The Navy's First Enlisted Women: Patriotic Pioneers

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Available for free in the following formats: 508-compliant PDF (1.3 MB), ePub (3.6 MB), and mobi (7.5 MB). Women have volunteered to serve their nation during every war or conflict since the American Revolution. The female yeomen of World War I continued this legacy and remained focused despite strong criticism. The Navy operated more efficiently and effectively with them. Chapter 1 considers the contradiction between the United States’ engaging in a war to protect democracy while denying democratic rights and privileges to segments of its population. This richly illustrated monograph provides a brief overview of the history of women in the military prior to the United States’ entry into World War I; describes Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels’s decision to recruit women, the enlistment process, and their “basic training”; analyzes how the various clerical and non-clerical duties of the yeomen (F.) contributed directly to the success of the Navy’s strategy and the Allied victory, as well as to gender relations; and explores how wartime experiences changed the women’s lives and the Navy. The epilogue summarizes key changes in the status of Navy women since World War I. Also included is a select list of sources to assist those carrying out further study of this important topic.