![]() ![]() ![]() Women could be in the WAVES if they were married with no children, but not if they were pregnant, which is not the case today. The other instance was the time when some of the women wanted the windows open, while only one woman objected. One person wanted to keep her kitten in the barracks, while others didn't like the idea. I remember only two incidents in the bunkroom. There was practically no dissention, as the women were all congenial. We were quartered in the women's bunkroom, 50 women to each bunkroom, four bunks to a cubicle (two upper, two lower), with clothes closets at the end of the bunks…We had a community type shower, no curtains or privacy, with long rows of sinks, toilets and mirrors adjoining the shower room… On my 20th birthday, since this was the age requirement, I took a streetcar downtown and was sworn in as a Navy WAVE, an acronym for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service…It was Jwhen I was sworn in on a delayed entry…įinally, I arrived at Floyd Bennett Field Naval Air Station. He was very convincing and I decided right then that I was going to join the Navy and follow in his footsteps… This horrible tragedy soon emanated into sensational, nationwide patriotism…My brother Jim was in the Navy, stationed at a Navy air base at that time, and wrote interesting letters about how much he enjoyed being an aviation mechanic. On December 7, 1941, the entire United States of America was shocked, frightened and angry that the Japanese would dare to attack our country. Many of the women working at Floyd Bennett Field were part of the United States Naval Reserve, better known as the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Exceptional Service).ĭocument 1: Memories of Fran Boggs Metcalf During the United States’ participation in World War II, hundreds of women served at the naval air station at Floyd Bennett Field. Women participated in the World War II effort at sites all over the country. Their contributions helped the Allies win both the Atlantic and Pacific fronts of the war. Motivated by patriotism and a desire for independence, adventure, and good pay, women of various ages, races, and education levels went to work in these jobs. These positions included factory workers, engineers, air traffic controllers, and test pilots. Armed Forces and the companies it contracted began to hire women to fill jobs that were previously only open to men. With so many men fighting in the war and an increased need for workers to produce military equipment, the U.S. The naval air station at Floyd Bennett Field soon became the busiest in the United States. Navy acquired the airfield in June 1941, six months before it entered World War II (1939-1945) in December 1941. Ingalls and Jacqueline Cochran, set aviation records from its runways. In the 1930s, commercial pilots, including famous aviators, used the Brooklyn airfield. When it opened in 1931, Floyd Bennett Field was not a military airport. Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration. WAVE operating radio equipment at the control tower, Floyd Bennett Field, New York, 1943. ![]()
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