With many women applying for the officer candidate slots, the government came up with a way to choose the best candidates. The applicants had to write an essay titled “Why I Desire Service.” They were also given an aptitude test. This helped officials learn about the different skills each woman had. Those who passed the aptitude test were interviewed. The next step was a physical exam. Those who passed the physical exam were given another interview. During the second interview many personal questions were asked about the women’s school records, families, and hobbies.
Basic Training
Throughout the day and night of July 20, young women—black and white—arrived at Fort Des Moines. They had traveled to Iowa on buses or trains from across the United States. They were met at the station and transported to the fort in army trucks fitted with long wooden benches. The WAAC candidates endured a bumpy ride as the trucks lumbered through the city streets.
As the WAACs passed through the gates of Fort Des Moines they entered a world of neat, red brick buildings and carefully trimmed lawns. The fort had been created as a cavalry post where soldiers who rode horses into battle were trained. Over the years thousands of male soldiers—both black and white—had been trained there. In 1917, when the United States entered World War I, black officers were trained at Fort Des Moines. Now another chapter in American history would begin at the fort. The first black women to enter the WAAC would spend the next few weeks making history there.
Before the WAACs arrived at the fort the old horse stables had been converted into buildings for their use. The street where the barracks stood became known as Stable Row. Some women claimed they could still smell horses in their living quarters!
The very first candidate to arrive at the fort was a black officer candidate named Bessie Mae Jarrett. Just a month before, she had graduated with honors from Prairie View State College in Texas. Soon after her arrival, more candidates began to come from across the country. These new arrivals were white. Several days passed before more black candidates arrived to join Bessie, who was living alone in her segregated barrack.
The black WAACs settled into Building 54, where each woman was assigned a cot and two lockers—a tall green one for uniforms and a smaller one for underclothes, gloves, and equipment. The bathrooms were in the basement.
At the mess hall the black WAACs were again confronted with the ugliness of segregation. A sign had been placed over a table in one area of the room. The sign had the word “Colored” written on it. The black women sat down and ate their meal. But the next day they had a plan. They marched into the mess hall and sat at the table marked “Colored” as they had the day before. Instead of getting into the line to get their food, the black women turned their plates over and refused to eat. The next day when they entered the mess hall the sign had been removed. But a card had been placed on the table. “For C” was printed on the card. Once again the black women turned their plates over and refused to eat. Within a week all the signs had been removed.
Soon after the WAACs were inducted, they were issued uniforms. Much thought and discussion had gone into the design of the clothes. Some officials wanted the uniform to be two shades of blue. Others wanted green. Famous dress designers of the time were asked to help with the designs. It was decided that the uniforms would be dresses—no slacks allowed. Coveralls were provided for WAACs who worked in the motor pool. Hats, coats, and purses were part of the uniform. Galoshes, bedroom slippers, and stockings were issued. And a specially designed “exercise dress” was worn during physical training.
From the first mention of the formation of the WAAC, the general public—tantalized by newspaper reports—was fascinated with the idea of women in a military organization. Newspaper reporters asked about the clothes the WAACs would wear. They wanted to know if the women would be allowed to use makeup. What about nail polish? And one reporter brought up the question of underwear. What would WAAC underwear look like?
Reporters became such a problem that officials limited their contact with the WAACs. After the first day at Fort Des Moines, the reporters were asked to leave. They were not happy about this, but they had gotten many interviews and had taken an assortment of photos of the new WAACs. They had learned that the WAACs could wear makeup and nail polish. And they discovered—and reported in the newspapers around the country—that WAAC underwear was khaki and pink.
During the six weeks of training, the officer candidates had much to learn. Some of the WAACs believed they had to work twice as hard to prove that women could do as well as men in the military. For the black candidates, an additional burden was placed on their shoulders. They had to prove that black women could do as well as men and as well as white women.
When Mary McLeod Bethune visited Fort Des Moines during the first week of training she reminded the black WAACs, “We are making history here today.”
Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps officer candidate in gas mask, 1942.
Fort Des Moines Museum and Education Center; Vera Campbell Collection
“The Negro women whose faces are turned this way are depending upon you to represent us on the ground floor of this new dramatic program that has been set up in America,” she added. “Out of the millions of us, you have been selected,” Mary pointed out. She stressed the “grave responsibility—a challenging responsibility” that the black WAACs faced.
The WAACs were divided into groups called companies. Each company had three platoons. Each platoon had about 40 members. The first class of black officer candidates was in the First Company, Third Platoon. Only whites were in the First and Second Platoons. All the officer candidates spent their days preparing to relieve male soldiers of their noncombat duties. At the end of the training they would fill jobs as cooks, bakers, truck and ambulance drivers, record keepers, stenographers, telephone operators, and messengers. The army planned to have enough WAACs ready by November 9 to release 450 men for combat. And the plan called for that to occur each week until the war ended.
