Tag Archives: WW2

Scuttlebutt

Scuttlebutt in slang usage means rumor or gossip, deriving from the nautical term for the cask used to serve water (or, later, a water fountain).[1][2] The term corresponds to the colloquial concept of a water cooler in an office setting, which at times becomes the focus of congregation and casual discussion. Water for immediate consumption on a sailing ship was conventionally stored in a scuttled butt: A butt (cask) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn. Since sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water, scuttlebutt became Navy slang for gossip or rumors.

– From Wikipedia

This image comes from Marjorie Sue Green’s booklet From Recruit to Salty WAVE! The Ordeal of Seaman Green held by The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Hup Two Three

This image holds a special spot in the hearts of the Homefront Heroines crew because both the director and producer are alum of the University of Oregon, aka the Ducks.

It comes from Marjorie Sue Green’s booklet From Recruit to Salty WAVE! The Ordeal of Seaman Green held by The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Shots!

The Navy gave each  boot a battery of shots (all the women we’ve talked with remember them). That experience is featured in both photographs and comics like this image.

It comes from Marjorie Sue Green’s booklet From Recruit to Salty WAVE! The Ordeal of Seaman Green held by The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

A Perfect Fit

WAVES fitters estimated the uniform size for women, and then the WAVES were expected to get their uniforms custom-tailored for a perfect fit. Tailoring was included in the stipend women received to purchase a uniform.

This image comes from Marjorie Sue Green’s booklet From Recruit to Salty WAVE! The Ordeal of Seaman Green held by The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

First the Hat

 

Before WAVES recruits would get their uniforms at boot camp (which needed to be personally fitted), they would receive the WAVES hat.

This image comes from Marjorie Sue Green’s booklet From Recruit to Salty WAVE! The Ordeal of Seaman Green held by The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

To Training School

The initial Navy WAVES boot camp was at Iowa State Teacher’s College in Cedar Falls. It would be a boot camp in fall of 1942 through January 1943. In February 1943, the WAVES boot camp moved to Hunter College in the Bronx, New York.

This image comes from Marjorie Sue Green’s booklet From Recruit to Salty WAVE! The Ordeal of Seaman Green held by The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

The Oath

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

Marjorie Sue Green’s booklet From Recruit to Salty WAVE! The Ordeal of Seaman Green comes from The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Seaman Green

The next step after signing the paperwork? Becoming a recruit, or seaman.

Marjorie Sue Green’s booklet From Recruit to Salty WAVE! The Ordeal of Seaman Green illustrates Green’s transformation from civilian to military.

It comes from The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Forms and More Forms

Marjorie Sue Green’s booklet From Recruit to Salty WAVE! The Ordeal of Seaman Green showed the before and after in the transition from civilian to WAVE. This image appeared on the page immediately following the image in yesterday’s post, demonstrating the Navy’s addiction to paperwork.

It comes from The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

From Recruit to Salty Wave

Many WAVES wrote short books about their experiences, designed to make the transition from civilian to WAVE easier for other recruits.

Marjorie Sue Green’s booklet From Recruit to Salty WAVE! The Ordeal of Seaman Green is an example of one of those books. It’s a highly-illustrated account of Green’s transformation from civilian to military.

This is one of the first images in the book, showing the experience at the recruitment office.

It comes from The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.