Eileen remembers hearing about Pearl Harbor while she was at a church meeting. It was shortly after this infamous attack that her uncles and brother joined the Navy.
“We knew it was serious, but I don’t think any of us realized how serious, because we were teenagers, you know. So… see, I graduated in June of 1941. That first year, a lot of my classmates were killed… in that first onslaught of the war.”
The fact that the Navy WAVES uniforms were fashionable was a big hit with the women who enlisted.
“Well, look at khaki. I mean, who looks good in khaki? Or even, you know, that drab green the Marines have. But there was something more exciting about the Navy, and sea, and ships and so forth.” – Eileen Blakely
“I would look good in blue, and after all, my uniform was a dress designer: Mainbocher. … My eyes are blue so they matched. Blue is my color. ” – Eileen Blakely
Hinges of History 