ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Acknowledgements can be long or short. If you follow the short format you really might  miss someone important. If the route follows the long circuit it often delivers recognition equally without identifying those individuals who contributed "above and beyond the call of duty"  to make this book project a success.

Initially, without approval of the VUMS Board of Directors authorizing seed money, the book could not have been started. VUMS Treasurer, George Rogers, handled the money transaction and started the ball rolling.

Without the strong endorsement, support and full recognition for a book on VUMS WOMENS WARRIORS by VUMS Commander, Bill Morgan and a former commander, Ray Jackson, editor of the first three volumes of UNDERAGE WARRIORS, unhesitantly volunteered assistance and professional advice to make the book as good as it could be. Their experience was invaluable and greatly appreciated.

VUMS member, "Red" Hudson, provided timely and critical help on having photographs of VUMS women refinished. Many of them are now deceased. The stories would have been incomplete without a visual record of who these women were and how they appeared at the time of their service.

 

Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado has a program called Community Partnerships which provide a variety of technical and developmental assistance to the area and upon whom we prevailed to help us in the development of this book. Mary C. Hoffman, and her Assistant Karl Jolliff, provided the computer whizology to structure the text, historical photographs and WWII Memorabilia, which now pertain to an era long past. Mary deserves important recognition in providing us the professional expertise which none of us possessed and without which we might still be floundering.

Unfailing assistance and recognition is also due to our publisher Larry Wise of Wise Publications in Sulphur, Louisiana, who had the valuable experience of publishing Volume IV which provided him with special insight of what our needs were and how they could be best implemented in the development of the book.

There is an old military saying, "They also serve who only sit and wait" yet each who served was a part of/the wheel that makes the military turn. We also had such assistance and wish to recognize all those who contributed but were not individually identified. Our thanks to all!

This book stands alone as it is the true stories of young women, written by them, of their experiences in the military underage. They are a unique part of history and in this technological age their stories cannot be repeated in the future. As you read between the lines you will catch a glimpse of America during World War II and the patriotic feeling throughout this great nation. You will also understand why we are called the greatest generation. From age 13 to 19 they falsified their age for a chance to serve our country. Teenagers without finishing High School, most had never been away from home, they put on their uniforms and never looked back. They gave their best and that was good enough to make them great examples for the WACS, the WAVES, and SPARS, and the Marines. Today we stand with our Band of Brothers proudly as the Band of Sisters of VETERANS OF UNDERAGE MILITARY SERVICE.

Dorothy H. Brandt,  LM 812  VUMS Ex Officio & WW II WAC

 

Comments by National Commander, the Past Commander & C0-Editor of America's Youngest Warriors.

 

"I have personally met many of the veterans whose stories have appeared in our books. This book, America's Youngest Women Warriors, will take its place not only in collections and major libraries in the United States but in the hearts and souls of all those who are privileged to read this book. Yes, women are veterans too and each has a story to be told. In this book, Dorothy Brandt, has done a great job to capture and record some of these stories."

      Dr. Wm. C Morgan, (Bill)

 National VUMS Commander, 2011

 

"It is well known that throughout the history of our country young men have "adjusted" their birth date in order to serve in the armed forces of the United States before attaining legal age. What is less well known is that many young women also chose to serve their country before they could legally do so. This book remedies that situation by telling the stories of some of these young women. Dorothy Hinson Brandt, an underage veteran, has done a magnificent job of editing the stories into a very interesting, readable, book. It should be on the bookshelf of everyone who is interested in the contribution of women to our country, especially those interested in military history.

Dr. Ray D. Jackson, Co-editor,

 America's Youngest Warriors