Chutzpah

We weren’t that different from our brothers. Working class kids mostly, you know. A certain amount of American chutzpah and the cockiness. You could tell the sailors from the Marines. And you could tell – as recruits — and you could tell them from the Army.  Because even though the services sorted people out, the personalities sorted in the way — and the sailors are much larkier. I remember when they brought a whole bunch of refugees from somewhere and they had this great big banner up.  Not “mission accomplished” it said, “If we had known you were coming, we’d have baked a cake” (laughs).  I mean, that’s one of the things I love about the Navy.

-Josette Dermody, World War II WAVE

This photograph shows Josette Dermody (at far left) in the wedding party for a fellow WAVE to a sailor. It comes from the collection of Josette Dermody Wingo.