Women's History Month - Making WAVES in the U.S. Navy

PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland (March 3, 2017) - An undated photo from the personal collection of Alice Virginia Benzie, a Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) Sailor stationed at NAS Patuxent River in the 1940's, shows WAVES standing in formation at NAS Patuxent River outside the hangars.
By the time recruiting ended in 1945, the WAVES boasted a force of 86,000 enlisted and more than 8,000 female officers -- around 2.5 percent of the Navy;s total strength at the time.