WAVES, “Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service,” were officers in the US Navy during World War II and some were accepted into the US Navy Japanese Language School. Of those who were recruited to the school in 1943, some had been born and/or raised in Asia, like Emma McCloy, who had gone to school at the Shanghai American School in the 1930s. Others, like Nancy Pearce, were working in federal government offices, when they saw a chance to contribute to the war effort. Still others, like Marie Edwards, left their careers to join the Navy and help. Some shifted from work in the Manhattan Project to work as Japanese Language Officers. Sixty-nine out of the eighty-nine who entered graduated to become Navy Ensigns. The Navy, once they had these qualified women, did not exactly know what to do with them. They did not send them to Hawaii, to POW Camps, but concentrated them in various offices in the offices of Naval Intelligence and Naval Communications within the Office of Naval Operations. After war they left the Navy and were able, as civilians to work in Occupied Japan in intelligence and other administrative duties where their Japanese skills could be put to work.
Collection of WAVE officers held at CU include:
- The Emma McCloy Layman collection contains the papers of Emma McCloy Layman, who as a WAVE graduated from the US Navy Japanese Language School, which was located at the University of Colorado in Boulder from 1942-1946. The collection contains materials related to her WWII service.
- The Marie A. Edwards collection contains the papers of Marie Alice Edwards, WAVE, who graduated from the US Navy Japanese Language School, which was located at the University of Colorado in Boulder from 1942-1946. The collection consists of records, interviews, memorabilia and photographs of her USN JLS training, wartime service and post-war career.
- The Nancy Pearce Helmbold collection contains the papers of Nancy Pearce Helmbold, who as a WAVE graduated from the US Navy Japanese Language School, which was located at the University of Colorado in Boulder from 1942-1946. The collection contains materials related to his WWII and Occupation service.
The University of Colorado Boulder Libraries will celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Archives on June 6, 2018. This is story #89 in our series: 100 Stories for 100 Years from the Archives!