Evening star., 1943-03-29
By WALTER McCALLUM,
Star Staff Correspondent.

VOAACAo IAAly AuAAlAdAy O1PS
The pert, pretty WAACS, from off,
GERS down, practice the slogan in
their training center at Daytona
Beach, Fla. where they've taken
over the area which formerly was a
civilian winter playground.
Eight thousand women from every
walk of CIVILIAN life, from factories
and Offices, from colleges and homes
of the wealthy, now are learning
Army ways by hard work and daily
training, to replace men in the Army
who can be sent to combat areas.
They learn Army routine the hard
way, drilling constantly, getting up
long before dawn, absorbing the
technique of motor maintenance,
Army administration and specialties
of all kinds.
WAACS will replace radio tech
nicians, male aircraft spoilers and
men in many administrative phases
of Army life. They will take over
anything, short of carrying a rife
or pack, man can do in the
Army
Want Courtesies Maintained.
They'll get grease -smudged faces
down inside heavy trucks in motor
maintenance work. They'll replace
Army personnel in so many admin
istrative jobs that soon soldiers do
ing desk work will be rare, unless
they're 1-B men, not rated fit for
combat duty. That is the major
purpose of the WAACS, to take the
place of man. But don't help 'em
into streetcar or a truck. I'VE can
do anything a man can do" they
say. But they admit they don't
want to see abandoned the little
male courtesies and attentions wom-
en- have had for generations.
About the only thing in Army
life we don't learn in this outfit is
handling weapons" said a WAAC
officer She grinned and added,
land I'm not so sure we shouldn't t
learn that"
Their khaki uniforms are trinity
tailored. Regulations say their hair
line must be 2 inches above the COL
lar. You won't see those sloppy
snoods or careless hair-dos of civil
ian life in the WAACS. Everything
is G.. l., even the scanties. But the
girls daily before the shop windows
at Daytona Beach, looking enviously
in window devoted to civilian
wear, particularly if the gowns on
display are frilly, laced trimmed
and have those faminine touches of
civilian life. But the same windows
display rayon khaki unmentionables
and the usual cotton mesh stock
ings. If some Daytona Beach store
advertised sale of nylon stockings
the crush would be terrific, but I'd
bet the WAACS would win.
Ruddy, tanned by the Florida sun,
alert and with military bearing, the
WAACS have no regard for the
wallfower type of woman. They
consider themselves soldiers. Their
routine, barring some heavy work, is
longer than that of many soldiers.
Kitchen police is not avoided. It's
part of the regular weekly assign
ment of each WAAC "aukie" (the
term for the auxiliaries), or Army
private. Il haven't found one who
tried to avoid K. p" said a chief
leader.
In the street behind a hotel ia
nous in peacetimes drilled a COM
pany. A second officer Qieutenant)
who used to be a Philadelphia school
teacher, said to the platoon COM
manders, Let's get a little more
pep into those commands. End your
command on rising infection.
Don't let your voice drop" The
girls fell out for mail call and
rushed to the porch of the hotel,
where the mail orderly yelled out
the names of those with letters
from home or from some boy friend
perhaps overseas.
Look, I got three letters" a high
soprano voiced auxiliary said
plainly excited. Read this" as she
passed one letter to her lieutenant.
Discipline is stern at drill. 1t re-
lakes to complete determination at
mail call or when the "at ease order
has beeh given.
Stories Trouble Commanders.
In an office in downtown Daytona
Beach sits Col. Robert E. Carmody,
a retired cavalry officer of the
Army, now in charge of WAAC
camp No g. A graduate of Western
High School in Washington, he likes
his assignment, but he was con-
cerned with some stories going the
rounds about the WAACS.
I'VE hear lot of propaganda -
he said. Probably started by some
/ German source. We try to scotch
! it, but it gets around. like the story
the WAACS are going to leave
Daytona because the people of the
town don't want them"
My impression was that the ad-
vent of the WAACS in this sleepy
beach town was a godsend. Travel
conditions being as they are, with
gasoline SO scarce. other Florida
localities have peen hard hit. But
Daytona Beach is riding the crest
of prosperity. The WAACS are re-
sponsible.
Our girls would rather live in the
cantonment area than in one OF
the big hotels" said an officer. They
feel more as if they are in the
Army, and they are closer to each
other"
Hospital facilities at Daytona are
excellent. A big civilian hospital
west of the town has been taken
over. almost in its entirety, by the
feminine soldiers. Clinics are scat
tered through company areas where
WAACS with aching feet get treat
ment
Daytona Beach is in two areas.
Separating the mainland from the
peninsula where many of the big
beach hotels are located and where
many hundreds of WAACS live. i:
the Halifax River. In peacetime
four bridges carried traffic across
| the river ONLY one Is omen now Yo,