Peggy Terry tells of an award her group was given. “We were awarded the navy E for excellence. We were just so proud of the E. It was like we were a big family, and we hugged and kissed each other. They had the navy band out there celebrating us. We were so proud of ourselves (110).”During this time women were not only moving into industry, they were given the responsibility of encouraging, caring for, and entertaining the men at war. This was not as easy as it would seem. Betty Basye Hutchinson was involved in two of these jobs (129). Not only was she a nurse caring for the critically injured she was also a pinup girl. Soldiers would be sent her picture and dream of having someone to come home to; it kept them motivated. One soldier, along with many others, sent her a letter, it said, “As soon as the war is over, we’ll get together and we’ll have a wonderful time. Would you please wait? You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, but you look wholesome (130).” Hutchinson spoke of her duty of caring for the officers as being very tough at first (131). Her reaction after going around the ward on her first day was this, “As soon as we got back to the nurse’s station behind glass, I went to the bathroom and threw up (131).” All of the men were incredibly delighted to meet her and spend time talking to her (131). These women knew they were contributing to the war effort. They recognized that they had a purpose. A purpose to care for their men of war.The Andrews Sisters were performing during the war and contributed to the happiness of not only the soldiers but also the citizens of the United States. Maxine Andrews talks about the attendance of the shows. “ I remember the day war was declared. It looked like we were going to break the house record in the theater. It didn’t matter how cold it was or how high the snow, people were lined up for ...
