Seeking photos of WACs, SPARS, WAVES & Army Nurse Corps

Dear Ms. Ciampi,

Thank you for your posting your request on History Hub!

The US military did not systematically photograph all members of the armed forces, however there are a large number of photographs that are in NARA custody. The level of detail given in the captions varies greatly.  Some might identify each person in the photograph by name, some might identify only a few major persons, and some might not identify any at all.

We searched the National Archives Catalog for digitized photographs and graphic materials relating to WAAC/WACs, SPARS, WAVES, and Army nurses. We also searched for women Marines. There may be additional photographic records in the custody of the National Archives at College Park - Still Picture (RDSS) that have not been digitized. Please contact RDSS via email at stillpix@nara.gov for more information.

We also located digitized moving images relating to WAAC/WACs, SPARS, WAVES, and Army nurses. There may be additional motion picture records in the custody of the National Archives at College Park - Motion Picture (RDSM) that have not been digitized yet. Please contact RDSM via email at mopix@nara.gov for more information.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDSS and RDSM. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

In addition, you may be interested in our Military Resources: Women in the Military page on our website, and the Women in World War II album on our Flickr page.

The various agencies such as the United States Army Center of Military History, the U.S. Army Women's Museum, the US Army Office of Medical History, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Historian's Office, the Naval History and Heritage Command, the US Coast Guard Heritage Museum, the Smithsonian, and the Library of Congress may have photograph collections that would be of interest, as might similar institutions throughout the country.

There may be multiple newspaper articles with photographs about members of these organizations. Some of these may be located through newspaper compilations such as Chronicling America as well as various subscriptions services.

The Library of Congress also has the web page Women at War: Stories from the Veteran’s History Project that provides a small sampling of their thousands of oral histories and other collections relating to individual women.

Lastly, you may wish to contact veteran organizations such as the Women's Army Corps Veterans' Association - Army Women United (WACVA-AWU).

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your research!