Loretta Perfectus Walsh

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Loretta Perfectus Walsh
April 22, 1896 – August 6, 1925
World War I Navy recruiting poster, featuring a "Christy Girl"
Place of birth	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Place of death	Olyphant, Pennsylvania
Allegiance	USN
Years of service	1917-1919
Rank	Chief Yeoman

Loretta Perfectus Walsh (April 22, 1896 – August 6, 1925) became the American first active-duty Navy woman, and the first woman to serve in any of the United States armed forces other than as a nurse, when she enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve on March 17, 1917. Walsh subsequently became the first woman Navy petty officer when she was sworn in as Chief Yeoman on March 21, 1917.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Career 1.3 Walsh's contribution 2 History treatment of Walsh 3 References 4 See also 5 Further reading 6 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Loretta Perfectus Walsh was born on April 22, 1896 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[1]

[edit] Career

War events quickly lead up to Walsh's decision to enlist in the United States Navy.

World War I had been going on for three years when, on January 31, 1917 the Germans announced they would resume unrestricted submarine warfare on all ships, including those sailing under the United States flag.^[2] On February 23, 1917, American opinion further was angered when America learned of Berlin's proposal to Mexico to join the war as Germany's ally against the U.S.^[3] Over the next few weeks, four American ships fell victim to German U-boats causing the death of fifteen Americans.^[4]

On March 12, 1917, all American merchant ships were ordered to be armed in war zones. ^[5] On March 13, 1917, these armed merchant ships were authorized to take action against German U-boats. ^[6] It was in the face of this adversity challenging the United States that Walsh made her decision to enlist in the United States military.

At age 20, on March 17, 1917, Walsh engaged in a four-year enlistment in the U.S. Naval Reserve, becoming the first active-duty Navy woman, and the first woman to serve in any of the armed forces in a non-nurse occupation.^[7] On March 19, 1917, the Navy Department authorized enrollment of women in Naval Reserve with ratings of yeoman, radio electrician, or other essential ratings, becoming the first branch of the United States armed forces to allow enlistment by women in a non-nursing capacity.^[8][9] Walsh subsequently became the first woman Navy petty officer when she was sworn in as Chief Yeoman on March 21, 1917.^[10][11] Twelve days after Walsh was sworn in as Chief Yeoman, President Woodrow Wilson went before the U.S. Congress late on April 2 to ask for a declaration of war, which Congress did on April 6, 1917.^[12]

The majority of the war ended about a year and a half later. Walsh and other Yeomen (F), all of whom held enlisted ranks, continued in service during the first months after the November 1918 Armistice was signed. ^[13] However, as a result of the post-WWI Naval reductions, the number of Yeomen (F) declined steadily, reaching just under four thousand by the end of July 1919, when Walsh and the remaining Yeomen (F) were all released from active duty. ^[14][15] Walsh continued on inactive reserve status, receiving modest retainer pay, until the end of her four-year enlistment on March 17, 1921. ^[16]

With her duty to her country completed, Walsh died on August 6, 1925 at the young age of 29 in Olyphant, Pennsylvania.^[17]

[edit] Walsh's contribution

In 1917, women had served in the United States military as nurses since 1901.^[18] However, despite their uniforms, Army and Navy nurses were civilian employees with few benefits. For example, women lacked "relative ranks" and insignia, retirement pension, disability pension if injured in the line of duty. ^[19]

On enlisting in the Navy in early 1917, Walsh became a Yeoman (F), commonly called Yeomanettes. Yeomanettes primarily served in clerical positions. ^[20] As a non-nurse, Walsh was the first of 13,000 World War I yeoman females entitled to receive the same benefits and responsibilities as men, including identical pay. ^[21][22]

[edit] History treatment of Walsh

After her death on August 6, 1925, Walsh was buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery in Olyphant, Pennsylvania, under a monument that reads:^[23]

To the credit of Walsh's memory and her bold action on March 21, 1917, the official history program of the Department of the Navy, the Naval Historical Center, identifies March 21, 1917 as a date in American naval history.^[24] However, Walsh's contribution to women in the military appears largely to have been ignored by history. Just about all sources treat her accomplishments as a trivia entry.^[25]

There have been some efforts to document Walsh's story. For example, in 1982, former U.S. Navy lieutenant, Jean Ebbert and Mary-Beth Hall set out to document the story of Walsh as the first Navy woman to serve outside the nursing profession.^[26] The resulting book, Crossed Currents: Navy Women from WWI to Tailhook,^[27] was published in December 1994. As the extended title of Crossed Currents makes clear, Walsh's story once again became minimized among numerous of other stories about U.S. Navy women.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• History of the United States Navy
• History of women in the military

[edit] Further reading

• Ebbert, Jean; Hall, Mary-Beth (1994). Crossed Currents: Navy Women from WWI to Tailhook. Brassey's Inc, Revised edition. ISBN 0-02-881112-7
• Susan H. Godson. (January 2002). Serving Proudly: A History of Women in the U.S. Navy. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-317-6

[edit] External links

• Women & the U.S. Navy -- World War I era Yeomen (F)

Persondata
NAME	Walsh, Loretta Perfectus Walsh
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Loretta Walsh
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Chief Yeoman, United States Navy
DATE OF BIRTH	April 22, 1896
PLACE OF BIRTH	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
DATE OF DEATH	August 6, 1925
PLACE OF DEATH	Olyphant, Pennsylvania, United States