Overview

I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY who has ever done such a daring thing as I have done,"""" twenty-two-year-old Aileen Kilgore of Brookwood, Alabama, wrote in her diary in January 1944, after enlisting in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) during World War II. From basic training in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, to her discharge in late 1945, Kilgore served as one of more than 150,000 American women who joined the Women's Army Corps - the first group of women other than nurses to serve in the ranks of the United States Army. Aileen Kilgore Henderson has now collected and edited diary entries and personal letters that recount in an engaging narrative style her twenty-three months of experiences in the army. Recording the excitement and anxiety of enlisting, along with the camaraderie, challenges, and monotony of military life and labor, Henderson had a keen eye for the newness of her undertakings. She worked as one of only six female airplane mechanics at Ellington Air Force Base and as a photo lab technician, and she provides a detailed document of daily life in the service. Additionally, Henderson reveals the public scrutiny and criticism WAC members faced as they assumed nontraditional roles. A fascinating record of history in the making, Henderson's diary and letters offer a window into the lives of groundbreaking women and their lasting impact on the United States Armed Forces.

Full Product Details

9781570033964

Table of Contents

Reviews

Recommended for all general readers and especially for those intrigued by the challenges of women's history. -- Choice

Author Information

After her 1945 discharge from the WACs, AILEEN KILGORE HENDERSON returned home to Alabama and earned a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She has raught school in Alabama, Texas, and Minnesota and has worked as museum docent, freelance writer, and photographer. Henderson has published three award-winning books for children, and she continues to lead many writing workshops for young people and adults. She lives in Brookwood, Alabama.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available