Amal Khdour
Exploring human correspondence in war is a look into different perspectives and the words of the overlooked voices affected by turmoil, no matter what part they play in society. A prime example of this is women during WWII. Their letters give us insight into how women grew as individuals during this war through their essential contributions to the effort. These letters help us fixate on the uninhibited emotions and perceptions of women left at home, waiting for news, for change as they run not only a household but society on their shoulders. Furthermore, they give us action, a recounting of women on the battlefield, not only how they felt being there but what women did in a part of history they aren’t generally associated with heroically. All in all, letters give us thoughts, feelings, and intimate movements that aren’t present in the history books, and it’s important to acknowledge how both women on the frontline of activity and those at home developed personally in a time that ostracized them.
Contrary to popular belief, women in this war were fighters, from female snipers and tank drivers in the USSR to the Women’s Army Corps and women Air Force pilots in the United States. They were also in the thick of war in other ways, such as holding positions as nurses and doctors in health care. According to a scholarly paper by Melissa A. McEuen, Women, Gender, and World War II, over three hundred fifty thousand women volunteered for military service, and the creation of small military units led to the development of a woman’s army. I’ve gathered information from letters in a book called We’re in This War Too: World War 11 Letters from American Woman in Uniform by Judy Barrett Liftoff and David C. Smith. The researchers behind this book have been a part of a search for lost and forgotten letters written by women in the United States during the war. Their work helps us understand a woman’s role in the war beyond the walls of a home dressed not in an apron but in uniform. One of the myriads of letters documented was from an army nurse named Monica Conter, placed in Hickam Field during the Pearl Harbor attack. The words radiated a sense of excitement, of thrill woven into the details of her day, what was coming ahead, the new wonders she learned of, and the newness of it all. In the beginning of her letter describing her days as an army nurse, she writes, “Sunday A.M. – Dec 7th I rushed on duty at (censored) late for duty (overslept as we had quite a party the night before at the Pearl Harbor officers club) …”, there’s a sense of confident routine and familiarity in her expressions. At the end of her letter, after she describes the details of nearly being killed by bombs and planes that engulfed the hospital, she closes with, “But you know, I have always loved activity and excitement.” Nurses are associated with domesticity and a caring hand, and although that is true, they are the backbone of armies, taught so much more than to mend wounds. As Monica stated, they learn to identify different types of planes and hold an element of combat readiness. Women in uniform felt great pride and enthusiasm in their workforce and position, expressing that enthusiastically in their letters to their loved ones. There is a sense of camaraderie that these women in the military felt with other women, demonstrating a clear feeling of belonging. A woman named Charlotte Morehouse from Fenton, Michigan, and a part of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), wrote to her mother in 1942. There is a passion as she describes aspects of her military life; she writes, “Of course, for a week I have eaten, dreamed, slept, and breathed nothing but Auxiliary- never suspected myself of so much military furor. This thing gets in your blood – it is a chase, a fascinating contrast, and the farther you go, the more impossible it seems. I’m enjoying all this, which is very much the feeling that it is in the lap of the Gods…”. There is no shying away from the work they must do. Instead, there is a thrill in it, an eagerness that allows them to explore passions and gain skills. In a letter to the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service or WAVES branch, Lieutenant Margaret Combs Kinsey writes, “‘Join the Navy and see the world’ has been the slogan of man. But ours is ‘Join the WAVES and live.’” The Navy and other military positions in the war allowed women to do exactly that: live instead of sitting on a shelf at home waiting for the war to either pass by them or stop at their door.
Wearing a uniform, holding onto deadly weapons, and flying planes aren’t the only indicators of active participation in change and progress in war. Staying in society and at home can build character, nurture growth in personality, and foster courage in women. Women who weren’t on the front lines became the backbone of society, culture, domestics, and protectors of the home those in uniform fought for. There is a duality in women back home in society: the women who take care of the family left behind in the war and keep the household running, and women in the workforce, allowing society to progress in a time of strife. According to the Minnesota Historical Society Library, many women stayed at home during the war and worked their days in factories, filling in for men at their traditional jobs while they fought on the frontlines. Furthermore, women who weren’t on the front lines or in the workforce volunteered their time to the war effort to help foster change and create movement in a society left behind. From a collection of letters from women in the workforce, whether in a factory, truck driving, or welding, I found a letter written by a woman welder to her husband. She explains the critical details of her work day and ends the letter by saying, “We are all fond of our job of welding, and I, for one, wouldn’t like to give it up”. There is a sense of pride in her work that accompanies strength and perseverance. Skill development is shown through her job as a welder, and her long hours help build women up to challenge gender norms and gain leadership opportunities. In a book called American War Letters, a letter from an anonymous female factory worker who wrote to her husband about her job as a shipbuilder caught my attention. She writes, “This war has turned my life upside down. I used to be a housewife, but now I’m building ships. I never thought I could handle such hard work, but every day, I’m learning something new…”. Women had to fit into new roles and learn to adapt. This woman expanded her horizons through her new position and gained knowledge that could help foster a passion for her future. When talking about women in society and outside the home front, it is also crucial to talk about women at home. A letter from Beth Puckett to her husband, Lewis, in 1945 begins with, “My love: I have worked like a sailor today—hard, & mean! Naturally, the house was a mess after Dirkie and Helen, and I had to get it in order. Today was the first clear day in ages and I could really see the dirt!” she goes on to explain the struggles of her day keeping the house afloat and taking care of the children. Although her worries may seem mundane and unremarkable in a disaster, they are just as crucial to women’s growth in this period. Women in this position gained independence, grew as individuals without a partner, and worked diligently to shape and nurture future generations in a time of chaos. Overall, throughout the letters I analyzed from women in the workforce and at home, confidence blossomed in women as they took on roles seen only as fit for men. There was a branching out of what women could do, and letters showed us their newfound knowledge, interests, and passions.
All in all, women, both on the militaristic front and at home in the workforce or running households, grew in their fields and embraced learning, connecting, and working in ways they couldn’t before the war. Their words were proud, standing firm on the work they achieved and showing a love for it. Although the work on both ends of the war was rigorous, women not only fought to help or fill in the shoes of men but also to make a change in a world that saw them as inferior. They didn’t turn their backs on new experiences and helping with the war effort; instead, they revealed an excitement to dip their feet into new challenges and a sense of place.
Works Cited
Carroll, Andrew. War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars. Scribner; Reprint edition, 2002, https://www.amazon.com/War-Letters-Extraordinary-Correspondence-American/dp/0743410068.
Fisher. “Letters from the war factory: Women workers in World War Two.” Griffith University, 2011, https://www.academia.edu/81136714/Letters_from_the_war_factory_Women_workers_in_World_War_Two. Accessed 10 10 2024.
Litoff, Judy Barrett, and David Clayton Smith, editors. We’re in this War Too: World War II Letters from American Women in Uniform. Oxford University Press, 1994. Accessed 11 October 2024.
McEuen, Melissa A. “Women, Gender, and World War II.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia, 09 june 2016, https://oxfordre.com/americanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-55. Accessed 10 october 2024.
Snyder, Paul S. “Letters from Beth Puckett to Lewis Puckett, 1945. | DPLA.” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/world-war-ii-women-on-the-home-front/sources/375. Accessed 10 October 2024.“Women and the Home Front During World War II: Overview.” Gale Family Library, https://libguides.mnhs.org/homefront. Accessed 10 10 2024.
Presentation Link
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sN4p6rD66BMa4HjoDd8jP0H-Zu9usu3XjjUJrbTRXxo/edit?usp=sharing
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