At the beginning of WWII, so many men were needed to fight overseas that it created a vacuum in the military jobs they left behind. That vacancy was filled by the "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" or WAVES for short. They were initially limited to serving in the United States only, but by late 1944 this was expanded to Hawaii and Alaska. To qualify for the Navy, enlisted women had to be between the ages of 18 and 36 and officers between 20 to 50. They also had to pass an aptitude and health exam before being sworn in. An unmarried WAVE could not marry a man serving in the Navy, and couldn’t marry at all until training was complete. Women with children were not allowed to enlist. The majority of the WAVES were assigned to aviation units, followed by hospital and clerical duties. By 1943, the Navy was allowing Navy wives to enlist and by the end of the war unmarried Waves could even marry! This last policy change was due to 80% of the Waves leaving the Navy was so they could get married. By 1945, approximately 86,000 WAVES had served their country, freeing up that many men to join combat units.
Pensacola News Journal Article 11-13-1943
Pensacola News Journal Article 1-21-1945
Enlistment Poster WWII
