After World War 1, legislation restricted women to serving as only nurses in the U.S. military.
On July 30, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed that with his signing of the Navy Women’s Reserve Act.
The legislation also created the Navy Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES).
U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia introduced House Resolution 1388 last week to honor the women who served in World War II as WAVES.
“These courageous women answered the call when America needed them most and played a crucial role in winning World War II,” Luria, vice chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said in a press release. “The trailblazing spirit of WAVES broke barriers and opened opportunities for future generations of women to serve in the Navy. As a 20-year Navy veteran, it is an honor to introduce this resolution in the House and commemorate these heroes and Navy women as WAVES during World War II.”
More than 400,000 women served in the United States by the end of World War II, according to the press release. Every U.S. aviator who went into combat received some part of his training from a WAVE. At the program’s peak in 1945, nearly 80,000 officers and enlisted personnel served the Navy, and 2.5 percent of the Navy’s wartime effort were WAVES.
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Rebecca Barnabi
