The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-07-27
WAVES Celebrating First
Anniversary OF Service
Young Women Fill Definite Need in Various
Branches of Naval Warfare - Efficient
Service Wins Commentator
of "Salty" Executives.

or rendered i'll from exposure after
torpedoing.
Women already are serving in
three naval hospitals in the Third
Naval District - at Brooklyn, ST..
Adams, L. l., and the Naval Train
ing Station at Sampson, N Y. Many
more will be assigned to these hos
pitfalls this year after training.
Otherwise around the district,
WAVES today work as teachers,
doctors, legal stenographers, welfare
specialists, disbursing officers at
colleges for VIZ students and other
jobs. Three hundred and twenty
five are in ships company at the
Naval Training School (Women's
Reserve), the Bronx; one is postal
liaison officer and score are in
censorship. WAVES are at naval
headquarters at 80 Church street,
New York, and at the submarine
base in New London, Conn.,, in the
Office of the Inspector of Naval Ma
terial and in the photographic Of
flee.
To New York and other points III
the Third Naval District, WAVES
are no longer the public curiosity
which they were a year ago, but
still they find they are regarded
quizzically by many, and In public
places are sometimes the subject Of
humor which they consider highly
"corny."
The Big City
To many of the WAVES, origin
ating as they do in all parts of the
country, being stationed in or neal
New York City is thrilling expert
ence. During the training period at
the Hunter College school. thou
sands of girls have their first view
of New York, and hundreds in the
Third Naval District reside or week
end in the metropolis for the first
time in their lives.
WAVES in most activities are per-
mitted to live on their own and
many of them share apartments or
reside in groups in Women's clubA
Navy influence extends into their
social life and many of them dine or
date with bluejackets or naval Of
ficerS.
Preference for Navy men goes
further than mere dates, indeed
for since regulations were changed
last winter to permit WAVES to
marry service men, many in the
Women's Reserves have married
Navy men. Weddings in blue Cor in
white, since WAVES may wear we'd
ding gowns, as an exception to the
rule requiring uniforms) have be-
come frequent events in the last
few months.
AS the WAVES celebrate their
birthday this week, few members OF
the Women's Reserve have actually
completed IL months in uniform,
since enlistments did not get under
way for some time after the formal
inception of the program.
But in the Third Naval District,
there are many young women who
by now have put in eight months in
the Navy, and few who have been
in since last August or early Sep
TENDER.
They acknowledge that their life
in the Navy entailed experiences
which none of them could have pre-
dicted year ago. Almost unani-
mously, they are more enthusiastic
about the service than when they
completed their training half a year
or more ago.
Esprit De Corps
Wearing the Navy blue has de-
veloped strong esprit de corps in
the WAVES. Surveys have shown
that the reason which impelled most
of them to sign up in the Women's
Reserve was fundamentally patri-
otism. Their wish to serve their
country has, if anything, increased
after months on the job of being a
member of the Navy.
Doing a man-sized job, which Is
what the Navy expects of. the
WAVES, has made the Navy women
proud of their role in pinning back
the ears of Hitler and Hirohito.
Men of the Navy are equally proud
of the way WAVES are doing the
Job. The Womens Reserve. veteran
officers will say forgetting their
initial skepticism about sailors IN
skirts - Is not only freeing men for
combat duty at sea, 1t is doing the
mems Job ashore better than they've
ever been done before.