Madison Woman Recounts Making Historic WAVES

On Monday, the Madison chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), honored the WAVES, thousands of women who joined the armed forces during World War II.

Nancy Castellano, a resident of Madison, spoke about her experience as a member of the WAVES and about her book "Looking Back at the Waves; A Chronicle of 90,000 Navy Women of World War II."

Castellano recounted the early days of her experience; the WAVES were Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December, 1941 and were commissioned only for that unusual circumstance.

Castellano signed up for the WAVES on her 20th birthday and joined after completing her student teaching program. "Before the emergency, women had only served in the military as part of the auxiliary. We were the first members," she told a gathering at the .

According to Castellano, there were prominent government and military officials dead-set against women serving in the military. "We may not have been wanted at first, but we proved ourselves and earned respect," she said.

 The WAVES began in August, 1942, when Mildred McAfee, president of Wellesley College, was sworn in as a Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander, the first female commissioned officer in U.S. naval history, and the first director of the WAVES.  Joy Bright Hancock, Elizabeth Reynard and Virginia Gildersleeve were also founding members. Reyarnd and Gildersleeve were professors of English at Barnard college, where Gildersleeve also served as dean.

The 6,000 women WAVES trained at Hunter College in the Bronx, where, Castellano says, they marched up to 22 miles a day. WAVES could not serve in combat ships or aircraft, but they fulfilled other essential military roles. They worked in district headquarters, air stations, hospitals and at the Navy mail service. They also decoded messages and sold war bonds.

"The most important thing, I think, is that we filled out Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt's dream. She really was the outstanding woman of the 20th century," Castellano said.

The proceeds of Castellano's book, which costs $25, will benefit the Morris County Retired Teachers' Association (MCREA) scholarship fund. Castellano worked as a teacher in the Morris Township/Morris School District for 43 years.

Madison AAUW has about 50 members and hosts speakers each month. The branch also holds a Used Book Sale each year to raise funds for its scholarship program for mature women, age 25 or over, who are residents of Chatham, Chatham Township, Florham Park, Madison, Morris Township or Morristown and are enrolled in an educational program pursuing a certificate, undergraduate, graduate or post-graduate studies

The AAUW members who attended the event found it very informative. "I did not know much more about the WAVES other than their cute uniforms. I learned so much about the experience from Nancy," Mary Campbell, who earned her B.A. from Skidmore College, said.

"It was a reminiscent experience for me," Dawn Smith, who earned for B.A. from Gettysburg College and her M.A. from Drew University, said. "We lived during that time and it is great to hear about the women who served our country during the Second World War."