FIRST ENLISTEES Loretta Perfectus Walsh was the first woman to answer the call At age 18 Walsh enlisted in the navy on March 17 1917 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania On April 6 1917 the United States declared war on Germany Walsh became the first woman to enlist in the US Navy and also the first woman to serve in the armed forces in a non nurse position Walsh was later promoted to chief petty REQUIREMENTS officer a rank responsible for training The requirements to enlist in the navy were not and supervising subordinates during a strict Yeomen had to be between the ages four year enlistment of 18 and 35 in good health and have a neat appearance The navy preferred high school Another woman to enlist early on was graduates but yeomen did not need a college Daisy Pratt Erd from Chicago Illinois degree After arriving at the recruitment station a woman simply filled out the forms and had Erd enlisted in Boston Massachusetts a quick physical exam to make sure she was in April 1917 By May she was promoted in good health Yeomanette Estelle Kemper described her physical Male recruits may not to chief yeoman and put in charge of all mind being herded together in the altogether female employees at the Boston Navy but those poor stripped feminine patriots were a sorry sight as they cringed in that open hallway Yard Erd became responsible for accepting waiting to be scrutinized by a strange doctor in new recruits but not all women who a navy uniform Recruits then took an oath and were sworn into the service for four years tried to join were approved Erd said Most applicants can't spell I give that
DAISY PRATT ERD YEOMAN F AND SONGWRITER Daisy Pratt Erd was not only one of the first women in the navy she was also an accomplished songwriter Erd wrote the music and lyrics to several patriotic songs such as We'll carry the Star Spangled Banner Thru The Trenches Uncle Sam's Ships and Rear Admiral Wood One Step She donated the proceeds to the Naval Reserve Fund and the Navy Relief Society charitable organizations that assisted navy veterans After two years in the navy Erd organized 200 women into the first women's post of the American Legion in Boston She also dedicated her time to instating a 100 Massachusetts state bonus for all women who had served in the navy and forming a union to secure jobs for women after the war ended The girls did a man's job and why shouldn't we be treated like the men are treated in the matter of bonuses We represent as fine a lot of young women as ever lived Erd said 4
examination first If the applicant fails to pass the spelling I don't examine her further Despite this Erd soon supervised more than 200 women These 200 women were the first officially recognized enlisted women in US military history The navy didn't change the title for newly enlisted personnel but some called these new recruits yeomanettes The navy simply added an F for female in parentheses after the title Some of the jobs were boring even though they were important to the navy's operations Yeoman F Nell Weston Halstead asked her boss to give her more exciting work Halstead said One day it got my goat so completely that I boldly sailed into the captain's office he was an old timer in the navy with a basso voice and glowering eyes and I told him we didn't like our jobs and we wanted to go to France Halstead was sternly instructed to return to her duties Aside from the monotonous work most yeomen F became accustomed to navy life and learned to obey orders without question Women were not allowed to go to sea but some were sent overseas to work with nurses in hospitals in France and bases outside the continental United States Most women enlisted in the US Navy worked six days a week for ten hours a day The navy did not provide much training before sending yeomanettes to naval bases and offices all over the country including Guam and Puerto Rico But some
jobs required more skills Yeomanettes who had additional skills were also permitted to fill noncombatant or nonfighting jobs Among those were stenographers electricians pharmacists chemists and PAY RATE During World War women in the US Navy and Marines received the same pay rate as their male counterparts of the same rank Their pay started at 28 75 per month plus 1 25 per day for food and expenses as well as an allowance for uniforms and medical care But women's uniforms cost more than those of the men Women were expected to cover the difference in cost themselves out of their salary telephone operators Many had very little education and took night classes to gain clerical skills necessary for their new jobs They learned naval terms regulations and procedures They weren't expected to carry weapons but practiced marching and simple formations for 30 minutes once a week One yeoman F teacher Lou MacPherson Guthrie worked the graveyard shift midnight to 8 a m in the Navy Yard for the Bureau of War Risk and Insurance Guthrie remembered We liked it even though we had to get off the street car at midnight in the worst section of the city and walk down the wharf Here wharf rats nearly as big as opossums scuttled across our path in the moonlight But it was quite safe There was very little crime recorded in the city then We felt no timidity about walking alone at midnight on poorly lighted
