Talk:Mary Hallaren

First woman in the U.S. Army

Copied from WP:RD:

When I did research for the Edith Nourse Rogers article, I was under the impression that Oveta Culp Hobby, the first director of the WAC, became the first woman to be officially part of the U.S. Army when she was commissioned on July 5, 1943... not Mary Hallaren as the blurb in DYK claims. As I understand it, Hallaren was actually the first woman to become part of the permanent army -- the whole point of the move from WAAC (Auxiliary) to WAC was granting women military status. (See chapter I and II here) But I don't know much about the military, so could someone verify that? 68.81.231.127 01:55, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)

The article says that the WAC was not part of the Army until 1948. So while Hobby was a female officer, she was not a female Army officer. Rmhermen 04:59, Mar 11, 2005 (UTC)

There were also women who served before this...for example, in the Civil War. See this page for some examples. They were female Army soldiers, though perhaps they were not "officially" women. - Nunh-huh 05:04, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)

According to myth, Mary Hays McCauly (aka, Molly Pitcher) fought alongside her husband at the Battle of Monmouth during the American Revolution. →Raul654 05:11, Mar 11, 2005 (UTC)

Upon further reading I found this -- "Margaret Corbin was the first woman to fight in the American Revolutionary War" →Raul654 05:12, Mar 11, 2005 (UTC)

Every article upon Halleran's death indicated that she was the first woman to join the regular US army. Hobby was the first woman to join the Women's Auxiliary. It was not regular army. RickK 05:25, Mar 11, 2005 (UTC)

"General Marshall decided to ask Congress to give the women military status. The auxiliary system had proved complex and unwieldy" and "the new law deleted the word 'Auxiliary' from the Corps title... the distinctive WAAC grade titles vanished; the officers and enlisted women now used the same military titles as men."[1] The whole point of replacing the WAAC with the WAC was getting rid of the auxiliary status. Then "Oveta Culp Hobby was appointed Director, Women's Army Corps (DWAC), and was commissioned a colonel in the Army of the United States on 5 July 1943".[2] Most of the second chapter discusses the fight to make the WACs a permanent part of the regular army and reserve, which is where Hallaren fit in. My reading is the WACs (not WAACs) were regular army... it's just the bill expired with the cessation of hostilies, and the army would become all male again (except the Army Nurse Corps) -- just like the women in the Navy and Marine Corps in WWI (who were regular military) were disbanded after the war. And neither of the external links in the Hallaren article say she was the first woman in the US army. 68.81.231.127 06:47, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Here are some quotes from a different source: "Congress opened hearings in March 1943 on the conversion of the WAAC into the Regular Army. Army leaders asked for the authority to convert the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps into the Women's Army Corps (WAC), which would be part of the Army itself rather than merely serving with it" and "On 3 July 1943, after a delay caused by congressional hearings on the slander issues, the WAC bill was signed into law. All WAACs were given a choice of joining the Army as a member of the WAC or returning to civilian life". Then Hallaren's part again: "Earlier in 1946, the Army asked Congress for the authority to establish the Women's Army Corps as a permanent part of the Regular Army.... Although the bill was delayed in Congress for two years by political conservatives, it finally became law on 12 June 1948. With the passage of this bill, the Women's Army Corps became a separate corps of the Regular Army."[3] I could be mistaken, but that definitely sounds like Hallaren was just the first woman in the permanent corps. 68.81.231.127 07:04, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Should it be changed? 68.81.231.127 00:23, 13 Mar 2005 (UTC)

End copied section

WikiProject Military history/Assessment/Tag & Assess 2008

Article reassessed and graded as start class. --dashiellx (talk) 19:45, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Ok

So what did she really do? I know who she is, but she died when i was 7 ): and i did a project on her but why is she famous?

98.218.118.143 (talk) 17:37, 4 July 2011 (UTC)Mary