Women's Army Auxiliary Corps
Women's Army Auxiliary Corps
The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was established by Congress at the outset of World War II (1939–45). Before then, women served only as nurses in the military. With the creation of the women's unit, men were relieved from clerical and support positions to serve combat duty. As many as 150,000 women served in WAAC during World War II.
Despite public resistance to allowing women to enter the armed services, a bill was introduced in Congress for the formation of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in May 1941. It then met with political resistance and was not passed until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 made women's help essential. Enlisted women served both at home and abroad in a variety of positions. Among other things, women were office assistants, air traffic controllers, electricians, and radio operators. They were not permitted, however, to go into combat alongside men.
Women who served in WAAC did not receive the same pay, military ranks, or benefits given to men in the army. In June 1943 the unit was converted to the Women's Army Corps (WAC) with full military status, conferring greater equality and benefits. The WAC continued until 1978, when women were allowed to serve in the same units as men.