Review: A unique look at a different side to WWII
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 19, 2013
This is a collection of letters written by Cpl. Wanda M. Renn, for the most part to her mother, while Cpl. Renn served in the Women’s Auxillary Army Corps (WAAC) during World War II.  The letters begin while Renn was engaged in training and then follow with her service in North Africa.  The WAAC of which Cpl. Renn was a member was a new organization, a new concept, never before used by the U.S. Military at that time.  Many applied for these first positions, 35,000 to be exact, but few were chosen – less than 1,000.  It is also noted that Renn was in the first group of military women to be sent to an overseas location; in this case North Africa which is as we all know was the beginning campaign for the United States during this war.Patricia Arnold, the granddaughter of the author of the letters has done us a great service in that she published these letters as they were and did not, as so often happens in such cases, make editorial changes to the original letters.  Grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc. are as they were.  Arnold has not changed the content one bit.  I read a tremendous number of first hand accounts written by soldiers and I can tell you that for me this method was quite refreshing.  Not all war accounts are written by people such as William Manchester; not all were professionally skilled writers.We get here a first hand account of a very young girl, away from home for the first time and thrown into a situation which was less than great.  Attitudes toward military women at that time were rather derogatory and primitive to say the least and Renn has addressed this matter quite well.  My mother served in this war as a Nurse and like so many member of her generation who went through this ordeal, was quite tight lipped about the whole thing.  She seldom, if ever spoke of her experiences even when prompted.  This little work allowed me to “see inside” the conditions and attitudes of the time.  For me this was a rather special read.The letters were surprisingly well written and for the most part comprehensive.  While much has changed in the military over the years since WWII, much remains the same.  I am retired military myself and spent quite a few years alone in foreign countries both in and out of war zones.  The daily concerns I had were much the same as Renns – worried about receiving mail was number one on the list as well as wondering if family was receiving her letters.  Food was a big issue as well as comfortable (or lack of comfortable) living quarters, friendships made and of course in the uncertainly and loneliness.  I suspect if we read the letters of ancient Roman soldiers we would have found the same.  All in all though, Renn’s letters are amazingly upbeat in nature – this was a fascinating lady.Now folks, this is a collection of everyday letters.  If you are looking for a novel type book; a work filled with high action and typical G.I. B.S. stories, you need to look elsewhere.  There are no explosions, high episodes of physical drama – well, there is no John Wayne stuff.  No, you get the story straight from a young girls mind; her observations and opinions – her daily life.There must be thousands of stashes of letters such as this from past war time experiences and I do wish that more people would follow Patricia Arnold’s led and share them with us.  The WWII generation is quickly departing as the Korean generation and when you thing about it, my generation, i.e. Vietnam, are getting pretty long in the tooth ourselves.  This is history and needs to be preserved.  My hat is off to Ms. Arnold for sharing these candid letters with us.Don BlankenshipThe Ozarks