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Object Description
| Title | [Letter from Adeline LaPlante to parents, 1942] |
| Date | 1943-09-25 |
| Item creator's name | LaPlante, Adeline Sears |
| Subject headings |
World War, 1939-1945 United States. Army--Women |
| Era | World War II era (1940-1946) |
| Service branch |
Army--WAAC Army--WAC |
| Item description | Adeline LaPlante writes to her parents about the difficulties she is facing in regards to her work and ranking. LaPlante is disappointed with her assignment in Intermediate Officers' School, and speaks of her desire to be out of the corps. LaPlante feels looked down upon by her higher ranking peers. |
| Veteran's name | LaPlante, Adeline Sears |
| Veteran's biography |
Adeline Sears LaPlante (1919-2006) of Easton, Pennsylvania, served as a recruiter and as a public relations officer in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) and the Women's Army Corps (WAC) from 1942-1945 . Adeline Sears LaPlante (1919-2006) was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, on 19 November 1919. She attended the University of Rochester and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree . LaPlante joined the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) in September, 1942. She attended Officer Candidate School at the WAAC Training Center at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and was commissioned in October, 1942. In January, 1943, LaPlante attended recruiter training in Atlanta, Georgia, before being assigned as a WAAC recruiter in Charlotte, North Carolina. While stationed in Charlotte, LaPlante preformed her recruiting duties by traveling to various cities and towns throughout North Carolina. In September, 1943, LaPlante attended Intermediate Officer Training at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and Daytona Beach, Florida. She was transferred to Patterson Field, Fairfield, Ohio, in November, 1943, and worked in public relations. LaPlante met her future husband, Roy LaPlante, there and they married in March, 1944. She was discharged from the WAC in August, 1945, as a 1st Lieutenant. LaPlante died on 21 November, 2006. |
| Type | image |
| Original format | correspondence |
| Original publisher | [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified] |
| Language | en |
| Contributing institution | Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, UNCG University Libraries |
| Source collection | WV0395 Adeline Sears LaPlante Papers, 1942-1945 |
| Collection summary | This collection includes letters, postcards and Christmas cards from LaPlante to her parents about her career in the WAAC and the WAC from 1943-1944. The collection also contains a photograph album, and news clippings from LaPlante's time in the service. |
| Box | 1 |
| Folder | 3: Letters, 1943 September-1944 January |
| Finding aid link | https://libapps.uncg.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=504 |
| Rights statement | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Additional rights information | IN COPYRIGHT. This item is subject to copyright. Contact the rights holder noted above for permission to reuse. |
| Object ID | wv0395.4.005 |
| Digital publisher | The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402-6170, 336.334.5304 -- http://library.uncg.edu/ |
| Full-text transcript |
P.M. Sept. 25, 1943 Ft. Oglethorpe Friday nite Dear Mother and Dad' Behold, your daughter, after fourteen months in the army, is right back where she started from. I reported yesterday afternoon here at the post and was assigned to I.O.S. (Intermediate Officers' School). A barracks with about 150 officers'most of them newly commissioned' 4 captains brought in from the field' 6 first lieutenants. We do just what we did in OCS[Officer Candidate School] ' classes all day; up at 6:15; scrub the floors; inspection, etc. Mary Kent just got through this course and is still a 2nd Lt.[Lieutenant] (a WAC[Women's Army Corps] captain did her dirt). [name redacted] comes in Monday (took a 4 day delay on route). We are the only 2nd Lts. left in our class and it is very embarrassing to be with all these new ones and to see all our o.c.[officer candidate] pals 1st Lts. and Capts[Captains]. It's Hell. I saw my efficiency ratings after 9 months recruiting; it was ""satisfactory"" (these are the ratings in the army:"""unsatisfactory, satisfactory, excellent, superior." In the army satisfactory means absolutely nothing. It means that you have been a flop at your assignment'and you know how hard I worked! My plans are this: I'll take this I.O.S. for four weeks' then we'll get ten days leave which I'll certainly take. It will then be November' if at the end of November I don't have a decent job, I am going to raise a big row to find out how I can get out of the corps. I'll fight until I get out'. Kent was in Washington and saw Brainard (a Capt.) The WACS in D.C. are all very aggressive and cut-throat. The whole thing is politics if you're not well'connected it's too bad. (Notice that Capt. MacDonald went directly to a beautiful public relations job in Atlanta without having to take this ridiculous IOS course). Col. Hobby didn't even know that 1000 off.[officers] are unassigned; they keep training more officers so it never ends. Everyone just laughs at us here' we are treated as something lower than enlisted personnel. Not allowed in the main officers club; the enlisted WACs are insolent (one Lt. held the door open for a cpl.[Corporal] tonite inasmuch as the cpl. had been insulting and she thot[sic] she'd shame her that way); the post officers look down on us and say that someday we'll have a chance to be real officers. It's especially hard after 14 mon.[months] in the army and almost a year as a commissioned officer. I can stand this training for two months: after that I'm going to see about getting out. Kent is giving it until Oct. 17' she's been in these classes since July. Today was my first day' 1st class= ""Picture of the WAC"" telling all about opening days at Des Moines and about two early o.c. companies (from 1 to 9' the chosen 1300). As if that were a new story to me. Of course these girls are 40th class. Then' a class in public speaking (everybody read a 5 minute story) Not me (she wouldn't let me) I wasn't prepared'. Then P.T.[Physical Training] which was good for me'. This p.m. ' a class in recruiting. No comment'. Some free time and a retreat parade; real messy'. The girls are fine but such a waste. It will do me good for awhile. Any pull you can think of will do me good altho[although] my record is lousy. It looks as if I'll be home in a month; I'll certainly grab the chance. News and gossip: Jean Hunnewell (remember her?) is to be married to a Navy Lt. she met in Tacoma, Washington. Saw it in a news clipping tonite' Lt. Magee is getting a discharge. She's going to have a baby and believe it or not' I envied her last nite. That's one way. Tomorrow Mary and I will visit our old pals. I hope Lt. Sears and I get a weekend soon. Is Ray Brown sill in Town? I'll get along for a few weeks. Apply pressure if you can think of where it's needed. Love' Adeline P.S. Heard that Col. Brown, post commandant, just learned that there are 150 girls in advanced, extended IOS' they've been sitting around since June. And he just learned about it! In advanced IOS they teach French to the girls! |
| OCLC number | 900817117 |
