WAVES held a rally at the Washington Monument Grounds July 30, 1944, to celebrate the second anniversary of the establishment of the Women’s Reserve of the U.S. Navy. The women of the Navy stationed in the Washington, D.C., area heard addresses by their Director, Captain Mildred H. McAfee, USNR, Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, Admiral Ernest J. King, USN, Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet, and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN, speaking by radio from Pearl Harbor. From all over the District of Columbia, companies of WAVES came in precise formations to take their places for the rally.
