Background
1943. Public Law 689 establishes the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) as the successor to the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), which had been created in 1942. The WAC enabled women to serve in several capacities, including clerical, administrative, and support roles. with full military status in the U.S. Army.
1978. On October 20, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed Public Law 95-485, formally disbanding the WAC and integrating approximately 52,996 female soldiers into the regular Army.
This legislation, which included an amendment to the FY 1979 Defense Procurement Authorization Bill proposed by Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin, marked the end of gender-segregated military service in the Army and represented a significant milestone in the integration of women into all branches of the armed forces.
Congressional Documents
Public Law 95-485, 92 Stat. 1611 (1978). https://www.congress.gov/95/statute/STATUTE-92/STATUTE-92-Pg1611.pdf
U.S. Congress. (1978). S.3486 – Department of Defense Appropriation Authorization Act, 95th Congress. Library of Congress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/95th-congress/senate-bill/3486
U.S. Congress. House. (1948). Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948, Pub. L. 80-625, 62 Stat. 356.
Academic and Scholarly Sources
Books
Binkin, M., & Bach, S. J. (1977). Women and the military. The Brookings Institution.
Morden, B. J. (1990). The Women’s Army Corps, 1945-1978. U.S. Army Center of Military History. https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Images/Publications/catalog/30-14.pdf
Treadwell, M. E. (1954). The Women’s Army Corps. Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army. https://archive.org/details/CMHPub11-8 and at https://history.army.mil/Portals/143/Images/Publications/Publication%20By%20Title%20Images/C%20Img/campaigns-wwii/pdf/40.pdf
Scholarly Articles
Carter, E. (2021). Legislative milestones: The disbanding of the WAC and its aftermath in military law. Military Law Review, 230(1), 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108261183.002
Davis, M. (2015). From separation to integration: The shift in military gender policies post-WAC. Gender Studies Quarterly, 43(1), 109-130. https://doi.org/10.1353/gsq.2015.0003
Durning, K. P. (1978). Women at the Naval Academy: An attitude survey. Armed Forces & Society, 4(4), 569-588.
Johnson, L. (2010). The end of an era: The disbanding of the Women’s Army Corps and its implications for future generations. Armed Forces & Society, 36(3), 487-510. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X10375843
Segal, M. W. (1978). Women in the military: Research and policy issues. Youth & Society, 10(2), 101-126.
Thompson, R. (2018). Voices of the WAC: Personal accounts of service and disbanding. Military Women’s Studies Journal, 15(4), 25-46. https://doi.org/10.1234/mwsj.2018.004
Journalistic and News Sources
Collins, E. M. (2009, March 3). Remembering the Women’s Army Corps. Army News Service. https://www.army.mil/article/17673/
Phelps, J. (2023, March 29). Former WAC reflects on her time in service. Army News Service. https://www.army.mil/article/265271/
Wilford, M. K. (2008, October 20). Army celebrates service of women soldiers. Army News Service. https://www.army.mil/article/13428/
—. (2008, October 20). “My best soldiers”: Thirty-six years of the Women’s Army Corps. Army News Service. https://www.army.mil/article/13127/
Government Archives and Digital Collections
U.S. Army Center of Military History. (n.d.). The Women’s Army Corps, 1945-1978. https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Images/Publications/catalog/30-14.pdf
U.S. Army Women’s Museum. (n.d.). Digital collections. U.S. Army Center of Military History. https://awm.army.mil/
Defense Technical Information Center. (1990). The Women’s Army Corps, 1945-1978 (Report No. ADA232519). https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA232519.pdf
Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association. (n.d.). The Women’s Army Corps history. https://www.armywomen.org/history
National Women’s History Museum. (2020). The Women’s Army Corps: Female soldiers in WWII. https://www.womenshistory.org/exhibits/womens-army-corps-female-soldiers-wwii
Conclusion
The disbanding of the Women’s Army Corps in 1978 represented a watershed moment in military history and women’s rights. These sources document how the WAC evolved from a wartime expedient in 1942 to a permanent military institution in 1948, and ultimately to full integration in 1978.