[Stacy]

While women were not encouraged to serve in many capacities in WWI, by the time we were in WW II, women were needed and stepped up to do the job.

While the majority of American women mobilized for World War II worked in the industrial sector, the military proved to be an attractive alternative. More than 140,000 women served in the Women's Army Corps and another 60,000 in the Army Nurse Corps. There were 100,000 Navy Waves and 14,000 members of the Navy Nurse Corps. Approximately 23,000 women served in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve (MCWR) with close to 13,000 in the Coast Guard (SPARS). Women Air Service Pilots, about 1,000 strong, flew more than 60 million miles in just under three years. Classified as civilians, women pilots could not fly with men in the cockpit and made less money than their male counterparts. Altogether, more than 400,000 women served in the United States Military during World War II, filling a critical need. The Women Army Corps -- History