CALL OF DUTY

A memoir by a WAC (Women’s Army Corps) enlistee, combining high adventure with “lots of fun and travel,” but paid for with some sad, painful experiences. Miller, then a patriotic and daring young teacher in Iowa, wanted to contribute directly to the effort of WWII (her father had served proudly in WWI) by joining the newly formed Women’s Army that would help to relieve more young men for combat duty. She endured the long, exhausting hours of basic training, but some of the worst (and best) was yet to come. Miller was trained as a cryptographer and transcribd secret coded orders and intelligence for the US Eighth Air Force headquarters in London while the air offensive was raging in Europe. At this time, V1 and V2 buzz bombs were falling in Britain. After D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge erupted, she was transferred to the US Ninth Air Force in Charleroi, Belgium. Here she witnessed the endless suffering of European refugees who had lost everything, knew the hardships of freezing weather, poor food and shelter, and tremendous stress, as well as the potential danger of German counterattacks. She also went to see the mass graves at Dachau. The book relates sightseeing trips, too, including a visit to Paris after the German surrender. At the end Miller writes that there were so many heroes and there was so much pain, that the ghosts of more than half a century ago still haunt many today. Despite the vital contributions of the 300,000 WACs, Miller complains about feeling like a second-class member of the army, receiving little recognition for her service. The well-told story of a seldom reported facet of WWII. (illustrations, not seen)