WAVES check on the pulse and reactions of a group of aviation cadets in the pressure chamber at U.S. Naval Training Center, Pensacola, FL.
The c. 1944 photograph comes from the National Archives.
Tag Archives: 1940s
Party Time!
WAVES at Naval Air Station Seattle, WA find time for recreation in various forms. Here, a party for the WAVES first anniversary in 1943 featured the swearing in of recruits at a downtown Seattle theater.
The photograph comes from the National Archives.
Weather Recording
Ethel E. Helter, Aerologist’s Mate, keeps tabs on a weather recording instrument at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, CA.
The photograph comes from the National Archives.
Animation Expert
WAVE Jean Selby, who was an illustrator at the Walt Disney Studio, now makes celluloid for training films at the Navy’s Photographic Lab, Anacostia, Washington, DC.
The photograph comes from the National Archives.
Flight Work
WAVES on duty at the Naval Air Station, New Orleans, Louisiana, c. 1944.
The photograph comes from the National Archives.
Overseas Service
In late 1944, the WAVES finally got approval to allow women to go “overseas.” This included the now-US states of Alaska and Hawaii.
Previously, women were only allowed stateside berths.
This article from the WAVES Newsletter explained how women could apply for the service post. It comes from the Schelsinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University.
The Control Tower
WAVES at work in the control tower at Naval Air Station Norfolk. WAVES in this job needed clear speaking voices, and worked guiding plane traffic.
The photo comes from the National Archives.
Brooklyn Visit
WAVE Commander Mildred McAfee addresses personnel at Naval Air Station Brooklyn in this undated photo from the National Archives.
Tova Peterson Wiley
WAVE Lt. Tova Peterson Wiley, in this undated photo from the National Archives. Wiley was a part of the first group of WAVE officers in late 1942.
Frances Roth
WAVE Lt. Frances Roth, in this undated photo from the National Archives.
Hinges of History 