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Photograph of Gladys (Thomas) Anderson

In addition to uniforms, new recruits were issued everything from nylons to pajamas to eyeglasses. Gladys (Thomas) Anderson, who enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps in June 1944, used red nail polish to make hers look a little less government issue.

Kelly with fellow command sergeants major during her promotion to Women's Army Corps command sergeant major.

Carmen Contreras Bozak, Technician 4th Grade, Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC)/Women's Army Corps (WAC), 1942-1946; the first Hispanic woman in the WAC.

Uniform worn by Charity Adams Earley, the first African American officer in the Women's Army Auxillary Corps (WAAC), later Women's Army Corps (WAC) and Commander of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the first battalion of African…

Inspired by her father, who served in Korea, and her siblings, Lourdes “Alfie” Alvarado-Ramos long dreamed about serving in the military. She enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1971, at the age of 17, and served for 22 years. Challenged by her gender,…

Esther Gleaton joined the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in 1966, because it offered her opportunity to travel beyond her Atlanta, Georgia, hometown and made her eligible to receive the G.I. Bill for college. She needed her parent’s permission, which they…

Following the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government, because of a perceived national security risk, rounded up 120,000 American citizens of Japanese descent and sent them to Mid-West and West Coast internment camps.…

Three years before Rosa Parks stood up to discrimination by sitting down on an Alabama bus in 1955, Women’s Army Corps (WAC) Private First Class Sarah Keys refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Heading home to Washington, North…

In 1942, Charity (Adams) Earley became the first Black commissioned officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), later the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). In 1944, the WAC selected Earley commanding officer of the 6888th Central Postal Directory…