A salute to the area women who served

By Editor | May 28, 2014 |

In my last column, I shared the history of the Crawford-Hale American Legion Home from the “War Stories” book.

Sprinkled in the book, along with the stories of the majors, privates, sergeants and corporals, was one about Lt. Col. Edna Miller, a former Vandalia school teacher, who held the highest rank of all Fayette County women who wore a military uniform. She taught at McKinley School and served as school principal when Elva Elam retired.
Edna enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during WWII and served in the 8th Army in Yokohama, Japan, after the war had ended in the South Pacific. Prior to that, she served in the signal corps at Mt. Claire, Pa., from 1951 to 1953, and was superintendent of all Ft. Bragg schools – military and civilian – at the time she retired.
She married George Uhazi in 1943. The former teacher died in January 2001, with burial in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, with full military rights. Her nephew, Nelson P. Miller, was a former resident of Vandalia. He joined the Navy in 1941 and served four years.
Linda Meyer of Shobonier enlisted in the Navy WAVES (Women Accepted Volunteers for Enlisted Service) on March 12, 1943, when she was 19 years old. She said it was because her two older brothers went off to war that she decided to give up her defense job.
Prior to enlisting, she had been working as a seamstress at J.S.&S. Defense Co. in Vandalia, producing clothing for the military. She first took six weeks of boot camp at Hunter College, Bronx, N.Y. She was then assigned to the U.S. Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Va., where 50 young women made up the first unit of WAVES sent to that base. She spent more than three years in the service, holding the rank of Seaman First Class parachute rigger.
In June 2012, the late Corp. Mildred McDowell was honored as the oldest living lady WWII veteran. House Resolution No. 1065 was read into the 97th General Assembly record, honoring her service.
Wanda Stein and her cousin, Gladys Stine, joined the Navy WAVES at the same time. Wanda held the rank of S 1/C and was stationed at Washington, D.C., working in communications as a crypt analyst aide. She spent 2.5 years in service, retiring in 1945. She married the Rev. Ralph Crowell, a member of the U.S. Army 470th Div. of Counter Intelligence Corps, who served in the Panama Canal Zone.
Lt. Elaine Bost, R.N., daughter of Dr. and Mrs. E.J. Bost of Vandalia, arrived at Ft. Benning with Unit 21, a medical unit from Washington University in St. Louis, which was made up of nurses and doctors from Barnes Hospital. She served two years with that unit, first in England and then in Africa. The unit had served during WWII, had been reactivated and was preparing for overseas duty.
Lt. Bost met her future husband, Lt. Bertram Froehly, at the Ft. Benning officer’s club while in the service.
Ella Farrell Hunter, a WAC, met her husband, Sgt. Paul Gruenbaum, at a base in Hando, Texas. They were married at the post chapel. Both Farrell and Paul were active in the local American Legion post, and Farrell was the first woman commander.
Mildred McDowell was only 8 years old when a formation of four or five flying machines flew over her family's farm two miles north of Brownstown, scaring her and the cows, and instilling a fascination for planes that she never outgrew.
Mildred graduated from Ramsey High School, studied one year at Illinois State Normal School and became a teacher at one-room schools, including Rush School and Bingham, where she taught for two years.
Standing at 5 foot l l/2 inches and weighing 112 pounds, the 35-year-old school teacher enlisted in the U.S. WAC on Nov. 18, 1943. She served for two years, packing parachutes and at Roswell, N.M., as an airplane parts supply clerk. The war ended, and she was honorably discharged in December 1945.
She returned to teaching, found that she missed the military life, and re-enlisted on March 18, 1946, later transferring to the Women’s Air Force, traveling to Wiesbaden, Germany, serving two more years before being discharged in October 1949.
Mildred attempted to re-enlist, but was turned down due to her age, although she continued in the reserves to become a 20-year veteran.
In June 2012, Mildred was honored yet again for her service when she celebrated her 104th birthday. State Rep. Paul Evans was on hand to give her a copy of House Resolution No. 1065, which was read into the 97th Illinois General Assembly record, honoring and recognizing her. She passed away five months later.
A listing of about 100 Fayette County women who served their country, either as nurses or in the WACs, the WAVES, Air Force, Army, Navy or the Red Cross, can be found on pages 101-102 of the “War Stories” book.
Books are a great way of preserving the stories of our people, and hundreds of stories are re-told in “War Stories,” as told by Fayette County war veterans.