November 2007 29
US Coast Guard SPARs in November and
the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve (WR)
in February 1943. The War Department
ruled that marriage did not disqualify a
woman from enlisting in the WAC, nor by
itself make her eligible for a transfer or dis-
charge. Obtaining a unit commander’s per-
mission to marry was not required by the
Army regulations, but Theater and unit com-
manders could create their own rules. For
example, in the European Theater, marriage
was permitted, but one spouse was then
immediately transferred to a distant station
in the command or out of the theater alto-
gether.
In the Navy Department there were multiple
policies for the multiple services during the
war. Initially, WAVES could not marry any
US military man or during their initial train-
ing/schooling periods. This was modified
within a year to allow military marriages to
other than US Navy personnel, changed in
1943 to allow naval marriages after com-
pleting initial training schooling, and finally
changed again to allowing marriage, with
Figure 9 shows mail from WAVES to (top) a man who could have
been a boyfriend, and (bottom) discussing shopping for bridesmaid’s
permission, at any time. The Coast Guard
clothes. The Navy had nothing against marriage, as long as you
and the Marine Corps made simpler rules—
weren’t in the Navy Nurse Corps
marriage was okay, just not to a member of
the same service. Additionally SPARs could not marry
for delivery. It was the military’s tool to help both
during initial training/schooling periods, but the Ma-
speed mail and save weight and space in trans-oce-
rines changed later in the war to allow the wives of
anic shipping needed for critical war materials and
enlisted Marines to volunteer for the WR.
troops. For example, a single mail sack of V-mail could
replace the 37 mail bags that were required to carry
The top cover in Figure 9 was mailed in early 1944
150,000 one-page letters. In addition, the one V-mail
from a WAVES ensign to a man who could have been
sack could be easily flown, thus speeding up the mail
a boyfriend, not that there was anything wrong with
delivery. Figure 10 presents an enlarged V-mail letter
that from the Navy’s viewpoint (after all, she wasn’t
a nurse).
that was used as a wedding announcement. Two
The postcard at the bottom of this illustra-
Sargents stationed in southern Italy (Mediterranean
tion was sent by an enlisted rating WAVES in Febru-
Theater), were married in December 1944 at the
ary 1945. In the message, she writes, “Went shopping
bride’s duty station, APO 512 Caserta. The V-mail
for bridesmaid’s clothes today. Two WAVES are get-
provides the details of who sang, what the bride wore,
ting married.” This was okay too, and it could have
and brief information about the reception and honey-
even been to another sailor; after all they weren’t
nurses. (Parenthetically
moon plans. As the father of the bride could not be
, I can only speculate that the
there, the local general was asked to the honors. Who
Navy leadership was afraid that intelligent women in
was this gallant officer? Censor #69674 had the mes-
official leadership roles might have been better offic-
ers than many others.)
sage edited, obliterating the general’s name and re-
placing it with “the general for whom I work”.
As discussed in other histories and articles, V-mail
By the spring of 1945, it started to become clear that
was the microfilming of full-sized letters that were
the war in Europe was coming to a close. With the
then enlarged to about one-quarter of the original size
expected invasion of Japan in the fall–winter of 1945,
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