Sue Sarafian Jehl Sue Jehl ( née Sue Sarafian ) ( February 14 , 1917 - April 13 , 1997 ) was one of the best known Women ' s Auxiliary Army Corps ( WAAC ) personnel to serve the United States during World War II . She was one of the three personal secretaries to General Dwight David Eisenhower , serving him from January 1943 to April 1947 . She was one of the first women from the Detroit area to enlist in the WAAC ( established on May 14 , 1942 ) . Sarafian Jehl enlisted for the corps in July 1942 . The WAAC provided secretaries , switchboard operators and cooks for the army . Life . Of Armenian descent , Sue Sarafian was born in Malden , Massachusetts , February 14 , 1917 . Her parents Shmavon Sarafian , a grocer , and Makroohi Sharistanian , a housewife , were born in Keghi , Kharpert ( today Harput ) in the Ottoman Empire . She was the eldest of five daughters : Sue , Louise , Beatrice , Marioan , and Patricia . She attended public schools in Detroit , Michigan , graduated from Highland Park High School in 1934 and with distinction from The Business Institute . She was a charter member of the Armenian Youth Federation , Detroit Chapter . Sarafian began first began working with the federal government . She held secretarial posts in the Internal Revenue Service and the Census Bureau for one year . She was then employed as a private secretary and head cashier by the American National Insurance Company of Galveston , Texas , for six years . Active service . Sarafian decided she should join the war effort because she was the oldest of five girls and that there were no boys in the family . She participated in training with the Women ' s Auxiliary Army Corps ( WAAC ) on September 1 , 1942 , with Company 2 , 3rd Regiment at Fort Des Moines and remained there for the duration of basic training . During her time at Fort Des Moines she was assigned to duties at a military conference in Peoria , Illinois . On November 2 , 1942 , Sarafian went from Fort Des Moines to Daytona Beach , Florida , where she and 400 other cadets took part in the opening of the second WAAC Training Center . On December 30 , 1942 Jehl was sent to Camp Kilmer , New Jersey and on January 14 , 1943 , boarded a ship that arrived in North Africa . Jehl arrived in North Africa near the village of El Briar which was General Eisenhower ' s European Theater of Operations . Upon arrival , her first couple of months was marked by a life - threatening incident while she was in a truck with other WAACs : Sarafian was assigned to Inspector General Hill ' s office where she performed secretarial duties . She was then summoned for an interview to become General Eisenhower ' s secretary . After much reluctance , Sarafian agreed to an interview and succeeded in obtaining the position . During this period , word was received that the WAACs would now become the Women ' s Army Corps ( WAC ) and become a component of the army . She recalled that Eisenhower believed that women would make efficient officers and that the WAC had : After the Italians were defeated in late 1943 , Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Allied Commander of Europe and went to London to plan the invasion of Europe . In January 1944 , Sarafian was sent to London and accompanied Eisenhower later to France and Germany as the war progressed . Having spent much time with Eisenhower , Sarafian described his personality as follows : During her career as a secretary , she met many important figures such as George S . Patton , Omar Bradley and George Marshall . Sarafian also recalled how " distressed " Eisenhower was before the invasion of Normandy in 1944 . She later accompanied Eisenhower throughout the invasion of Europe , and the transfer of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force ( SHAEF ) to France and then Germany until the conclusion of the war in Europe in June 1945 . After returning from World War II , Eisenhower became chief of staff and Sarafian was the only WAC left with him . During this period , Sarafian would take up the responsibility of writing Eisenhower ' s memoirs , " Crusade in Europe " . She received dictations of what to write from Eisenhower who had a habit of dictating passages aloud . In June 18 , 1946 , Sarafian was appointed 2nd Lieutenant . In early August 1946 , Eisenhower visited Brazil , Panama and Mexico . Sarafian was scheduled to be a member of the expedition , but was forced to remain behind in Washington as she became ill . However , she was honored in absentia and later on August 21 in Washington , Colonel James Stack , Eisenhower ' s aide , awarded her the Brazilian Medal of War on behalf of the government of Brazil . In 1947 , while still working as a secretary for Eisenhower , she married Roland Roy Jehl who was formerly a pilot for Lieutenant General Walter Bedell Smith . On April 24 , 1947 , her career in the army ended . Later life . Sue Sarafian Jehl had three children , Roland R . Jr . , Laurance A . and Patricia Joy Lamb ; and four grandchildren , Michael Lamb , Jeffrey Lamb , Evan Jehl and Bailey Jehl . In 1994 , during 50th anniversary celebrations of the Normandy invasion , she recounted Eisenhower ' s decision - making process on ABC ' s Good Morning America . Sue Sarafian Jehl died from cancer on April 13 , 1997 in her home in Maitland , Florida . She was cremated and her ashes are interred at the Arlington National Cemetery . Military decorations . Jehl ' s military decorations include : In 1946 , the Government of Brazil awarded Jehl the Brazilian Medal of War ( " Medalha de Guerra " ) for her service and support to the war effort . Established 22 August 1942 , the service ribbon for the medal is a 1 3 / 8 inch yellow ribbon with 1 / 16 inch green stripes at both ends .