Women ' s Army Corps The Women ' s Army Corps ( WAC ) was the women ' s branch of the United States Army . It was created as an auxiliary unit , the Women ' s Army Auxiliary Corps ( WAAC ) on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554 , and converted to full status as the WAC in 1943 . Its first director was Oveta Culp Hobby , a prominent society woman in Texas . History . The WAAC organization was designed by numerous Army bureaus coordinated by Lt . Col . Gilman C . Mudgett , the first WAAC Pre - Planner ; however , nearly all of his plans were discarded or greatly modified before going into operation because he expected a corps of only 11 , 000 women . The WAAC was modeled after comparable British units , especially the ATS , which caught the attention of Chief of Staff George C . Marshall . In 1942 , the first contingent of 800 members of the Women ' s Army Auxiliary Corps began basic training at Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School , Iowa . The women were fitted for uniforms , interviewed , assigned to companies and barracks and inoculated against disease during the first day . A physical training manual titled " You Must Be Fit " was published by the War Department in July 1943 , aimed at bringing the women recruits to top physical standards . The manual begins by naming the responsibility of the women : " Your Job : To Replace Men . Be Ready To Take Over . " It cited the commitment of women to the war effort in England , Russia , Germany and Japan , and emphasized that the WAC recruits must be physically able to take on any job assigned to them . The fitness manual was state - of - the - art for its day , with sections on warming up , and progressive body - weight strength - building exercises for the arms , legs , stomach , and neck and back . It included a section on designing a personal fitness routine after basic training , and concluded with " The Army Way to Health and Added Attractiveness " with advice on skin care , make - up , and hair styles . About 150 , 000 American women served in the WAAC and WAC during World War II . They were the first women other than nurses to serve with the Army . While conservative opinion in the leadership of the Army and public opinion generally was initially opposed to women serving in uniform , the shortage of men necessitated a new policy . While most women served stateside , some went to various places around the World , including Europe , North Africa and New Guinea . For example , WACs landed on Normandy Beach just a few weeks after the initial invasion . Many men ferociously opposed allowing women in uniform , warning their sisters and friends they would be seen as lesbians or prostitutes . They feared that if women became soldiers they would no longer serve in a masculine preserve and their masculinity would be devalued . Others feared being sent into combat units if women took over the safe jobs . General Douglas MacArthur called the WACs " my best soldiers " , adding that they worked harder , complained less , and were better disciplined than men . Many generals wanted more of them and proposed to draft women but it was realized that this " would provoke considerable public outcry and Congressional opposition " and the War Department declined to take such a drastic step . Those 150 , 000 women who did serve released the equivalent of 7 divisions of men for combat . Gen . Dwight D . Eisenhower said that " their contributions in efficiency , skill , spirit , and determination are immeasurable " . During the same time period , other branches of the U . S . military had similar women ' s units , including the Navy WAVES , the SPARS of the Coast Guard and the ( civil ) Women Airforce Service Pilots . The British Armed Forces also had similar units , including the Women ' s Auxiliary Air Force . The WAC as a branch was disbanded in 1978 . Women serving as WACs at that time converted their branches to whatever Military Occupational Specialty they were working in . Since then , women in the U . S . Army have served in the same units as men , though they have only been allowed in or near combat situations since 1994 when Defense Secretary Les Aspin ordered the removal of " substantial risk of capture " from the list of grounds for excluding women from certain military units . List of Directors . Louisiana Register of State Lands Ellen Bryan Moore attained the rank of captain in the WACs and once recruited three hundred women at a single appeal to join the force . External links .