The WACs Of Puerto Rico

The WACs Of Puerto Rico

Written on 08/09/2023
CuriPow


In 1944, the Army sent three WAC (Women Army Corps) recruiters to the island of Puerto Rico to organize a unit of 200 WACs. The young women of the island responded enthusiastically, and over 1,500 applications were submitted.

The women selected were trained at Ft. Oglethorpe, GA, and assigned, as a single unit, to the New York City Port of Embarkation. They worked in the military offices that planned the shipment of troops around the world. When the war ended, the women helped millions of soldiers to return home before they themselves returned to Puerto Rico in 1946.

This was just of the many contributions Puerto Rico has made to the United States after The Jones-Shafroth Act made the inhabitants of the island American citizens. 


"Puerto Rican women who served had their options restricted to nursing or administrative positions."


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