Rights
Women had a right equal to men to serve their country in the military during World War II. In 1942, women were granted by Congress the right to serve in jobs that were traditionally held by men. Though the U.S. Army was the first branch to allow women to serve, the other branches of military followed soon thereafter. At first military leaders thought women were incapable of being equal to men, but their work ethic and strong determination proved them wrong. |
"The overall philosophy and purpose of the Women's Army Corps was to allow women to aid the American war effort directly and individually. The prevailing philosophy was that women could best support the war effort by performing noncombatant military jobs for which they were already trained. This allowed the army to make the most efficient use of available labor and free men to perform essential combat duties."
-Judith Bellafaire
U.S. Army Center of Military History
-Judith Bellafaire
U.S. Army Center of Military History
"I was proud to serve... I wanted to support the war effort, support the men, and my brother was a Marine too. Some mothers wouldn't let their daughters join because they thought they might end up in the war (combat)." - Sgt Elizabeth (Pidgeon) Murphy, U.S. Marine |