ABSTRACT
In 1942 the United States Army established the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) to offer women temporary military employment during World War II. The WAAC was renamed the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in 1943, and through the WAC, American women served tours of duty overseas during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The WAC was dissolved in 1978, and the Army set out to integrate servicewomen fully into its ranks. This chapter focuses on the experiences of WACs in Vietnam, and it explores the ways in which ideas about appropriate gender roles shaped the WAC image. It also examines the disconnect between the image of Army women and the realities of war.
