WAVES

The Virginia Blue Ridge WAVES Chapter 57, founded in 1988 by area Navy veterans of Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service during World War II, is folding its flag and returning its charter. The unit was disbanded in November 2011 as its membership was diminished due to old age. Bryan McKenzie wrote of this unit's activites in The Daily Progress. The Senior Center salutes the membership for the many contributions made over the years. Ellen Diming and the recent officers, President: Ellen MacCall - Secretary: Anne Waldner - Treasurer: Marilyn Kray, will be remembered fondly for their service during the war and after. 

During WW II, the WAVES relieved male officers and seamen in the fields of communication, supply, hospital corps, machinery, mechanics, administration and many others fields, as the abilities of women became apparent. We were not assigned overseas except for Hawaii and Alaska late in the war, nor could we serve aboard ships on the high seas. See a special page of photographs by clicking here.

Many WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) officers were trained at Smith College and Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts. The majority of them were recommended by the deans of their respective colleges. The women are now part of the regular Navy, but WW II and Korean War WAVES still have fond memories of their service during those challenging times.

(For more pictures like the above Click Here)

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A brief story of Hunter

The U.S. Naval Training School at Hunter College (Bronx, NY) was the largest naval boot camp for WAVES during WW II in the country. It was large enough to accommodate up to 6,000 women at a time. In Early January 1943, Captain William Amsden managed to add 17 neighboring apartment buildings to be used as barracks.

WAVE recruits had to be U.S. citizens between the ages of 20 and 36 with a high school diploma. Many were college graduates. We came from all over the country and from all walks of life, inspired by a sense of patriotism and a love for adventure.

Training varied from six to eight weeks in length, including class room instruction, drill, physical education and regimental reviews. We all remember the hours spent marching in either the heat of summer, or the wind and rain of spring and fall, or the cold and snow of winter.

Hunter trained 80,000 enlisted WAVES in the course of its existence, and approximately 1,900 SPARS and 3,300 Marines during 1943. The last class of WAVES trainees graduated in October 1945.

For many WW II  WAVES, the Boot Camp at Hunter was a time of mental and physical testing, of long days and inadequate sleep at night. But it was also an exciting time for us to learn new skills, make new friends and to look to the future with pride and confidence. We will never forget Hunter and the experience of WAVES.

(from "A Brief History of Hunter" by Ellen Diming, VA Blue Ridge WAVES #57)