WAVES helped changed the role of women in the military

It's been 63 years since Betty Butler served as a flight trainer during World War II, yet she remembers the experience as if it were yesterday.

"I was proud to do my patriotic chore," Butler says of her service in the "W.A.V.E.S." or "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service," a branch of the service that saw duty by thousands of women in various fields, both stateside and overseas.

"I don't think it's surprising that I became a flight trainer," said Butler, a longtime Elgin resident who recently moved to St. Charles.

"When I was 11 years old, I took my first plane ride in an open cockpit biplane at an air show in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. I was thrilled at the experience."

The daughter of Frank Ross, a telegrapher for the Milwaukee Railroad, and Helen Ross, Butler grew up in the Milwaukee area where she worked as a steno in the signal department in the Milwaukee Road and a part time volunteer nurse's aide.

As the war waged on, she enlisted in the newly formed W.A.V.E. S - an entity formed in part because of the urging of First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Asked why she joined the Navy instead of another branch of the service, Butler replied, "I thought I looked good in navy blue."

Designed by notable fashion designer Mainbocher at the request of the wife of the assistant Secretary of the Navy, the uniforms were considered quite fashionable and flattering to the female figure and intended "to make you look and feel your best."

Butler was first sent to basic training in Bronx, New York where she became part of the "Singing Platoon." They sang as they marched along the streets from the barracks to training classes.

"Citizens stood on the sidewalk and applauded," Butler said.

From here it was on to the Naval Air Station in Atlanta where she said she did "plenty of marching for exercise."

"I also got to see actor Tyrone Power who was a flight instructor. He was out on the runway when we were marching and needless to say our marching became a bit out of step."

Following a brief stint at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, Butler was transferred to Brunswick Naval Air Base in Maine where she began service as a "Link Trainer." Named for its inventor Edward Link - a former nickelodeon and organ builder - the device did not move, but simulated various types of flight, including banking, diving, and stalling - both for new and experienced pilots.

"It also provided instrument flight practice," she added.

Using a headphone and microphone, Butler could talk to the students.

"I also sent them signals similar to what they would hear in real flight," she said. "The louder the signal, the closer they were to a known base or location." Another feature of the device was a large map table with a marker called the "Crab" which moved across the glass surface to leave a track of the pilot's path.

Butler says she first trained primarily British pilots.

After "V-E Day," when the war in Europe came to an end, the students came mostly from the United States. Navy records show that overall, instructors like Butler trained more than a half million pilots.

"It wasn't all work, though," explains Butler. "There were movies on the base and we sometimes went to town for dinner."

The severity of the winters particularity stand out in Butler's mind. She said the snowdrifts sometimes reached over the billboards.

"We also ice skated, and I sang in a church choir."

Possessing a zest for adventure, Butler says she also voluntarily rode in a bomber and flew a "JF4," a light-duty reconnaissance plane. She also remembers the time a German submarine was sighted near her base.

"Many of planes were flown inland and we took turns guarding the others wearing a holster with a big old heavy revolver."

Besides serving as flight trainers, Butler says women worked in communications, medical fields, and intelligence. By doing so, they freed up men to serve in combat roles.

"The jobs we did couldn't be performed by civilians like some might think because of the security nature," she added.

Records show that more than 75,000 served in the W.A.V.E.S. during the war.

Butler left the service in 1946 and worked for many years as an accountant in the Milwaukee Road telegraph department where she met her husband Stanley who worked as a telegrapher.

It was her husband's career that eventually brought them and their family to the Elgin area. For the past 23 years she has worked as a cataloger for the St. Charles schools and plans to retire soon.

Records show that in 1948, women in the military were given permanent status with the passage of the Women's Armed Services Act. Although the W.A.V.E.S. ceased to exist as an organization several decades ago, the name still lives on in many ways.

"We served our country in a time of real need," said Butler. "We also changed the thinking about women in the military."

The spirit of adventure that Butler had many years ago is still with her.

"I want to try sky-diving before I die," said the 87 year old. "But, I think I'll wait until I retire from my second career first just in case an injury would prevent me from getting to work."