniforms be different than those worn by other women in the military? What do differences in uniforms tell us about where women are serving and what responsibilities they are given?

The caption in this photograph gives names for each of the women pictured:  (standing, l-r) Alice McCabe, Edith Weisel Landau, Kitty Vance Gaisman, Trudie Cohen Keinerman (kneeling, l-r) Peggy Haefner Kulick, Isabelle Cedar Cook, Dottie Brown Jaffee, Alice Mincaurge

To see more from this collection, click here: Isabelle V. Cook Collection (I would highly recommend checking out Cook's oral history, her story is fascinating!)

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/resource/afc2001001.00028.ph0001001/?sp=3&r=-0.505,-0.044,1.838,0.696,0

Reference note

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Nurse Corps- "Nurses In Action," Las Vegas Age, September 24, 1944.

Teaching Notes

Read and explore this article from the Las Vegas Age in 1944.

How are the nurses described in this article? Is the description of the work and the women's suitability for nursing work different than the descriptions in articles about the other women's auxiliaries? Why might this be?

(Consider: Women's presence in nursing was not new in WWII, while women's presence in other military jobs usually was a new occurrence). 

 
 

Reference link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86076141/1944-09-24/ed-1/seq-11

Reference note

Newspaper: Las Vegas age. [volume] (Las Vegas, Nev.) 1905-1947
Newspaper Link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86076141/1944-09-24/ed-1/seq-11
Image provided by: University of Nevada Las Vegas University Libraries
PDF Link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86076141/1944-09-24/ed-1/seq-11.pdf

Nurse Corps- Marcella Ryan Le Beau Collection (Army Nurse Corps): Oral History

Teaching Notes

Watch some clips from Marcella Le Beau's oral history. Le Beau was a member of the Army Nurse Corps during World War II, serving in England, Wales, France, and Belgium. Le Beau discusses her experience overseas in her oral history, including the harrowing conditions in her hospital close to the front lines and her experience as a Native American woman in the military. Listen to a few clips of her personal narrative: 

13:53-15:41--Work schedule, period of rest on the Mediterranean Riviera, experience as a Native American woman (no feelings of discrimination or racism)

25:31-28:10--Time in the hospital during the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium (last German offensive of WWII), German buzz bombing every night, bombing of their hospital while Le Beau was on night duty. 

What is the most surprising element of Le Beau's oral history? What further questions do you have after listening to these clips?

To learn more about Le Beau's time in the Army Nurse Corps, click here: Marcella Ryan Le Beau Collection

Link: https:https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/media/vhp/video/afc2001001_024202_mv0001001_640x480_800.mp4

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.24202/

Reference note

Repository:

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center. 

Nurse Corps- Japanese-American U.S. Naval cadet nurse, Kay Fukuda, Manzanar Series / photograph by Ansel Adams.

Teaching Notes

Take a look at this portrait by famous photographer Ansel Adams, taken at the Manzanar Relocation Camp, one of the camps that housed interned Japanese Americans. 

What might have been the purpose behind this photograph (why was it taken)? How does this photograph support or contradict what you already know about Japanese American Internment and World War II? 

If you want to learn even more about photography in Japanese internment camps, Densho created an episode of their podcast Campu all about it. Listen to the episode "Cameras" from 16:16-24:04 to hear about Adams' photographs and their impact.

Reference link: https://www.loc.gov/item/2001704613/

Reference note

Summary

  • Kay Fukuda, three-quarter length portrait, standing, facing front, in military uniform.

Created / Published

  • [1943]

Genre

  • Portrait photographs--1940-1950
  • Gelatin silver prints--1940-1950
  • Nitrate negatives--1940-1950

Notes

  • -  Title transcribed from Ansel Adams' caption on verso of print.
  • -  Original neg. no.: LC-A35-4-M-69.
  • -  Gift; Ansel Adams; 1965-1968.
  • -  Forms part of: Manzanar War Relocation Center photographs.

Repository

  • Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

  • ppprs 00267 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppprs.00267
  • ppprs 00093 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppprs.00093

Nurse Corps- "Army Nurse Back From Battle Zone Tells Experience," Jackson Advocate, December 25, 1943.

Teaching Notes

Read this article written about Lieutenant Gertrude Ivory, who served in the Army Nurse Corps in North Africa during the war.

How does she describe her experience as an African American woman in the Army both abroad and at home? How might Ivory's experience of returning to the United States after serving abroad differ from other women in the armed forces after the end of World War II? 

 

Reference link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn79000083/1943-12-25/ed-1/seq-5

Reference note

Newspaper: Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current
Newspaper Link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn79000083/1943-12-25/ed-1/seq-5
Image provided by: Mississippi Department of Archives and History