With only six weeks to learn their new jobs, the WAACs were busy every minute. Reveille was at 6:30 every morning. A loud whistle sounded to wake them. After quickly dressing and making their beds, the black officer candidates rushed from Building 54 across the street to the front of Building 55, where the rest of the company was housed. From there the entire company marched to the mess hall for breakfast.
Classes began at 8 AM and ended at 4:30 PM. The candidates studied military courtesy and customs, organization of the army, first aid, hygiene, and map reading. They learned about current events. And they learned what to do if the enemy attacked by air or with chemicals. They also learned about “property account-ability”—how the army kept track of everything it had. Candidates participated in physical training that included handsprings and pushups. They learned how to salute and how to march in formation.
Every Saturday morning the WAACs’ quarters were inspected. Inspectors entered the barracks wearing white gloves. They looked for dust under cots, unpolished spots in the latrine, smudges on walls, and dirt on the floors. They inspected foot-lockers, looking for items that were out of place. Gloves, handkerchiefs, towels, combs, and toothbrushes were to be arranged in a special order in the lockers. And no “unauthorized” items—civilian clothes or food from the mess—were allowed.
Beds were to be made according to army regulations. The fold in the top sheet had to be two inches from the bottom of the pillow and exactly six inches deep. Each bed had two sheets and two blankets. The sheets and blanket were folded in a special way at each corner of the bed. They had to be perfectly smoothed out and tight on top.
The WAACs did have some time for fun. They could take the trolley into the city of Des Moines—a four-mile ride that cost 10 cents. (While they were in training, the WAACs earned $21 per month.) There were movie theaters, shops, and restaurants for entertainment in the city. Some families in Des Moines invited the WAACs to their homes and churches. The Negro Community Center in Des Moines invited the WAACs to tea. Blac
k citizens in the community were eager to meet the black WAACs.
The WAACs didn’t have to leave the fort for entertainment. There were service clubs on the base—separate clubs for blacks and whites. There was a golf course, tennis courts, and a movie theater at the fort. There was also a swimming pool—a welcome relief from the humid Iowa heat. But the use of the swimming pool presented another opportunity for the army to inflict racism on the black WAACs. They were allowed to use the pool only one hour a week, on Friday nights. And because many white Americans in the 1940s believed black people were dirty, the pool was “cleansed and purified” after the black WAACs used it.
When the WAACs weren’t in classes or enjoying precious free time, they could be found marching in parades. Visitors came to the fort often to see the WAACs “pass in review,” or perform in parades. Military and government officials were curious about the WAACs and came to see them. They had never seen women in the military. The Third Platoon, made up of all black women, was an especially unusual sight.
On Saturday, August 8, only three weeks after the first candidates arrived at Fort Des Moines, the WAACs made their first formal public appearance. The gates of the fort were opened for newspaper and magazine reporters and the public. One newspaper reported that the black WAACs marched “with heads high” and “firm of step,” “breathing defiance to Hitler, Hirohito, and Mussolini.” After the parade the WAACs marched to their barracks, where they changed into their gym suits, marched back to the parade grounds, and demonstrated their physical training for the audience.
Each day ended for the WAACs with “lights out” at 9 PM. There was a “bed check” at 11 PM. Most were so tired by the end of the day that as soon as the lights went out they fell asleep.
The final week of training for the first class of WAAC officer candidates finally arrived. Most of the week was taken up with exams. The WAACs were tested on all the things they had learned in their classes—leadership, military rules and customs, care of equipment, first aid, and sanitation. They were tested on their drills and physical training. The next step was graduation.
One More Opportunity for Racism
Graduation day was Saturday, August 29. It was a hot, sunny day and the ceremonies were held outside. Military and government officials were special guests. Candidates had invited their families. The fort was filled with reporters and photographers eager to record the historic event.
The ceremony was short. There were some speeches, and the national anthem was sung. Finally, the diplomas were awarded. The WAAC officer candidates were no longer “candidates”; they were officers. The new officers wore gold bars on their uniforms as a symbol of their status. Other WAACs were now required to salute them as a sign of respect.
The first class of Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps officers had proven themselves to the world. They were ready to move into positions held by men who were needed in battle. It was a momentous day for the black women of the First Company, Third Platoon. They had faced racism and segregation and had responded with grace and dignity.
Vera Campbell, member of the first class of officer candidates in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, 1942.
Fort Des Moines Museum and Education Center; Vera Campbell Collection
Graduation program cover for the first class of officers in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, 1942.
Fort Des Moines Museum and Education Center; Vera Campbell Collection
But the discrimination didn’t end with the graduation day ceremonies. It would have been natural for the names of the candidates from the entire company to be listed in alphabetical order when awarding the diplomas. For the First Company that meant the first WAAC officer candidate to receive a diploma would have been Charity Adams—a black woman from the Third Platoon. But the army decided to divide the class lists by platoon, so the names of the candidates in the First Platoon and the Second Platoon—all whites—were read first. Last came the Third Platoon.
