The first group of WAVES headed to Hawaii in January 1945. Doris Mansfield Leichliter was in the third group of WAVES to go overseas. They were the first to be based at Barber’s Point.
I wanted to see as much of the world as I could since I had never gone anyplace growing up anyplace because my dad would never go anyplace. Once I got to New York and saw how much fun it was to travel, I just wanted to do all the traveling I could. So I had decided that based on my parents, by the time I was — I didn’t want to get married and I figured I didn’t want to until I was past 30, because up to 30 I would see all the world I wanted to see. That was my logic. (laughs)
This photo shows WAVES embarking on the ship to head to Hawaii in January 1945. It comes from the National Archives.
Hinges of History 