Tag: Waves
On July 30, 1942, the WAVES became a World War II division of the U.S. Navy, and consisted entirely of women. The name was the acronym for “Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service” (as well as an allusion to ocean waves). The word “emergency” implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of World War II, and at the end of the war the women would not be allowed to continue in Navy careers. Their official name was the U.S. Naval Reserve (Women’s Reserve), but the nickname of the WAVES stuck.
Mildred McAfee, President of Wellesley College, was sworn in as a Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander in early August of 1942. She was the first female commissioned officer in U.S. Navy history, and the first director of the WAVES. This occurred two months after the WAAC (Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps) was established, and Eleanor Roosevelt had convinced the Congress to authorize the women’s component of the Navy.
The Women entering as enlisted personnel in the Navy…
