Ruth Hartman

            Ruth Frances Hartman was born Ruth Zimmer on Dec. 25, 1921 (yes, Christmas Day!), at home, in Reading, Ohio. At age 91, she still lives independently in her home in Reading. She has lived in Reading all of her life -- except during World War II, when she so proudly served in the U.S. Navy WAVES.  After the war and her service in the military ended, she returned to Reading, where she married William Hartman and raised two children. Ruth was the oldest of five children. During the Great Depression, her mother suffered ill health. There were no social safety nets then, and Ruth had to drop out of high school to help take care of her younger brothers and sisters. Ruth was -- and still is -- A very


 intelligent, resourceful, ambitious and hard-working person, so having to leave high school was a heart-breaker. However, it was not uncommon for children then to have to stop their schooling to help at home.

            When the Japanese attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec.7, 1941, it was a shocking and galvanizing event. Every American alive then remembers exactly where he or she was when learning about the attack. Likewise, all remember sitting by the radio set, listening as President Franklin Roosevelt  describe the attack as "a day that will live in infamy " and declaring war on Japan. Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States; the United States reciprocated, declaring war on Germany and Italy.  Just like that, America was gearing up for war in Europe and the South Pacific. “It was an especially patriotic time," recalls Ruth Hartman. "Everywhere you went; everyone talked of supporting the war effort. Everyone talked of joining the military. “At that time, the branches of U.S. military were for men only.

            However, on May 15, 1942, a bill creating the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (the WAAC) was signed into law. On July 30, 1942, Congress authorized the creation of the WAVES as a war-time division of the U.S. Navy.  The WAVES consisted entirely of women. WAVES was an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service."  The "emergency" was world war. An important distinction between the WAAC and WAVES was that the WAAC was an auxiliary organization that served with the U.S. Army, not in it. The WAVES was an official part of the U.S. Navy.

            WAVES members held the same ranks and ratings, and received the same pay as their male counterparts. This was an astounding concept in the 1940s!! Within its first year, the WAVES had 27,000 members. The WAVES could not serve in combat and were mostly restricted to duty in the continental United States. Most WAVES did clerical work, but some took positions in the naval aviation community. Ruth Zimmer was among the chosen few. Ruth enlisted in the WAVES in early 1944. It was an exciting opportunity at a time when there were few opportunities for women outside the home and home-town.

            She began her service on March 7, 1944, with 10 weeks of basic training on the grounds of Hunter College, in New York City's Bronx area. There, she met and bunked with hundreds of young women from small towns all across the United States. Ruth loved drill practice, marching in formation in their various naval uniforms. She loved the camaraderie, discipline and sense of purpose.  At the end of basic, the young volunteers were "scattered" to permanent assignments coast-to-coast across the U.S. Ruth was assigned to the important U.S. Naval Air Station at Norfolk, Va. There, she worked as an "inspector" of combat airplanes. Aircraft carriers brought the planes into Norfolk for repair and reconditioning after a specified amount of time in service.

            The WAVES disassembled the engines, steam cleaned the parts, measured parts for wear, then repaired and reassembled the engines. All plane parts (brakes, landing gear, etc.) were likewise given critical care. Occasionally, a naval pilot would let Ruth hide in a plane's cockpit for the test-flight over Norfolk's bay!  Women who served in the WAVES had the time of their lives. Their time in the service during World War II was incredibly fulfilling and fun. The WAVES gave women the opportunity to serve their country in a time of grave need, to earn their own paychecks, to qualify for military benefits, to learn new skills not usually afforded to women, to live away from home, to meet and become lifelong friends with women from all parts of the United States, and (when they got leave) to dance and drink beer with handsome sailors.

            The work and service of the WAVES, the WAC (which also became a true part of the Army with full benefits), and their civilian counterpart "Rosie the Riveters" also freed up men to fight and serve overseas. World War II ended with the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945. Ruth Zimmer's time in the WAVES came to an end on Jan. 19, 1946. On Memorial Day, 1946, dressed in her crisp navy uniform, she led the Memorial Day Parade in her hometown of Reading. She was discharged 67 years ago and cherishes her service time in the U.S. Navy WAVES.

            This summer, on August 20, Ruth Zimmer Hartman  traveled with several other Cincinnati WWII veterans to Washington DC on the Honor Flight to visit the World War II Memorial.