Evening star., 1922-06-04
SERVED ABROAD.
Washington Woman Tells Of
War Experience.

There are many enticing roads to
high and interesting positions open
to the girl who masters the CONNER
cial courses of training. such as
stenography. typeWriting. filing and
statistics. One of the newest oppor-
tunities in this broad field of work
is the position as secretary or stenog-
"apher with American concerns in
foreign countries.
The field was opened by the needs
of the American Army in France dur
ing the war. when American officers
discovered TO their utter dismay that
the French stenographers were abso-
luteiy useless, as they did not un-
d. rstand American office methods at
all and were frequently incompetent,
as well as hampered by their lack
of knowledge of the American Ian
guage.
In addition to this factor, the mill
tary forces were greatly alarmed at
the appalling results of physically
unfit men in this country, as shown
by the calls of the draft II was
felt that every able bodied American
in France must be put into the serv-
ice at the front and all engaged in
office duty be released. Therefore
Col. Ezra Davis, Q. NJ C.. originated
and put into execution the expert
ment of sending American office
women to take dictation from Amer
lean men.
1t was the first time in the history
of the American Army that women
were admitted to its ranks and placed
with the fighting forces. They took
the oath of allegiance and were sub
ject to the same laws. regulations
and articles of war that the enlist ed
men were subject to. Only seventeen
Quartermaster women sailed as a first
installment of these much needed
forces. but by the time the forces
were returned to this country there
were sixty-two women in the various
units sent over for these particular
duties.
In spite of the fact that these wom-
en- took many risks in the trip
across. were in bombed towns and
worked constantly in the midst of
exceedingly chaotic conditions. few
people realize the Importance of their
work as they realize the Importance
of that traditionally glorious calling.
the Army nurse. There were many
unusual incidents and pleasant as
well as exciting experiences for the
who sailed to take up these common
place duties of Office work under
such extraordinary conditions.
Mrs Mary /; Norman; who is nov now
tive assistant to the chief of the
graves registration service, was one
of the first two candidates examined
and passed for this ocerseas duty. and
to tell 1t is Mrs. Norman who at
present sees personally many of the
relatives of deceased American SOL
diers: gives them exact details, and
ment of the particular cemetery over
seas where the beloved hero lies
Mrs. Norman was born in Evans
VILE. Ind and went to school there,
business school in Kansas city, Mo
After completing this course, she Sc
cured position in the National Bank
Of Commerce in that city, where she
was doing secretarial work when she
decided to answer the call of patri-
otsm and went to New York city to
join the Quartermaster Corps in
We sailed early in August said
Mrs. Norman. ION fantastically
camouflaged ship. which bore no Wis
ible name. but, ] learned later. was
the wonderful Cunarder Aquitania.
boarded up; likewise the glass doors.
Rough board befths were built in
the staterooms, shora of their mag
nif1cent furnishings. The latticed
deck. with remains of artificial vines
trailing over it. and huge oil paint
of former splendor. In all we had
5000 people on board that trip and
there were three sittings at the tables
at each meal.
We sailed in the height of sub
marine warfare, but our ship was so
swift that for two days out we were
unaccompanied by conveys from this
side. Only seventeen of the twenty
five accepted quartermaster women
presented themselves for overseas
the women were who have told me
since the war how hard they tried
to get across.
AT Tours we were eagerly sought
BY chiefs of different rent, divisions Of the he
Office work of every description: cor
respondence of all kinds, typing. sta
tistical work. filing and many other
outles: Lovely lours is tne oio capl-
home of kings beginning with
Charlemagne.. It is in the heart of
the beautiful chateau country and
here we lived and worked through
the Argonne offensive, the st. Mihiel
drive and all the other engagements
in which our men took part against
the enemy. We were rushed send
ing personnel up front, supplies. am
munition. more supplies, etc. Then
came the armistice. and finally the
and we all left France in June. 1919.
II arrived in New York on the I'm
ported to washington for. discharge.
but instead was ordered to San Fran
cisco for three months on special
duty I was again semitic Washing
ton for discharge, but was retained In
the graves registration service in the
work of bringing home the soldier
dead and the Improvement of ceme-
teries in Europe. I am still here"
Such is the varied experience of a