With the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, America needed every able-bodied man to answer her call in the fight to maintain freedom. This meant that many of the positions, such as secretary, mechanics, air controllers, etc... were left vacant. Now more than ever, the WAACs were needed.

 

In 1941, Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts introduced a bill that would allow women to serve in the Army Auxiliary Corps. She foresaw the need for women in the Armed Forces, and by the introduction of her bill, she hoped to allow women the opportunity to fight alongside men in non-combat positions. Unfortunately, the bill was held up for months and wasn't passed until May 15, 1942, after the United States entered the Second World War. 

 

With the newly created Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), women from every walk of life quickly volunteered. Never before had women, with the exception of nurses, served within the ranks of the United States Army, until the WAACs. 

 

As the WAACs proved more and more of a necessity to the war effort, in June of 1943, it was decided to drop the auxiliary, making it a fully active branch of the United States Army. This allowed the members to receive the same pay and benefits as male soldiers. 

 

Between 1942 and 1945, the War Department saw more than 150,000 women enlist in the WACs, making them essential to the military, freeing men to fight. Today, the Women's Army Corps is the reason why women are allowed to serve in positions once withheld from them such as; military and law enforcement.