Jean Clark enlisted in the WAVES in December of 1942 at a recruiting station in Portland, OR, after her husband was sent overseas for the war. She heard about the WAVES through an article in her local newspaper.
And I just thought, “That’s what I’m going to do.” My husband said, “Please don’t join the WAAC (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps), because that’s what was going on around right then. He says they’ll probably send you overseas and you’ll be overseas when I get home!
Clark told the recruiter that she was teaching in Sweet Home, a small town in central Oregon. She asked the recruiter to let her finish out the school year, which would end in May.
He grinned and said, “Don’t worry about that.” (laughs). Well, then in January, I think it was, I got my first letter. It told me what things to expect. In February I got one, “Report.”
This photograph comes courtesy of Jean Clark.
Hinges of History 