An Officer and a Lady: The World War II Letters of Lt. Col. Betty Bandel, Women's Army Corp

Rating:
Summary: A Special Woman and an Historic Time
Review: If you are interested in women's place in the world and in the US Armed forces, this is a book which describes the life of one woman who became the second ranking WAC officer in World War II. In the letters she wrote home to her mother, Betty Bandel describes her experiences in the first group of WACs to go through training at Des Moines, Iowa in 1942. From being a newspaper woman in Tucson,Arizona, she moves in the course of three years to being a Lieutenant Colonel in the wartime world of Washington, DC. She describes the serious business at hand, including a trip to wartime England in the company of Eleanor Roosevelt. She writes with humor about the difficulties of women training in a man's army and the dedication it took to make it, and the many friends she made along the way. These letters also gives a rather more personal view of the Greatest Generation, as seen by one observant and very active WAC. Besides it is fun to read. You can skim the introduction if that is not your thing.

Rating:
Summary: Intersting look at the history of women in the military
Review: Following her graduation from the University of Arizona in 1933, Betty Bandel went to work for the Arizona Daily Star. After joining the Women's Army Auxiliary Corp (WAAC, later changed to the Women's Army Corp, or WAC), Bandel was chosen to be one of the few women to train at the Officer Candidate School in Des Moines, Iowa. Rising quickly through the ranks, Bandel attained the rank of Captain in 1942 and Major in 1943. In addition, she was put in charge of the WAC division of the Army Air Forces in 1943. In 1944 she attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious service at the end of the war. Lt. Col. Betty Bandel became one of the WAC's most influential senior officers and was instrumental in policy-making and planning. This edited collection of her letters not only captures the difficulties women faced training in a man's army, but also the progress women were making in the professional world. The letters are chronologically organized, starting with Bandel's training at the Officer Candidate School in Des Moines and ending with the demobilization of WAC troops at the end of the war. Bandel and her contemporaries were not consciously devoted to establishing equality for women in the armed services, but their work nonetheless provided the foundation for women's participation in the military following World War II, and up until today. The current war in Iraq has brought women's participation in the military to the forefront of the American public. The capture and eventual rescue of Jessica Lynch and Shoshana Jackson have revived interest in questions surrounding women's involvement in combat at the front lines, women's historic and current role in the military, and whether or not women will be included in a possible reinstatement of the draft. The women working in the military today owe much to the work of Bandel. If you are interested in the history of women's roles in the armed services, then An Officer and a Lady will provide fun and informative reading.