Still, the women's reports about the army are mainly positive. Moore shows that these women faced sex discrimination, as well, and repeated slanders against their reputations as either ``companions'' to black soldiers or butch lesbians. They also tell of the hospitality they found among the British and French families they encountered-in sharp contrast to the racial discrimination of Americans. Moore's subjects seemed to enjoy the humor of 850 women in a barracks-especially when all of them needed to have their hair done at the same time by the few beauticians in their ranks. Despite gripes that all soldiers share, the accounts claim that morale was high.

Moore presents the stories of some of these women, members of the only battalion to be stationed overseas during the war. As a result, many African-American women volunteered, bravely facing their lot as members of a segregated army because of patriotism, activism, and the desire to better themselves.

Although racism and sexism were rampant in the military as in civilian life, powerful allies like Mary McLeod Bethune, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the NAACP helped to persuade President Roosevelt to remove one barrier after another that prevented black women from participating in the war effort. In an original contribution to the extensive WW II literature, Moore (Sociology/SUNY, Buffalo) has compiled oral histories of African-American women who served in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.

Serving Our Country by Brenda L. Moore