Book Review of Sisters in War: Remembering the Women Veterans of World War II by Peg Trout

Peg Trout, herself a Navy veteran, interviewed 53 different women who served in World War II. These women served in all branches of the Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Women Marines and the Coast Guard. Over all, “nearly 400,000 women veterans served in World War II.”

The impetus for the book was her childhood heroine, Great Aunty Flo who shut down her beauty parlor in a small town North Baltimore, Ohio in 1942 to enlist in the Army as soon as women were permitted to enlist. At 37, she decided that her country needed her. She served until 1945, including an overseas assignment at High Wycombe, Headquarters for the 8th Army Air Force where she was an Administrative Specialist.

For each of the 53 women, Peg asked four questions:

• What was your family background?
• What did you do before you entered the service?
• What was your military experience?
• What did you do after you were discharged?

“Each woman chose the place the place she felt more comfortable and at east for the interview. Almost all had at least one treasured item of their military time to hold for the portrait. By holding these cherished souvenirs, the connection was made between their past and the present.”

The care and affection that Peg has for each of the women she interviewed is evident throughout each chapter. The sheer variety of the women is a testament to how diverse the military role of women was during the war.

If people even thought of military women during World War II, it was mostly as nurses. The first nurses and first women in the military were appointed to the Army Nurse Corps on 2 February 1901. The United States Navy Nurse Corps was officially established by Congress in 1908. However, just glancing at the Table of Contents for Peg’s book shows that women served as both officers and enlisted in a variety of roles including pilot, storekeeper, administrative assistant, postal carrier, photographer, and of course nurses. Women of all colors enlisted, just like the men. They served in the United States (CONUS) and in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters (OCONUS)

I would very strongly recommend this book to anybody that wanted to read first hand accounts of the women who served in the military during World War II. Although you can buy a used copy of the book from Amazon or Ebay, the best way to buy a new copy of the book is by contacting Peg directly at sistersinwar53@gmail.com. For $35, she will mail you a copy of the book (autographed if you request it). That is how I got my copy of the book after hearing Peg give a Zoom interview.

If you want to learn more about Peg Trout, read her interview tomorrow