While women served in the U.S. Navy during World War I as both nurses and Yeomen (F), the latter of which served primarily in secretarial and clerical positions, their numbers increased dramatically in World War II with the creation of the WAVES and the expansion of the Nurse Corps. And in the case of the WAVES, their responsibilites increased as well – while secretarial and clerical jobs still made up a large portion of WAVES positions, they also performed many more nontraditional jobs such as aviation mechanics, control tower operators, parachute riggers, and metalsmiths. Navy nurses found their roles in World War II expanded as well, taking to the air as flight nurses to evacuate the wounded out of combat zones, as well as training the thousands of male Hospital Corpsman who had to learn to perform nursing duty on combat ships.
Navy Nurses of WWII
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the nurses of the U.S. Navy jumped into action, treating the first casualties and preventing further loss of life and limb. Although only 1700 nurses, both active duty and reserve combined, were serving at the start of the U.S. involvement in the war, there were over 11,000 by the Navy Nurse Corps’ peak strength in 1945.
Navy WAVES of WWII
The WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) program was created in August 1942 in response to the need for additional military personnel during World War II. From the very beginning, the WAVES were an official part of the Navy, and its members held the same rank and ratings as male personnel. They also received the same pay and were subject to military discipline.
