WOMEN VETERANS HISTORICAL COLLECTION          

DESCRIPTION:  Carol Goddard, a civilian military recruiter from Hot Springs, South Dakota, joined the Women's Army Corps (WAC) in late October 1944.  Private Goddard’s situation was a little unusual for a member of the WAC.  Not only was she 41 years old when she enlisted, but she also left an attorney husband at home in Hot Springs. The letters from Carol are written from three different locations: basic training at Ft. Des Moines, Iowa; Rapid City Army Air Force Base in South Dakota; and Ft. Sheridan, Illinois. The letters between the two predominantly discuss how much they miss each other and what they will do once they are together again. Bertin, the husband, is often not feeling well and while Carol is anxious to return to him, she never states that she regrets her decision to join. In a letter of November 7, 1944, she states "I feel like being here is for us both, as well as for my country." In her letters Pvt. Goddard also discusses WAC life, the training, meals, other WACs, GI parties (Friday night clean-up) and her anxiety to be with her husband again. The letters from Bertin provide an interesting twist to the loved one at home—this time the man, who has to put up with teasing from friends that his wife has left him for the WAC. He relays the stuff of the home front – news of neighbors and friends, discussion of household matters, and how he is keeping busy by fishing, playing chess and keeping up her garden. He does mention that he is proud of what she is doing when he states "When in church this morning, I thot [sic] that if you were there in uniform, you would have been the only one- people would have been looking- and I’d been proud" (January 1945). On the other hand, Carol turned down the opportunity to be stationed overseas, as well as the chance to go to Officer's Training School at Bertin's request.  

The collection also contains an interesting series of letters from Carol's sister Ena, an army secretary, who was serving in Frankfurt, Germany in 1946. These long, elaborate letters provide a vivid description of post-war activities in Germany and the often poor supply of resources available to troops and personnel. Ena's Battaliion Headquarters were in what used to be a Hitler Youth Hostel that suffered damage during the war. "Last winter when it was so cold we used to go down the back stairs...and bribe the fireman there to bring us up some coal for our stove (candy, gum and cigarettes can do a lot of things)," Ena wrote Carol. "Though the temperature here never got down to zero, the cold was damp and penetrating and our apartment was seldom warm."   

Most letters are dated, however, some dates were guessed at by the content of the letter. These dates have been written in brackets. Newspaper clippings are insignificant in number and in information pertaining to WACs and the Goddards. They have been kept with the letters with which they were sent. There are also a few letters written to Carol from various friends and relatives.  

LOCATION

Women Veterans Historical Collection
#WV-0283

Papers, Printed Material, Photographs

Correspondence, 1944-1946