Bertha Marie (Strittmatter) Clark

Corporal Bertha Strittmatter was among the enlistees in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC), later known as the Women's Army Corps (WAC). When WAC Was a Dirty Word is a personal account of her experiences as a WAC stationed at Stout Field, Indianapolis, Indiana, from the beginning of World War II to the German surrender. Included are anecdotes showing unfavorable attitudes towards WACs, and how these attitudes changed with the recognition of the WAC contribution to the war effort. Specifically, the account illustrates the problems WACs encountered in their social lives, their marriage and family relationships, and their work, especially when doing work formerly done only by men. Corporal Strittmatter's activities as a columnist, first for WACTIVITIES and later for the Fielder are also described. There are secondhand accounts of the experiences of soldiers in the Normandy invasion and in the Pacific.

From the guide to the Volume, When WAC Was a Dirty Word, n.d., (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)