
Women's Army Corps
3rd Women's Army Corps Training Center
President FDR salutes WACs at
Fort Oglethorpe, April 17, 1943
Fort Oglethorpe became the largest and most-well known of all the Women's Army Corps Training Centers in the US. About 50,000 women were trained here over its 21-month operation. Generally, there were about 8,000 women at the post at any given time. Basic training was six weeks long and then followed by various schools of advanced training in specific jobs. Below is a map of the Fort Oglethorpe area during the WAC-era of WW2. The WACs training center was mainly the "South Post" but other areas around the post in the east and north were utilized.

Recruitment Films
This WAC recruitment video from 1944 titled "It's Your War, Too," shows footage from Fort Oglethorpe and some of the other training centers such as Des Moines, IA. (Courtesy National Archives.)
Personal Photos
Below are a few lesser-known Fort Oglethorpe WAC-era pictures from Mary Kulik's photo album, pages 13 & 15. These are WACs drilling on the Fort Oglethorpe parade grounds. The first two pictures are looking northwest, and visible on the right are two troop barracks buildings that no longer exist (same two used to house the first batch of WW1 German sailor prisoners), while on the left side are some of the existing officers' homes. Mary's photo album has lots of pictures showing daily life at the post.



This photo is looking west and visible are existing officers' homes
"Keep Your Power Dry" - 1944 Film
This WW2-era film was shot at Fort Oglethorpe and includes scenes from the Chickamauga Battlefield, the South Post, the Motor Transport School, and the parade grounds on the original post. The story is really good. It is about three women who, each for their own reasons, decide to join the war effort. They meet at Fort Oglethorpe for basic training. The women undergo not only physical changes, but changes within themselves and their relationships. Grab some popcorn and see how many of the landmarks in the film you can still identify today in the historic district. Full length viewing options can be found on IMDB.com.
Essential Dates
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May 15, 1942 – Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) created.
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July 20, 1942 – First WAAC trainees arrive at Fort Des Moines, IA (1st WAAC Training Center).
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December 1, 1942 - 2nd WAAC Training Center opens in Daytona Beach, FL.
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It is hard to say when the actual "first day" of the Fort Oglethorpe WAAC training center was. What exactly is the milestone that defines this? Arrival of the Commandant? Arrival of the training staff officers? Arrival of the first trainees? Here are few of the early milestone of the Third WAC Training Center:
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December 1942 - Col. Hobart B. Brown returns to Fort Oglethorpe (FTO) from the Provost Marshal General School at Camp Custer, MI. He stated that he had spent some time observing the Second WAAC Training Center at Daytona Beach, FL, which he most likely did on his return journey to FTO. Brown attended a farewell steak dinner in his honor at Custer on December 20, and on January 2nd, he is photographed conferring with WAAC officers at the South Post.
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January 1, 1943 - Fifteen WAAC Officers arrive at the South Post. Their job was to get things ready for the arrival of trainees. They were transferred from the Second WAAC Training Center at Daytona Beach, FL. The January 2 article stated additional WAAC officers were to arrive that day and that 150 men also would be arriving "to assist in the training work."
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January 25, 1943 - First WAAC trainees arrive at South Post. The newspaper cited Miss Beverly Behr of Marion, Indiana, as the first trainee to arrive and in process. A photo caption on March 4 shows Miss Behr graduating the 4-week basic training course.
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February 1, 1943 – It had been cited in previous newspaper articles that this date would be the "activation" date of the Fort Oglethorpe (FTO) 3rd WAAC Training Center activated at South Post. We will use this date as the official opening date of the Third WAAC Training Center at FTO.
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The South Post can still be seen today as concrete ruins in the northeastern quadrant of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. This is immediately south of the original Fort Oglethorpe post, separated by McFarland Avenue (formerly Post Road, also referred to as Reed's Bridge Road). The South Post was not built for the WAACs, it was already built for the previous military police school prior to the WAAC period.
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Last Week of February, 1943 - Third WAAC Training Center expands to the North Post and adds a second training regiment. The WAAC 21st Training Regiment was stationed at the South Post, the 22nd Training Regiment was stationed at the North Post. The North Post was all the infrastructure north of Reeds Bridge Road and east of the Lafayette Road. This area contained the buildings of the Booker T. Washington CCC Camp, which had housed the first black CCC company formed in GA, Co. 1464. The 4th Corps, District C Headquarters of the CCC at FTO also had facilities in the North Post. The term North Post did not come into use until the South Post had been built. The North Post also contained the WW2 prisoner of war (POW) camp that housed German soldiers capture in North Africa. This was located on the south side of Forest Road, just east of the creek that passes under that road.
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July 1, 1943 – WAAC became Women's Army Corps (WAC). This represents an important change of the women's status in the Army. This gave the women access to many of the same benefits as male soldiers such death benefits for their families, overseas pay, and formal adoption of the same rank and insignia.
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Sept 1945 – Closing of 3rd WAC Training Center (FTO)
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Dec 1945 – Closing of 1st WAC Training Center (Des Moines)
Resources:
The following resources come from the U.S. Army Women's Museum research page:
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The Women’s Army Corps by Mattie Treadwell: http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/011/11-8/CMH_Pub_11-8.pdf
The Women’s Army Corps, 1945-1978 by Bettie Morden: http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/030/30-14-1/cmhPub_30-14.pdf
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Handwritten letters by WACs describing their time at Fort Oglethorpe: Search results | Gateway Digital History Collections. Gateway collection hosted by University of North Carolina Greensboro University Libraries.
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Looking for a relative who was a veteran of World War 2? The National World War II Museum in New Orleans offers this tool to help you research your relative's story:
Research A Veteran | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans
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