Despite such treatment, the first black officers of the WAAC were ready for their first assignments—they were eager to learn where they would go and what they would do.
Auxiliaries
As the first class of WAAC officers was undergoing basic training to become commanding officers in the summer of 1942, hundreds of auxiliaries were joining and beginning their basic training. At first the number of black auxiliaries was low, but eventually more and more black women began arriving at Fort Des Moines. All auxiliaries spent one week in a reception center where they received their clothing and equipment and underwent an orientation. Then they had four weeks of basic training. From there some went on to eight weeks of specialist school. Last, the auxiliaries were held in staging companies, waiting for their assignments—where they would begin their new lives replacing men who would move to combat positions.
Those auxiliaries who went to specialist schools after basic training became skilled in administrative duties, cooking and baking, or motor transportation. Administrative specialists learned all about the army’s way of keeping records and handling paperwork. Cooks and bakers became responsible for planning and delivering the meals at the camp mess halls. The women in the motor transportation school learned how to drive army vehicles—including the quarter-ton jeep and the one-and-a-half-ton trucks used to transport troops and supplies. Since they were responsible for inspecting vehicles before they were taken out of the motor pool, these women also learned the principles of motor mechanics. In addition, the auxiliaries learned convoy driving so they could move troops and supplies in noncombat operations. Blackout driving—driving in the dark without lights—was also part of the training.
More and more black women joined the WAAC as the war heated up. They signed up for a variety of reasons. Sometimes family members influenced the women’s decisions to enter the military. Patricia Gunter’s husband was fighting with the American forces in North Africa, and she wanted to do her part to help win the war too. She joined the WAAC and attended administrative specialist school at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. Lessie Ferguson, a correspondent with the Bluefield Daily Telegraph in West Virginia, joined the WAAC the same day her brother joined the army. Hazel and Mazel Greer were the first twins to join the WAAC together. They were from Center, Texas.
The Greer family had nothing on the O’Bryant family of Augusta, Georgia. Tessie O’Bryant sent three daughters off to join the WAACs. Tessie Theresa, Ida Susie, and Essie Dell O’Bryant had decided to join the WAAC together, but when they went to sign up, Essie was sent home because she was underweight. She returned home, and—with the help of family and friends, including the neighborhood grocer—Essie Dell gained enough weight in a month’s time to join her sisters. By the time Essie Dell got to Fort Des Moines to begin her basic training, Tessie Theresa had just completed her basic training, and Ida Susie was already an auxiliary stationed at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. But it wasn’t only the O’Bryant women who were doing their part for the war—five male cousins were serving in the armed forces as well.
In February 1943, Marie Sublett of Springfield, Illinois, joined the WAAC. Marie said she was “rarin’ to go” to the training center as soon as possible. It wasn’t unusual for a new recruit to feel this way. The idea of serving in the military during wartime sounded exciting to plenty of young girls in the 1940s. But Marie wasn’t a young girl. Marie held the distinction of being the first black grandmother WAAC!
Marie said she joined the WAAC for a number of reasons. She wanted to work as a recruiter—enlisting other black women. Marie’s family and friends thought she’d be good at recruitment work. She seemed to have a knack for judging character in people. One of her favorite pastimes was “watching people.” “They fascinate me,” she said.
Marie wasn’t the first person in her family to serve in the military. Her grandfather had served in the Civil War, and her husband, Robert, had served in the First World War. Robert inspired her to join the WAAC. Marie joked, “I thought I’d serve in the second world war to catch up with my husband.�
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But Marie wasn’t joking when she explained, “I feel that I have served my community by raising a family, and now that a larger opportunity has presented itself to serve my country, I gladly offered my services.”
Field Assignments
The idea of women serving in the military wasn’t popular with some men in 1942. There were male military leaders who thought women would be more trouble than they were worth. Some thought women could not handle the work required of military personnel. They were reluctant to allow the WAACs on their military bases. And some were especially reluctant to let black WAACs on their bases.
WAACs were assigned to bases around the country based on requests from the commanding officers at the installations. Some were willing to use black WAACs—but not for the types of jobs the WAACs were trained to do. Officials said they couldn’t imagine how black WAACs could be used other than in “laundries, mess units, or salvage and reclamation shops.” These were jobs that required little training or special skills, and they were considered unpleasant assignments. But it was insulting to expect WAACs who had received weeks of specialized training to take these positions just because they were black.
The reluctance of army leaders to request WAACs meant that many of the women who had completed basic training and specialist training and were in the staging centers waited for long periods of time before they were requested at field assignments. The women became very discouraged as the time went on.
Members of the 32nd and 33rd Companies’ Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps basketball team take some time to relax from their duties with a game of basketball at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; The New York Public Library; Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations; United States Office of War Information Army Signal Corps
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