Billie Bertha Drysdale was born in Greenbrier, West Virginia in 1921. She lived as the daughter of Charley and Vonie Drysdale and was the youngest of five siblings. Billie Bertha graduated high school in 1938 and worked as a sales clerk until 1945. On April 30, 1945, she joined the Women’s Army Corp. Billie served as a WAC from the end of World War 2 until the beginning of the Korean War. As a WAC, Billie Drysdale helped to secure a lasting place for women in the military.
The Women’s Army Corp first began as the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp (WAAC) in 1942, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Initially, Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers presented a bill to create the WAAC in May of 1941; however, it was not passed until May 14th of the following year. Conversion from Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp into an active duty unit did not take place until 1943. This change allowed women to have the rank and privileges that come with being an official member of the US Army. They were also granted permission to begin working overseas. Serving overseas was a big step for the skirted soldiers. These women were sent to army reserves in Britain, France and other allied regions. It is unclear exactly where Billie Drysdale went, but records state that she spent time in Europe during her enlistment.
One major player in the promotion of women’s involvement was first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. After seeing the impact that British women were having once they joined the military, Eleanor encouraged American women to do the same. She not only influenced women to join the armed forces, but influenced those in political power to begin looking favorably at the idea of female soldiers.
In later years, the women of WAC were split into Army Air Force, Army Ground Force and Army Service Force. Billie Bertha was a Private in the Army Air Force unit. This meant she was asked to fill a number of non-combatant roles during her time in the military, including weather forecasting, flight mechanics and control tower analysis. Like Billie, many of the women who served in the WAC participated as integral parts of the Army, but did not fight on the front lines. Women were not officially permitted to fill any combat role until 2016. Due to this fact, Billie Bertha Drysdale probably never experienced the glory or terror that men were permitted to boast.
However, this did not mean that the part Billie played was obsolete. She was a small part in a larger cultural shift. Before World War 2, women were strictly seen as household beings. With the production of the women’s army corp, females all over America were beginning to experience life as they never had before. World War 2 saw 400,000 women taking jobs in the military. Back at home, women joined the workforce as their loved ones left for active duty. They were trained to drive ambulances and as firefighters. Educated women began taking jobs in research and development, which promoted involvement in STEM programs. Women everywhere were getting used to the idea of work. Possibly more impactful, was the fact that their daughters saw them working, and grew to believe in the normality of it. Soon enough, teenage girls began taking jobs in shops and factories. By the end of the war, over 19 million women were working in the labor force.
One of these women was Billie. Billie did not join the armed forces until late into the war. Before that, she got a job in a local shop. As a single women of only 20 years old when the war began, Billie took up one of the newly vacated positions to help support her family. There is not much known about Billie Bertha before joining the war but after taking this position. It is assumed that she worked hard and when the time came, she quit her job and enlisted. Billie enlisted after the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp had already been reassigned as an active organization, and therefore did not have to experience many of the changes that others had.
Yet, Billie faced many changes of her own. With no record of ever having been out of the country, active duty allowed Billie to see more of the world. While serving, Billie also met her husband. The Alabama native, Cpl. Reginald Bryan Jones, was an officer in the Army Air Corp after switching from the Air Force in late 1945. Reginald would stay in the Army long after Billie left in favor of civilian life. However, if anyone asks, she was there first.
Billie Bertha Drysdale, now Jones, lived out the rest of her life as a military wife and soldier on reserve. She had four children with Reginald, including my mother, Karen Ann Jones (Wynans). Billie died on May 6, 1975 in Punta Gorda, Florida at the age of 54. She was buried with military honors to the tune of a 21 gun salute.
Billie’s name will never turn up in any history books. On a global scale, many would say she has little relevance. But my grandmother participated in the changing of a nation. She helped push women forward, allowing American women to elevate to where they are today.