The Women’s Army Corps Service Medal was a military award of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

which was created on July 29, 1943 by issued by

President Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. The medal was intended to recognize the service of women to the Army during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The profile featured on the medal is that of the goddess

Pallas Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of v ...

; the same profile was used for the

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an Auxiliaries, auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on 15 May 1942 and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the U ...

branch insignia. The Women’s Army Corps Service Medal was awarded to any service member of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps between July 10, 1942 and August 31, 1943 or the

between September 1, 1943 and September 2, 1945. The medal was issued as a once-awarded medal, and there are no devices authorized for additional presentations. The medal ranked in order of precedence below the American Defense Service Medal and above the American Campaign Medal.Army Regulation 670-1, dated 3 Feb 2005, para 29-6d(4), p. 268. The Women’s Army Corps Service Medal is considered obsolete as the United States Army is a combined service and no longer maintains any separate service corps for women, although it may still be worn by those who served.

References

{{Authority control American women in World War II Awards and decorations of the United States Army Awards honoring women Awards established in 1943 Military awards and decorations of World War II Women in the United States Army

See also

References