Carmen García Rosado PFC Carmen García Rosado ( born October 29 , 1926 ) is an educator , author and activist for the rights of women veterans who was among the first 200 Puerto Rican women to be recruited into the WAC ' s during World War II . Her book " LAS WACS - Participacion de la Mujer Boricua en la Segunda Guerra Mundial " ( The WACs - The participation of the Puerto Rican women in the Second World War ) , is the first book to document the experiences of the first 200 Puerto Rican women who participated in said conflict as members of the armed forces of the United States . Early years . García Rosado was the seventh of nine siblings born in Humacao , Puerto Rico to Jesus García Doble and Maria Rosado Arce de García . Her father was the foremen of a sugar plantation who would often be assigned to work in Cuba and the Dominican Republic , thus inspiring the desire within García Rosado to travel and see the world beyond Puerto Rico . She received her primary and secondary education in the towns of Las Piedras and Caguas . She continued her education in Santurce and graduated from Santurce Central High School . In 1944 , at the age of 18 , she earned her teachers diploma from the University of Puerto Rico and worked in her profession in the mountainous areas between the towns of Las Piedras and Humacao . On September 17 , 1944 , " El Mundo " , a local newspaper , announced that the United States were seeking women volunteers for the Women ' s Army Auxiliary Corps ( WAC ' s ) . World War II . By this time the United States had entered World War II and therefore needed to boost its military capabilities ; as a result , the Army ordered Puerto Rico ' s 65th Infantry Regiment to full war strength and drafted many Puerto Ricans — even those whose knowledge of English was minimal . As a result the Army recognized the need for bilingual personnel to fill in the clerical positions left empty by the male soldiers who were sent to the front lines . In 1944 , the Army sent three WAC ( Women ' s Army Corps ) recruiters to the island to organize a unit of 200 WACs . Over 1 , 500 women responded to the call and applied , however only 200 were selected , among them , against her parents wishes , was García Rosado . After being sworn in during the ceremonies held in San Juan , García Rosado and the other 199 women were sent to Fort Oglethorpe , Georgia for their basic training . The women were tested for their abilities and were given further training . Their duties varied , some were assigned as dental assistants , others as clerks and so on . García Rosado was assigned to the position of dental assistant . The women were assigned to Company 6 , 2nd Battalion , 21st Regiment of the Women ' s Army Auxiliary Corps , a segregated Hispanic unit , and upon the completion of their training were sent to the Port of Embarkation of New York City . According to García Rosado , one of the hardships which the women were subject to was the social and racial discrimination against the Latino community which at the time was rampant in the United States . Post World War II . The American participation in the Second World War came to an end in Europe on May 8 , 1945 when the western Allies celebrated " V - E Day " ( Victory in Europe Day ) upon Germany ' s surrender , and in the Asian theater on August 14 , 1945 " V - J Day " ( Victory over Japan Day ) when the Japanese surrendered by signing the Japanese Instrument of Surrender . The women of Company 6 , 2nd Battalion , 21st Regiment of the Women ' s Army Auxiliary Corps returned to Puerto Rico on January 6 , 1946 , where Garcia Rosado and the others were Honorably Discharged from the military . After the war , Garcia Rosado , like so many other women in the military , returned to civilian life . From 1946 to 1948 , García Rosado continued in her profession as a teacher , during which time she earned her Bachelors of Arts degree from the Interamerican University , then known as the Polytechnic Institute at San German , Puerto Rico . She traveled through various states of the United States to work on her tesis " Career Education " and worked on her post graduate Doctorate in supervision and administration in education . Later years . García Rosado retired in 1979 , but continued to work at Ana G . Mendez ' s Puerto Rico Institute Jr . College and later as the Resident Director of the " Señoritas de la Universidad del Sagrado Corazon " ( University of the Sacred Heart ) . In 1989 , she was named consultant to the Director of Veterans Affairs in Puerto Rico . In her position she became an activist and worked for the rights of the Puerto Rican women veterans . Among the things that she sought and her accomplishments , while in her position , were the following : 1 . That the rights earned and back up by law number 13 , 1980 , also known as the Letter of rights of the Puerto Rican Veteran , be respected . 2 . That a register of all the Puerto Rican women veterans be made and that an Association of United Puerto Rican Female Veterans be organized . 3 . That the veterans receive a funeral with full military honors and that they be permitted to be interned in whichever cemetery their families choose . 4 . That a monument dedicated to the Puerto Rican women veterans be erected . 5 . García Rosado was named president of the Association of United Puerto Rican Female Veterans . Written works . In 2006 , García Rosado published her book titled " LAS WACS - Participacion de la Mujer Boricua en la Segunda Guerra Mundial " ( The WACs - The participation of the Puerto Rican women in the Second World War ) , the first book to document the experiences of the first 200 Puerto Rican women who participated in said conflict as members of the armed forces of the United States . Awards and decorations . Among García Rosado ' s awards and decorations are :