Mari K. Eder's Blog, page 7

The 6888th Postal Battalion: A Prelude to E.O. 9981 (Armed Forces Integration)

Seventy-four years ago, President Truman recognized the need to reform the military’s diversity and inclusion policies. On July 26, 1948, he signed E.O. 9981 to integrate the Armed Forces, and a month earlier on June 12, 1948, Congress also enacted the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act (Pub. L. 80–625) granting women the right to serve in all military components.

According to the National Archives the Army was the nation’s largest minority employer during WWII. In 1940 African Americans made up almost 10 percent of the U.S. population (12.6 million of a total population of 131 million). Of the 2.5 million African American males draft registrants through December 31, 1945, more than one million were inducted into the Armed Forces.

Happy Anniversary—from the 80th to the 75th!

May 14th was the 80th anniversary of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). The Women’s Army Corps began as an auxiliary unit for the United States Army on May 15th, 1942. It converted to active-duty status on July 15th, 1943. Over 150,000 women served as WACs in World War II, the first women to serve in uniform apart from nurses and the small contingent of telephone operators who served in WWI.

A New Version

The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line launched out of the publisher’s hands and into the faraway lands of multiple independent bookstores, Amazon listings, and thousands of libraries on August 3, 2021. The book arrived to a mix of good reviews and some great ones, plus the usual cranks and critics. Like flies at a picnic, the launch wouldn’t have been complete without them.

I was most proud of how the families of the women portrayed in this book received the stories of their loved ones for what they were meant to be – a tribute to their loved one’s life – their service, sacrifices and ultimately as a gift – to give them recognition long overdue. I was most blessed to be able to speak with two of the living veterans featured in the book. They loved the other stories but wondered how in the world they could have been featured beside such amazing women. That is the Greatest Generation – ever humble and quietly grateful for the chances they had to make a difference.

Center for Women Veterans Book Corner, May: Army Veteran Mari K. Eder

Each month, VA’s Center for Women Veterans profiles a different woman Veteran author as part of its Women Veteran Authors Book Corner.

Before retiring, Mari K. Eder published a strategic communications primer, “Leading the Narrative.” Her latest book is called, “American Cyberscape, detailing the unraveling of trust and truth in American institutions.” The latter explores systemic and individual issues, including privacy, disinformation campaigns and media excesses, plus their effects on values and relationships. Both scholarly and practical, her other book is a groundbreaking treatise on society’s challenges – and an inspirational read for women who served: “The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line.”

A Historic Vote

On Monday, February 28, the House of Representatives voted 422-0 to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the all African-American, all-woman Six Triple Eight Central Postal Battalion – the only all-female, Black unit to serve overseas in World War II.

I was thrilled to be in Congresswoman Gwen Moore’s office that evening as the vote took place on the floor of the House. Congresswoman Moore, from Wisconsin’s 4th District, was contacted by Six Triple Eight veteran Ms. Anna Mae Robertson and was inspired to join the campaign. Her office was packed that evening, with friends, relatives and advocates for the women and their accomplishments.

More Stories to Tell

I’m often asked if there are stories about women in WWII that I wasn’t able to include in my book, The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line. Of course, there are many more women I would have liked to include. Some I couldn’t find enough material on to flesh out a complete story. Others I didn’t know about then. But wish I had.

I first learned about Charlotte Mansfield from speaking with staffers at Florida State University’s Institute on World War II and the Human Experience. It was too late for me to get her story into my manuscript. The story was already in final edits and getting ready for printing. But hers is a story that should not be forgotten.

Valentines

Betty Bemis was introduced to Ed Robarts by a friend. He was stationed in England, a pilot with the Mighty Eighth Air Force and she was serving with the top-secret Project Ultra, stationed at Sugar Camp in Ohio, where she and over 300 other Navy Waves built the code-breaking Bombe machine.

One of her roommates in the cabin where eight of the women were billeted, Helen was dating Ed’s buddy and co-pilot. Helen said he didn’t get many letters, so Betty and a few others began to write to him. After a time, the other women dropped off, but Betty kept writing, for a full year. And Ed always answered.

The Power of Prayer

So many of the women I’ve written about in The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line, faced a crisis of faith in their young lives. Some found themselves struggling for a chance to prove themselves, yearning for acceptance, hoping to find a sense of belonging. Others struggled simply to survive pain, torture, and fear of the unknown.

Many found solace in prayer and had their own specific prayers that helped them through the darkest of times. Others knew the power of faith in their own lives and through the experiences of their wartime service.

After the Info-Apocalypse (AA) (Part 1) – Tech the Untamed

The Information Apocalypse series examined the decline of trust and truth in American Institutions over the past several years, from the effects on news and information but more critically, on ideas and values. The series explored the role of leaders in a polemicized society, and the necessity for reliance on logic, common sense and rejecting the rush to judgment that has become society’s norm. In the emerging post-Info-Apocalypse era, the main conflict seems to be one of control as increasing public awareness of the powerful role of technology in our lives and its effects as both an unwitting accelerant in spreading misinformation and as a nascent arbiter of communication norms and values.

After the Info-Apocalypse examines the issues with society’s biggest elephant in the room – ‘Big Tech’ (Alphabet, Google, Facebook (now Meta) and Apple) companies and their exercise of control over consumer data and privacy, their ability to manipulate information platforms and their massive power in the global marketplace. This series will explore society’s burgeoning response to Big Tech – whether through government regulation, court challenges from companies demanding a level playing field, or regulatory attempts to hold the behemoths accountable, whether in terms of response to digital crime, or in curbing their influence on national security, society, and politics and culture.   

A Gift – from The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line

Last week I checked in with my former boss, just to see how he and his wife were doing. It’s unavoidable; we soon were talking politics and the state of the nation. “I don’t know where my America has gone,” he said sadly. “I just don’t understand how we got here. Everything is so divisive.”

But his America, our America, is definitely still here. Yesterday I heard from Kate Nolan’s daughter, Mary Anne Battaglia. Kate is the U.S. Army Nurse featured in my book, The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line. She served in a front-line combat hospital in World War II, and earned five battle stars for her service, taking part in every major operation, from Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge and into Germany itself and Victory in Europe (VE) day.

Mary Anne wanted to tell me an incredible story. She had recently mailed a copy of my book to her sister-in-law, Carolyn Maynes Battaglia, in Virginia. Then it happened.