Although American women have long served as nurses and in other supportive roles during wartime, they were not officially enrolled in the armed forces until World War I. While most of the thirteen thousand women who served in World War I were clerks and secretaries, some were assigned to translation, recruitment, and other tasks that had traditionally been done by men. These women were not given military rank or benefits, and they were prohibited from remaining in the military once the war ended.

With the outbreak of World War II, however, the military once again encouraged the recruitment of women by establishing the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), the Navy Women’s Reserve, and the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. Women in these organizations were given military rank and benefits. More than 350,000 women served in World War II...