After several acrimonious congressional and societal conflicts and compromises, the Army was finally a woman’s place too. “These women [of WAAC and WAC] successfully and calculatedly exploited their skills, tenacity, and faith in themselves, believing that their duty to their country and the opportunities afforded by military service were worth any discrimination or harassment they might encounter.” - Professor of Military History Melissa Ziobro
Women now comprise more than 15% of the military, a radical change from what it was. Furthermore, since 2001, more than 300,000 women have been deployed overseas. |
(Courtesy of the Army Times)
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(Courtesy of the U.S. Army Archives)
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Without the introduction of the original women's corps bill, and WAAC compromise bill that finally sparked discussion about the topic, women would have been unable to prove their capabilities to society. The military would still be forbidden to females, and the gender roles of women as the submissive housewife wouldn’t have been challenged. The battle for the inclusion of women in the U.S. Army was perhaps the greatest battle of World War II in all.
“[The WAACs/WACs] performed brilliantly, and laid the groundwork on which military women’s efforts and achievements still rest today. In fact, advances in many areas in the years between 1960 and today owe much to these women who served during World War II.” - Colonel Lorry M. Fenner, 2004 |