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20TH CENTURY WARS

PARTIAL TIMELINE

  • 1938: The (U.S.) Naval Reserve Act permitted the enlistment of qualified women as nurses.

  • 1942: The Women's Reserve of the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve program (officially nicknamed the "SPARs"), was first established in 1942.

  • 1942: YN3 Dorothy Tuttle became the first SPAR enlistee when she enlisted in the Coast Guard Women's Reserve on the 7th of December, 1942.

  • 1942: The Marine Corps Women's Reserve (MCWR) was authorized by the U.S Congress in July 1942 to relieve male Marines for combat duty in World War II.

  • 1942: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Public Law 689 creating the Navy’s women reserve program on 30 July 1942.

  • 1942: The U.S. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was founded.

  • 1942: The name of the U.S. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was officially changed to Women's Army Corps (WAC).

  • 1943: The U.S. Women's Army Corps recruited a unit of Chinese-American women to serve with the Army Air Forces as "Air WACs."

  • 1944: Public Law 238 granted full military rank to members of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps, who were then all women.

 

Source: Wikipedia

MEXICAN EXPOSITION

In 1916, Pancho Villa, a Mexican bandit, made a raid into New Mexico. General John J. Pershing, of the United States Army, led a force to capture him. Troops from the U.S. tried to find him but failed.

 

Company B, 3rd Infantry of the National Guard from Cooper County went to help in the capture of Villa. This included 67 men under the leadership of Capt. R A. Johnston. They were called to Federal service June 18, 1916. Because of the outbreak of World War I, they had to return. Pancho Villa was never captured.

THE KOREAN WAR

(1950) The Korean War was the first war in history when troops of a world organization, the United Nations, acted as “police” to fight a nation who was attacking another nation. The war began on June 25, 1950, when troops of Communist-ruled North Korea attacked South Korea in an attempt to unify the country by force. The United Nation Charter had outlawed all aggression so the United Nations asked member countries to aid South Korea. Sixteen countries, who were members of the U.N., sent troops and aid to South Korea.

 

Russia aided the North Koreans by supplying guns, ammunition, planes, and equipment. Communist Chinese forces also entered the war on the side of North Korea.

 

The war ended on July 27, 1953, when both sides agreed to settle the problems of Korea at an international conference.

 

Several Cooper County men served in the Korean War.

 

KOREAN WAR WEBPAGES

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VIETNAM CONFLICT

North Vietnam wanted to conquer South Vietnam. Again, Cooper County men served their country.

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VIETNAM WAR WEBPAGES

PRESERVING THEIR STORIES: INTERVIEWS WITH WWII, KOREAN, VIETNAM AND IRAQ WAR VETERANS

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GULF WAR

Iraq took over Kuwait. Kuwait was a major oil supplier to the United States. The war was mainly fought to protect the Persian oil fields. Troops from Cooper County served in the Gulf.     

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GULF WAR WEBPAGES

PRESERVING THEIR STORIES: INTERVIEWS WITH WWII, KOREAN, VIETNAM AND IRAQ WAR VETERANS

Central Missouri Honor Flights

 

The Central Missouri Honor Flight is a non-profit 501c (3) organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. The group transports our heroes from throughout Central Missouri to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at their memorials at no cost to them. Since their inception in 2009, they have transported thousands of veterans to Washington on 61 flights. Top priority is given to senior veterans – WWII survivors, along with other veterans of Korea and Vietnam who may be terminally ill. They are a totally volunteer organization and are funded by donations from individuals, organizations and businesses who wish to see our aging veterans honored before it is too late.

 

Of all the wars in recent memory, it was WWII that truly threatened our very existence as a nation and free society. Now, with more than 640 WWII veterans dying each day, time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out. 

 

The picture is of Kathy Wilkerson, a registered nurse from Pilot Grove, who has volunteered for 19 Honor Flights. She is serving here as a Guardian for Kathy Griggs who served as a Marine in the Viet Nam War.

 

The last Honor Flight out of Columbia was in November of 2019. They did no Honor Flights in 2020 due to COVID, and flights are currently suspended for 2021. 

honor flight.jpg

WOMEN IN THE MILITARY

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Over the years, women have served their country in various ways in the military. Many were nurses, some were doctors, and some were spies, but until the beginning of the Second World War women were rarely active in the military and were not considered to be enlisted, so they were not eligible for any military benefits. But, during the early days of World War II, with many men being called into the Armed Services, women who had never worked before went to work taking men’s places in factories and business, and some into the actual armed services in minor roles.

 

Wikipedia has excellent information on how each military branch accepted women and the various jobs that they did. Especially interesting is information on women pilots who flew the new planes to the airports where they would be then flown into battle by Navy and Airforce pilots. The women had excellent  safety records. Unfortunately, women pilots and other women in the Armed Services did not receive the same benefits of the enlisted men, but this has now been changed.

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“Hello Girls”

8 female soldiers who changed the course of US ... - Army Times

 

 

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Partial timeline from Wikipedia

  • 1938: The (U.S.) Naval Reserve Act permitted the enlistment of qualified women as nurses.

  • 1942: The Women's Reserve of the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve program (officially nicknamed the "SPARs"), was first established in 1942.

  • 1942: YN3 Dorothy Tuttle became the first SPAR enlistee when she enlisted in the Coast Guard Women's Reserve on the 7th of December, 1942.

  • 1942: The Marine Corps Women's Reserve (MCWR) was authorized by the U.S Congress in July 1942 to relieve male Marines for combat duty in World War II.

  • 1942: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Public Law 689 creating the Navy’s women reserve program on 30 July 1942.

  • 1942: The U.S. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was founded.

  • 1942: The name of the U.S. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was officially changed to Women's Army Corps (WAC).

  • 1943: The U.S. Women's Army Corps recruited a unit of Chinese-American women to serve with the Army Air Forces as "Air WACs."

  • 1944: Public Law 238 granted full military rank to members of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps, who were then all women.

 

 

Information for each Branch of the Military that women have been, and are now members of:

WAC - Woman’s Army Core

WAVES - Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service

WASP - Women’s Air Force Service Pilots

SPARS - United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve                                                                        

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MILITARY MUSEUMS

If you have an ancestor who was in a military unit, there are over 250 military museums in the US that you can access online, or in person, to learn more about the unit and possibly even your ancestor(s). There are probably more military museums in the US than you can visit in a lifetime. Just google the branch of service and the state, and you will find tons of information. Below are the military museums in Missouri. Also check all of the military resources under the genealogy section at the beginning of the research section on this website.

 

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MISSOURI MILITARY MUSEUMS

 

Battleship Missouri in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: The USS Missouri Memorial Association is dedicated to preserving the Battleship Missouri and sharing her story and place in history. The Battleship Missouri Memorial is an American icon that stands in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Battleship welcomes visitors from around the world and is conveniently located less than three miles from the Honolulu International Airport and just eleven miles from Waikiki.

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