Day Tripping

Remembering the Women of World War II

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

Perhaps the pandemic has made me overly emotional, although I doubt if anyone visiting the Wright Museum of World War II on Center Street in Wolfeboro would not experience some strong feelings. 

When I recently visited, it was to see the current exhibits titled “WASP: The Untold Story” and “Women and the War Effort: Recruiting Posters of World War II”. Both exhibits are on view until June 10.

I did not get out much during the 2020/2021 pandemic, and like many people, I felt a bit isolated. And so I decided to revisit the Wright Museum, one of my all-time favorite places. With parents who were just married during World War II, they talked often about that time in their lives. I recall hearing the names Truman, FDR, Hitler, and the the words “the bomb”. I never realized, until I felt the fear and confusion brought on by the recent pandemic, how the times we live in can affect us for the rest of our lives. 

Because I had World War II-era parents, I have always felt an affinity for the Wright Museum. It takes me back, in a sense, to the time my parents lived through. And so, a chance to view the exhibit, which focuses on the many contributions made by American women during the war years, was of interest.

Entering the museum on a weekday in mid-May, I was eager to see the exhibit. First, I chatted with a museum employee and a volunteer; both were welcoming and knowledgeable. They told me a bit about what was planned for the upcoming season and then invited me to go through the war vehicle room. (To call the huge space a “room” seems wrong because it is full of actual World War II jeeps and other vehicles…and a plane extended from the ceiling.)

This is where my emotional feelings started, and it came from glancing up at the doorway to the exhibit. “Oh how sparkly!” I thought to myself when seeing an area of silver hanging above. Curious, I looked at it more closely and realized the silver curtain was actually dog tags. I felt sad from the impact those hanging tags had on me. I read information on the wall that told me the 1,203 blank dog tags were a “stark visual reminder honoring the bravery and sacrifice of the servicemen from New Hampshire who never returned from WWII. The dog tags have no names on them and you can’t discern what race they were or whether they were Democrats or Republicans, or Jews or Muslims, Protestants or Catholics – the one thing that is important to remember is that they were all Americans united in common struggle to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today.” It was a powerful visual and I challenge anyone who sees these tags to not become emotional. 

On the second level, I entered the large exhibit room, where the women in the war posters and photos is on display. First on my tour was the WASP: The Untold Story exhibit, curated by the National WASP Museum, Sweetwater, Texas. (WASP stands for Women Airforce Service Pilots.) Information tells the viewer something we probably already assumed: World War II changed so much for women. Prior to the war, women were not allowed to join the military except as nurses. After the U.S. entered the war in 1942, Congress passed a law allowing women to serve in certain military roles, although they were not drafted. Women could, at that time, fill non-combat roles, which freed men for overseas duty. 

The Women’s Army Corps (WACS) and the Navy and Marine Corps as well as the Coast Guard, all formed in 1942. But at that time, the Air Force did not accept women into its ranks. However, when men were overseas and planes needed to be delivered from the factories to military bases, the most sensible way was to fly them to the bases. Without male pilots available, the Air Force turned to women to pilot the planes. The idea was that if a woman had a private pilot’s license, she could receive further training from the Air Force to fly various military aircraft. In 1943, the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (or WASPs) was formed. 

After initial training, the women lived at and got more training at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. The exhibit shows us the sometimes difficult conditions and such facts as at first, the females had to wear men’s military clothing and use men’s equipment. The public and military could also be sexist, and WASPs felt the sting of being treated poorly at times. 

Among the many photos in the exhibit, one I found particularly poignant was a black-and-white image of two women with their backs to the camera, gazing over a Texas field as the sun set. One could feel their loneliness and all the emotions the uncertainty of war and being away from loved ones could cause. 

The exhibit shows us the strength and courage of these female pilots, the things they did to pass the time and how they lived in Texas.

 You can see the closeness of the women, as they played games, socialized and worked together. These women also were very skilled pilots, and their war time contributions should never be overlooked. 

In the museum I also found the poster exhibit to be fascinating. This was the stuff of World War II public relations and the posters were a sort of news method to get the word out about aiding the war effort. A colorful array of posters promoted war nurses and the WAVES. One poster of a little girl with a headline of “wish I could join too” as she gazes at a photo of a female officer, urged the viewer to “Serve your country in the WAVES.”

Another poster invites the viewer to “become a nurse” with a delightful color photo of a young woman with her nurse’s cap being straightened by someone with American flag cuffs.

The war-era posters told us, through their brightly colored, eye-catching photos, to become a nurse, or join the WACS. 

As I toured the exhibit, I was reminded of all these people endured. Our recent pandemic worry has given me but a taste of living through tough times. I glanced at other museum goers, mostly the elderly and wondered what their remembrances might be. One men, dressed in a crisp white shirt and his military hat, was wheeled around the museum exhibit by a woman and I felt tears come into my eyes when I heard him tell her, “this was the best day I’ve had in a long time.”

 A visit to the Wright Museum might be a pastime for some, but for those who served in a war, it is much more than a mere visit. If you go to the museum – and I recommend you do – take your time and see everything from the time tunnel to the military vehicles to the exhibits taking place. If you happen to overhear the comments or remembrances of a veteran touring the museum, be prepared to feel some emotion, the biggest of which will be gratitude for their service.

The past year with its pandemic worries has been a long one. But as I finished my tour of the Wright Museum, I realized it was not the pandemic that made me emotional. It was instead the things I saw, the service of the veterans and average American citizens, like my parents, that made me realize all they sacrificed, as Memorial Day will soon come around, 

The Wright Museum is open daily until October 31 from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday to Saturday and from noon to 4 pm on Sunday. The museum is located at 77 Center Street in Wolfeboro. Call 603-569-1212 or visit www.wrightmuseum.org. for information and a list of events. 

(The next exhibit will be “WWI in America” on view from June 16 to August 11.)