North Carolina Military Women in World War II | Levine Museum of the New South

Kiara Eden, Mallard Creek High School

Compelling Question

What were the contributions and impact of North Carolina women during World War II?

Background Information

Approximately 350,000 women from across the United States served in the military during World War II. They worked in medicine, office jobs, and aviation. This level of participation was new, although women had served as nurses, cooks, and housekeepers since the American Revolution. Over 7,000 women in World War II trained in North Carolina. The U.S. encouraged all women to join and support the war effort. Once they enlisted, these women also experienced gender and racial discrimination. Many people did not support women joining the military, especially in the early days of the war.

The contributions of women in North Carolina were consistent with women from the rest of the United States. In 1942, the U.S. military created auxiliary branches for women called WAC, WAVES, and WASP. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was a strong supporter of women joining the military. She helped win approval of the creation of WAC and WAVES. Within auxiliaries, women served as mechanics, postal workers, and managers of communications and warning systems. More than 25,000 women applied to be WASPs, but less than 2,000 were accepted into the program. These women served at three military bases in North Carolina: the Asheville Weather Wing Headquarters, Camp Davis Army Airfield, and Camp Lejeune, near Jacksonville, North Carolina.

The women of WAC, WASP, and WAVES did not receive equal pay and fair treatment even as they worked alongside male soldiers. Each auxiliary was segregated and performed specific jobs. For example, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was an all-black unit that distributed mail overseas. At Camp Davis, women transported targets for anti-aircraft training and delivered planes to other military bases in the United States. At the Asheville Weather Wing headquarters, women were allowed to train as pilots due to a shortage. WASPs completed flying jobs, manufactured and assembled planes, and delivered supplies. At Camp Lejeune, WAVES performed office jobs like typing and other clerical work and trained to operate communication systems like radios. Some became pilots as well.

More than ever before, World War II took North Carolina women out of the home and placed them at the center of the war effort. Women contributed to the war by rationing, working in factories, and joining the military. This allowed the United States to put more money into the war, maintain consistent supply lines for soldiers overseas, and train women to serve full time in the military.

By the end of World War II, women were serving in every United States military branch and assigned to camps throughout the world. In total, over six million women took wartime jobs in factories, three million volunteered with the Red Cross, and over 200,000 served in the military. North Carolina women contributed significant resources and labor to the Allied powers in World War II, all while paving the way for women to one day integrate into the military with equal pay and full benefits for their service.